#to their popularity among mcu fans maybe?

[luciddreamslikeelectricity]

ykw I've been saying for a long time that Bucky Barnes has gotten shit writing & treatment from marvel since 2015 so finding out a bunch of guys on twitter noticed the same thing. it proves in not crazy LOL, ever since that alanna superwholock fangirl got out on something shifted

it's like marvel saw Bucky's popularity jump from a genuinely top tier TWS adaptation in the MCU, but then got some higher up(maybe after the exec shake up that happened then) got mad at his new popularity and decided to start sidelining & scuttling character in 2015. & what crazy is not even the MCU adaptation that popularized him stayed safe writingwise, something on an exec-level gotta be happening

2015 def seems like the turning point, all good ideas for him and actual depth of character got thrown out the window and they just ride the wave of popularity of ppl who just vaguely like the Winter Soldier character design and make a random ass OC that's just a white guy a long hair and put it onto actual official comic pages for only a certain type of fangirl to screenshot and act like it's the best thing ever no matter how worse the writing keeps getting for him lol

sorry I don't know who that superwholock girl is 😶

is 2015 the year brubaker stopped writing him? I personally don't think anyone else has written him well (except maybe a few moments here and there). I'm not even a huge fan of mcu bucky (mostly because of the fandom tbh & because he has overshadowed more interesting characters like Sam) but I definitely think they did him super dirty after catws - the foundation was strong & it looks like they didn't know what to do & making a civil war movie was the wrong choice for so many reasons, but also because of what it did to bucky's character (and literally everyone else's but this isn't about them).

I think the mcu was, ultimately, not the right fit for the character (disney, for one, and also the homogenous nature of the films does not really allow for any stories that are unique/ serious/ introspective to be told & this is why barely any of their projects are actually good, quality-wise).

I know they made some weird choices with 616 bucky (space, thunderbolts etc.) but the characterization always felt off to me & also, there are much better stories that can be told with him. I feel like lately, he's kind of just been there (I need him to be free of the "cap-fam") & whatever lanzing & kelly did and are still doing had some potential imo but unfortunately, they can't write & they don't know bucky at all.

I feel like they need to bring brubaker back or at least hire writers who believe in doing research before writing a character.

[crankynewt]

MCU Phase 5 & 6 Predictions and Theories

Clearly I’ve had too much time on my hands lately, but please feel free to reply with your thoughts and own predictions! Links to sources have been provided in cases where tweets, articles, or interviews are referenced!

**Quick disclaimer that these are merely my own theories and predictions, not necessarily what I want or hope to happen, but are based on patterns and predicted storylines.**

Regé-Jean Page as Reed Richards/Mr.Fantastic.

I am pretty sure that Secret Invasion tweet error was a copy/paste issue from a cast list provided to social media reps of cast members so he has likely been cast in something. However, I doubt it is Secret Invasion and it would not be a minor role, and he would be a perfect choice for the smartest man alive.

Cillian Murphy will not play Doctor Doom, but he will be cast in a non-F4 project.

Although he has been fancast by many as Doctor Doom and would do a great job playing the villain, I really doubt we see him take up that mantle. However, I do believe we may see him take on another anti-hero or grey character as that he would do just as great a job as. 

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau cast as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom.

This rumour has been circulating a while and seems the most likely scenario in my opinion, more so than other popular choices among fans such as Murphy and Cavill. Marvel has successfully cashed in on the Game of Thrones appeal of many actors in the past and they are sure to again. 

**Although Coster-Waldau is a phenomenal actor and would play a MCU villain very well, it must be noted that Victor von Doom is a Romani character and should in fact be played by a Romani actor. Yet as Marvel has unfortunately not been competent in their appropriately cast Romani or Jewish characters of actors of a shared heritage, I find it difficult to believe that this behaviour will be amended in time for this casting (which may have already taken place).**

Laura Dern in New Asgard.

We saw Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Thor: Ragnarok, giving us 2/3 of the original Jurassic Park trio, and both were set to be in Thor: Love and Thunder (but only Neill did as Goldblum’s scene was cut), I NEED DR. GRANT AND DR. SATTLER TOGETHER IN THE MCU. Possibly as actress Frigga in an Asgardian play? Maybe the Grandmaster could be in the audience?? I don’t care how this would happen as I don’t see Thor 5 happening, but it is very important to me personally that it does. (This is the only personal indulgence prediction I promise). 

Sylvie will die in Loki Season 2, Loki returns to New Asgard. 

Both of them won’t make it out of the next season, yet I see Loki being a more likely option to survive in this case as he would return to New Asgard as a whistleblower about how dangerous Kang has become. However, none of the Avengers would believe him until Scott Lang confirms following the events of Quantumania.

Valkyrie adopting a much larger role in the MCU, dates Carol Danvers.

As we are nearing the end of our time with Thor and Loki, Valkyrie will likely be our link to Asgard. It’s also about time they give our King a girlfriend, and it being Carol Danvers would make them the ultimate power couple. 

Nova announcement for Phase 6. 

It’s overdue that Nova be introduced into the MCU, and with the Guardians making their exit in May it is the perfect timing to introduce a new connection to the galactic aspect of the MCU. It would also possibly be something hinted towards or appear in a post-credit scene in GotG vol. 3, and be connected to Adam Warlock’s future in the MCU. 

Midnight Sons announcement for Phase 6 or 7. 

This one feels pretty obvious given the introduction of Moon Knight & Mr. Knight, Blade, Werewolf by Knight, Man-Thing (Ted!!!) and Elsa Bloodstone, we’re seeing much more characters falling into the darker and monster-related side of the MCU who are all tied to the Midnight Sons. In addition to the fact that other affiliates are likely being introduced soon, including Wolverine and Ghost Rider, and others including Doctor Strange, Wong, and Mordo already present, it is certainly in Marvel’s plans for the future.

Antony Starr cast as Dracula in Blade.

Another highly rumoured casting, this time based upon Starr tweeting about being busy with little explanation and other alleged leaks. He is amazing as Homelander in The Boys, so him undertaking a villain such as Dracula would be great.

“Ralph Bohner” revealed as Peter Maximoff, explains Deadpool and the X-Men’s introduction to the MCU. 

Given the possibility that Ralph Bohner is the member of WITSEC that Jimmy Woo was going to Westview to visit, a theory I explain more in depth here as WITSEC is not typically FBI jurisdiction, it would make sense that he will be connected to Deadpool and the X-Men entering the MCU, albeit with a different cast. Peter and Wade would be from the same universe, with the new X-Men being from another, thus explaining the discrepancy of having seen the first reboot of the franchise in Deadpool 2.

Daniel Brühl’s “surprise” return as Helmut Zemo in the Thunderbolts.

We were all expecting that Zemo was going to be in the Thunderbolts given that he plays a significant role in the comics, and Brül addresses this by reminding fan’s that Zemo is “not dead” and “even if he could [explain], he couldn’t” tell fans if he will return. Yeah, he’s definitely coming back. Marvel’s probably just waiting until the trailer drops or even hiding it until the film’s release to generate hype closer to it’s release. 

Okoye returns in Thunderbolts and Wakanda plays a large role in the plot.

Given Bucky’s history with Hydra, it’s difficult to see Bucky joining Valentina given her ties with the organization, leaving two scenarios plausible: he is not aware of them, or is a double agent. If the possible rumours that it involves a heist in Wakanda, especially considering how Valentina likely has a vendetta against them for aiding Ross in escaping, it is surely the latter as I cannot see Bucky so blatantly defying Wakanda after all they did for him unless there is a more pressing threat at hand (ie. in TFATWS/CAATWS). And, if this is true, a large threat such as the Hydra under the guise of the U.S. Government classifies it as that. 

Andrew Garfield appearance in Venom 3.

This is pretty popular, but considering his line in Spider-Man: No Way Home that he “want[s] to fight an alien,” it feels foreshadowing. That, plus the fan reception of his return and performance as Peter Parker, makes it natural that Sony would want to continue featuring him in their non-MCU universe, and have him face off with Venom or join forces against a common foe.

Milly Alcock cast as Gwen Stacy.

Another GOT/HOTD related casting prediction, Milly Alcock as Gwen Stacy is something I have seen discussed as a fan cast rapidly growing in popularity. And, as mentioned before, Marvel has historically favoured actors who featured in GOT, including Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, and Emilia Clarke in the MCU, with Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams in the XCU. Not only has she proved herself a great actress and bears a striking resemblance to the comic and Into the Spiderverse depictions of the character, but Gwen Stacy needs to be played as independent, strong and proactive in her behaviour. In her portrayal of Rhaenyra Targaryen, she has proved herself capable of portraying these traits as a strong female lead tenfold. 

Donald Glover Returns as Aaron Davis/Prowler along with Miles Morales.

Again, another pretty obvious development, but I do not think Glover’s role of producing and starring as the titular character of Hypno-Hustler, a Sony film about another Spiderverse villain, will impact his role as Prowler unless we explicitly hear him confirm that he will be handing the reins of the role over to another actor. And, of course, it is incredibly likely we see Miles Morales introduced within the next few Spider-Man films. 

Scott Lang is the one Avenger who remembers Peter Parker.

We know that there has been some exploration of the possibility that one Avenger remembers Peter Parker, and the one possible option is Scott Lang. It is through the Quantum realm that we know time travel is possible, and it may have been something being experimented with by Scott, Hope, Hank, Janet, and possibly Cassie, at the time of the spell being cast. We also don’t know what other kind of characteristics the Quantum realm may possess with regard to impacting how the spell may effect someone in it and/or absent at the time it was cast. However, this is just one of many possibilities. 

Hank Pym dies in Ant-Man: Quantumania.

Pretty self explanatory, but I think as this is most likely the final Ant-Man movie, especially with Paul Rudd, that one of their main characters will die and, since they just got Janet back, Hank seems like the most emotional loss for the other characters. 

Druig will adopt a more villainous role by the end of Phase 6.

I love Druig and Makkari so much, but in the comics, Druig is a villain that the Eternals fight against as well as being related to them. I don’t see them killing off Makkari and would be devastated if they do, but I think she may be injured or have something happen that would send Druig on a spiral. We would probably not see this until after Eternals 2 or the next Avengers films, but I fully expect Druig to have a character arc quite similar to Wanda’s.

Richard Madden returns as Ikaris in Eternals 2.

Arishem has the power to recreate any of the Eternals he wishes and, given that Ikaris was his most loyal follower and would be difficult both emotionally and physically for many of the Eternals to fight again, it would be in his best interest to bring him back.

Upcoming Avengers movie(s) death predictions:

Stephen Strange, Thor Odinson, Bucky Barnes, Scott Lang, Bruce Banner, Nick Fury.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 death predictions:

Rocket, Nebula, Drax, and Peter Quill.

Henry Cavill cast as any character.

He needs to be petty and go to DC’s competition lmao.

[destinyc1020]

Timothy is not a movie star. Bones & All proved that after his fans were making fun of Tom's Uncharted movie on twitter. Bones & All even had the benefit of Thanksgiving weekend & still flopped. I think there is some truth to what Rachel Green said about the era of the movie star being dead. But unlike Tarantino, it isn't the fault of Marvel. This problem predates the MCU. I could go back to the YA era in Hollywood. Except for Jennifer Lawrence, most of the leads in those movies were never able to have a box office smash on their own. People saw Twilight for the books that were already popular. I also get the feeling that the audience wants escapist movies more than boring Oscar baits. We just came out of a pandemic and the last thing people need is to watch some pretentious stuff. You see how all the blockbusters walked away with atleast one Oscar this year while stuff like Tar went home empty handed?

Hmmm....Idk Anon.... Are we really using B&A (an indie movie about cannibalism trying to disguise itself as a "love story") as the barometer for Timmy's star status and ability to put butts in seats?? 🥴

Idk Anon.... I'm not too sure any actor would have been able to have a large opening for a film like that lol. It's just the nature of the film. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Plus, I honestly didn't see much hype for it. I also don't think it was a film that was expecting a huge box-office in the first place. Some films (believe it or not lol) are NOT made for box-office "numbers" or to "break records". SOME films really are just made to tell a story, or to get a director's creativity out there. I think way too many people put way too much emphasis on the box office numbers or how "successful" a film is monetarily-speaking, when the reality is, maybe Timmy did this film simply because he wanted to challenge himself or do something different for a change? 🤷🏾‍♀️

RE: Jennifer Lawrence, et al.... I think at the end of the day we have to realize that some people just have that "it factor" or "star quality", and others don't? Sometimes it could just be how their managers are handling their career, and other times it's more so the projects they're choosing, etc. Not every actor is going to be a "box office buster" and that's OKAY! Not every actor out here can be a Tom Cruise, or a Will Smith, and that's okay! It would be boring actually if EVERY single actor out here were a box-office mogul. 😅🤣

RE: Twilight... I do feel that anyone in those roles would have become popular simply because the BOOKS were so popular among the masses. But I say that about "Harry Potter", and the Marvel films as well. Those projects go beyond the actor because those stories alone are so popular already among the masses, so you're already going to have a massive following just for that reason alone.

RE: The Pandemic.... I agree, a lot of people are just looking for "FUN" these days since the pandemic. I think that's why "Top Gun: Maverick", "Elvis", "Dr. Strange: MOM" and "Jurassic World Dominion" did so well last summer. But if some enjoy more "serious" films, then that's okay too?? 🤷🏾‍♀️ I will say, "Tar" had to be one of the most PRETENTIOUS films I've seen in a while lol.... 😅🤣 (so I agree w/you there lol) But, it was still an interesting movie for me to watch, and you're kinda wondering the whole entire movie if she really did it. 👀 But boy was I lost with some of the lingo my gosh lol. Cate's acting was decent, but very methodical and robotic, but maybe that's how her character was supposed to be?? Idk... Either way, it wasn't a boring film at all to me. It was quite enjoyable actually. It was just very pretentious and seemed to be made for a certain "crowd" lol. 😅

[songsofwaterandnight]

I got tagged to answer some questions like half a year ago(oh wow😳) by one of my besties @brotherspankus-streaming (Thank you, King ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️) Please go watch his streams! Sometimes there are cats!

Without further ado(unless you wanted more ado... haha jk... unless?👀):

Last Album?

So I actually haven't listened to all the new music from some of my favorite artists this year because I've been busy but at the start of the year I listened to all of "Ctrl" by SZA. This album effortlessly slides into my top 10 favorite albums. I don't know why I didn't get into SZA before but in January I was like "I need more of her voice", I decided to listen to more of her stuff and now I'm a huge fan. CTRL is such a good album within which SZA allows herself to be vulnerable about her relationships, insecurities and other things that people would generally never admit. My favorite song from CTRL is "Broken Clocks" but every now and then a different one comes back to me that I have on repeat for weeks. Also she casually mentions that she's dated women on this album(which came out in 2017) and confirmed it in a follow-up interview but I never really see people mention her as a queer/lgbt+ artist which is strange to me.

Last Movie?

Last movie I watched was Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(it's finally available in HD digitally for you to DisneyMinus it). NOW I'M NOT ONE OF THE MCU GIRLIES but I do like spiderman movies and the last one had a end credits trailer(marvel studios, normal movies don't have these!!) for this one so I decided I would watch it too. However, I know marvel movies insist on trying to be some sort of fucked up gestalt so I watched WandaVision and Dr Strange 1 beforehand. DSMOM was not that good imo. The feats of power weren't really that impressive, they BARELY explored the multiverse for a movie that was supposed to be about it(Unlike our beloved All of It All Around At the Same Time ) and I believe they nerfed Wanda so that she wouldn't win her fights before they started. Wanda's lines were very iconic though and I think those saved the movie.

Currently Reading?

I started Chainsaw Man(manga) by Tatsuki Fujimoto a while back but I've been lazy with the reading so I'm not very far(I've become weak;teenage me used to finish entire manga series in like 2 days). I'm like 2 chapters in and it's alright but idk if I'll like it. It's very highly rated and popular among weebs, which isn't really a great vote of confidence, so I'm hoping it's good.

I haven't read any actual novels in while but I think I'll get the next book in the "Chronicles of the Avatar Series" once it comes out in a few days so I can find out the tea on Yangchen.

Currently Watching?

Harley Quinn(animated series). I'm not a huge DC(or marvel) fan because I was a weeb as a teen but it's refreshing to see DC from a modern and relatable point of view. I love observational humor and series that don't take themselves too easily so I really like this one.

I'm also watching Odd Taxi(anime). I don't think it's very popular but it got good ratings and was recommended by a close friend. It's alright so far.

I'm like halfway through Our Flag Means Death(live-action show) but I got busy and forgot about it. It's not bad but pirates and that time period aren't always interesting to me.

As I'm writing this I'm receiving word that season 4 of What We Do in the Shadows has started so I guess that's how I'll be spending my night.

Currently Craving?

Something sweet... a peach tree... Jk I'm not a wild woman and I do get the blues. Anyway maybe something savory like ____ or chicken?

This was fun and an excuse for me to ramble haha

I'm tagging @iridiiscente @badhanddealt @mystiqdreamer @phagethemage @gaybluemage @virgo-dicks @universalinvariant @5eanathan @trekwiz @waterloo-rd @tuna-core @rabid-mr-blobby @taykoutmccleod @marky-g20 @jimothysomebody @bundibird @teruterusky

[chrisevansluv]

It’s interesting how Scarlett and Chris were in the same phases of their career but you can see the vast difference between them in terms of artistry. Scarlett managed to get good diverse roles which showed her maximum acting potential (e.g. Marriage story, Jojo Rabbit, Sing) post-MCU, and Chris’ seems to be stuck (or maybe that’s already his peak lol) despite getting roles opposite of Captain America./// In fact, if objectively assessed, of all the original Avengers, only Scarlett has a successful career (not in terms of money and periodic bursts of popularity, but in terms of the quality of her roles). If you look at her, she is much more famous in the world than Chris. And this is a merit, including the choice of her roles and films that can reveal her potential. As far as I know, she chooses very carefully. Chris seems to only pick what is guaranteed to bring in a lot of money, or where his industry friends are filming. And in my opinion, this is his weak point. He doesn’t focus on his acting skills, but on the appearance and status of an Internet boyfriend/former Cap. He is certainly an attractive man and for now he can use his sexuality (which he actually does, especially the TGM press tour) but in a few years he will begin to noticeably age and this is a normal process. And what will he bet on then the question is 🤷🏽‍♀️

Guess he probably think this status will last forever

It's so funny how some people want to make it seem his team is the one that pushes him back from successful roles.

He's comfortable, and he's entering in a phase where he either blows out or sinks. And seems like he wants to go for the blow out without taking risks (that reminds me of someone 🤔). Somebody should tell Chris quality tops quantity. Doing 2 mediocre movies and a secondary role (and I'm being too optimistic on Ghosted being mediocre), won't be a better choice than taking one mind-blowing project a year. He started amazing with Knives Out, but it kept going down every year.

It's still his choice. And, as of now, he's still able to choose among a lot of scripts and pick the one that's more comfortable for him. But if his plan is to keep the stability, he'll need to work differently.

Also I feel he's deceiving himself by believing he has more power and has a bigger fandom than what he actually does. He's relying too much on that sense, but that doesn't last forever and not every fan will go to the movies or pay for a streaming site only for him.

[twistedtummies2]

So we know you like Disney and it’s apparent you like the movies but what about the shows? Have any fondness for any of the live action or maybe past/currently airing cartoons?

Well, as far as live-action goes - not counting things for the MCU or Star Wars - I've never really been a fan of the Disney Channel teen/youth sitcom variety of things. I watched a few of them growing up, but even back then, I mostly watched them because my brother (who is five years my junior) really liked them, and there was nothing else of note on whenever we had a chance to see things, so to speak. So if you're hoping for one of those...well, I kind of liked the Zack and Cody shows when I was a lad, but even those I wouldn't defend TOO strongly. Beyond that in live-action, three series spring to mind, all of which are no more: "Once Upon a Time," its sister show "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland," and the 90s TV show "Adventures in Wonderland." As far as "Once" goes, I always felt the show was something of a hot mess, but it was a really fun and interesting hot mess: not everything in the series was brilliant, but the stuff that was good was really, REALLY freaking good, and a lot of characters in there are among my favorite interpretations of those characters. It's sister series was highly underappreciated, in my opinion: it wasn't perfect, either, but I think it's primary problem was that the pacing was all wrong. It only had I believe twelve episodes to tell its story, and you can tell they were really, REALLY struggling with that limited amount of time. I would have liked the show to go on longer, for at least another season (or, you know, just have a longer season to begin with), but que sera sera. As for "Adventures in Wonderland": an obscure series nowadays, but I always felt it was a really smart, fun, sweet series, and one of the few more kid-friendly takes on "Alice" and its universe to really work to its full potential. It had a HARD job to do, because most takes on Wonderland that are more "kiddified" tend to feel very pandering and fluffy. Even the ones that do work usually feel a bit off, if that makes sense; they're just not as fun to watch for adults as they are for kids. "Adventures" manages to somehow create a Wonderland that is safe, sweet, funny, and yet never feels like it's talking down to anyone, and has takes on the characters that stand among the best. And when it comes to the cartoons...there are a LOT I enjoy from Disney, or at least have seen. I will confess that a lot of the more recent stuff I'm not really familiar with; most (not all, but MOST) of the shows I like were from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. That's just kind of the era of animation I grew up with. For example, I know that apparently "Gravity Falls" is a HUGELY popular series...and I have not seen it, nor do I honestly have any strong desire TO see it. (Sorry, Falls Fans.) That's not to say I haven't seen any more modern series, just not a whole lot. With that in mind, I'm going to list just a few of my personal favorites; these aren't all the shows I've seen, but they're the ones I have the strongest and fondest feelings for. In no particular order... Darkwing Duck Ducktales (both versions) TaleSpin House of Mouse Aladdin Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure The Lion Guard Tarzan Gargoyles

Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers (haven't seen the movie yet) Phineas & Ferb The Book of Pooh The New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh

Lilo & Stitch American Dragon: Jake Long (this one I haven't revisited properly in years, but I loved it when I saw it as a kid, and the few clips I HAVE returned to in years since have given me no reason to not include it here)

[astromechs]

I really hope Marvel and DC don’t actually die. Of course interest in a genre is going fade after over a decade, but hopefully they won’t stop among them altogether. I still love these movies. Really bums me out seeing all those people in the notes cheering and hoping for the end of something that’s so important to me personally. 

i don't think superhero movies will ever actually die; musicals and westerns didn't either even when they faded from the prominence of dominating popular culture. there's too much money in these things for studios to ever wholly quit making them. but if the mcu in particular backed off a little bit and stopped with this assembly line of constant content that they have now, and went back to maybe a couple of movies and a show or two per year, things would be better for the people working on them, the fans, the industry, and the actual product itself, in my opinion.

[classicmarvelera]

Cult Classics

Over the last 80 years, Marvel has produced characters or even stuff that maybe considered as cult classics

These classics are still followed by their fans even though they may have appeared in a one-shot or their series came to an end long ago

We look back four of such classics that are 100% Marvel owned and whose following or popularity to this day defies logic

Howard the Duck

Why would Marvel need a talking animal? (Readers need to remember this was way before Rocket Raccoon)

He was mentioned in Phineas and Ferb’s Marvel feature movie, he was the first to make an appearance in mainstream cinema (not as a TV feature like Avengers, Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk or Nicholas Hammond’s Spider-Man) and most recently has has appeared in MCU’s post credit scenes

How much did his popularity peak? He got thousands of write-in votes in 1976 Presidential elections. ‘Nuff said!

Spider-Mobile

Now why would Spidey need a car for his adventures? To this day, there’s no answer that would rationalize it’s creation other than the story Gerry Conway wrote in which Spidey is approached by ‘Corona’ Motors to promote their new car engine

It was an idea that came about in the most turbulent of times for the company i.e. the 70s and it was later revisited in Old Man Logan (Wolverine no. 66-72)

Even though it never made sense but it still has a following among true believers

Dakota North

A precursor to Jessica Jones minus superpowers. Created by Martha Thomases and Tony Salmons in the mid-80s; the series was cancelled after five issues but the character remains an important part of Marvel Universe

Darkhawk

A kid from Queens linked to an Android thanks to an amulet and an important part of Marvel’s space opera stories

This short-lived character’s comics are still revered. His action figure in Marvel Legends GOTG Wave was one of the most sought after

Maybe it’s his origin story, his costume, the amulet or just the overall look and feel. The reasons behind his cult following remain a mystery

[goldenretriever-nicknelson]

Strange did what an adult would do, he got the cube to send them back. peter as a child think everyone needs to be changed though death is everyone's fate.

obviously this was fan service so idk if people actually like the movie or just like it because tobey and andrew arc. It was their movie to retcon their villains. It wasn't tom or an mcu movie much, which also might be why people like it because alot of people didn't like toms spiderman up until this point

maybe I would like the movie if tom got even a scrap at the end instead of nothing, people who are there for his spiderman got nothing and I get as a hero, as a spiderman he should face major loss but that didn't feel like the meta

I get that but I think all of that will come in future movies where they’ll carry in his legacy and maybe even pass it down to someone else. Peter is one of the biggest heroes at the moment in the franchise with Tony and Steve gone. He’s very popular among fans.

This movie was paying homage to three generations of Spidey and the legacy they all carry. I think if it was Tom’s last movie they would have made it more about his peter than the legacy of Spidey and maybe done the sinister six rather than bringing in old villains.

The people who didn’t like Tom’s Spidey up to this point and only like him because of this movie aren’t real fans anyway. I do agree Tom should have got more and there should have been more focus on his ending but instead we were left with nothing but sadness.

I think with at least one more movie we’ll see another romance (Gwen or Felicia) and see how he picks himself back up but still keeps an eye on MJ and Ned and befriends them. Maybe he’ll eventually tell them, maybe they’ll somehow remember but either way I don’t believe this is the end

[sodrippy]

wait why is yanli getting zidian bad?

hi okay just right off the bat i want to say that i dont really think people are being purposely stupid or ignorant or whatever, BUT there is a rampant problem among (usually white) fans of this show of simply not engaging critically/thoughtfully with it and the OBVIOUS and OVERHWELMING asianness of it. like. it is a chinese show. set in chinese society. about chinese characters. now i myself am not east asian so there are even things i dont clock or understand, of course, but there’s already been so many things ive seen float across my dash or on fandom blogs that scream White to me (the implicit viewing of the societal setup as some kind of chinese translation of white aristocratic society, for one, which is insane to me bc its so obviously not the same but whatever ill give it a pass, or the apparent inability to understand the DEEPLY ENTRENCHED familial ties and loyalty, which is also incredibly obvious to me but idk. maybe white people cant understand the inherent complexity of family fhdcnx. im kidding...mostly.)

one of these things is this view of jiang yanli. theres some different things about this whole ‘yanli Deserves zidian’ take that suck, right. on the basic level, the hashtag girlboss angle is ugly. this is the simplest thing to understand i think, as it happens to numerous female characters across popular western media all the time. the weaponized femininity bullshit from 2012 era mcu stans. the ‘this woman is kind and soft and gentle, but thats not ENOUGH for me to see her a real character deserving of respect and agency, she HAS to be VIOLENT and BADASS for me to care’ rhetoric is, i think, familiar enough that we can all recognize why its shitty and devaluing. its insulting to yanli to basically say ‘youd be better and cooler if you got real angry and hurtful’

(additionally on this hashtag girlboss thing- something i didnt fully understand until it was explained to me is why that scene of yanli talking back to jin zixun in wwx’s defence was Not a ‘wow shes standing up for him, incredible!’ moment and much more of a ‘oh holy shit this is a huge socially precarious move’ which is expanded upon in ellian weiwuxianisms post here)

okay now. about zidian. to me, it is GLARINGLY obvious and i assumed it would be to anyone whos seen the series in general, that zidian is a vehicle for trauma. its an object that not only metaphorically represents the abuse suffered by the yunmeng siblings, and the horrific cycle of anger and unhealthy emotions that jiang cheng is stuck in, but LITERALLY represents that, as we see it being used exactly for that purpose. zidian is an heirloom of violence and the fact that jiang cheng wields it now holds incredible meaning, again about the cycle of abuse that he was unable to be freed from, the weight of filial duty twisting painfully with what should have been love, and so on. 

its hard for me to articulate what i mean here, but its like. jiang cheng having zidian is so much more than just being badass and cool, theres SO MUCH tied up in that which speaks to his childhood, the abuse he and his siblings suffered, the way anger now has a vicegrip on him as well, how he’s turned into his mother’s reflection, how his first taste of love as a child was embittered by anger. i know this isnt about him, but i hope explaining these things makes it easier to understand that there is a great deal going on around and about zidian, and that to simply be like ‘well i think yanli should have zidian because its baller’ is so insultingly reductive, and divorces both zidian and yanli of their contexts and stories, and is just like. why would you want her to have it? why would yanli ever take zidian in the first place?

again, i really hope this makes sense and goes some ways towards explaining where i’m coming from, and why i think its just. extremely not cool and very reductive to thoughtlessly throw that together. i get if you read this and youre like ‘ok but its not that deep’ but respectfully. it REALLY is lol. it is that deep and i take it really personally when people are so flippant and repeatedly uncaring about the SPECIFIC context and meaning that this show has AS a piece of asian media. if you have time to think extensively about and write essays for your fave boring white media, you should direct the same energy into understanding non-white media you consume as well.

[ramblesrantsmusings]

Thoughts on Tony?

Ohhhh...this is a doozy. I am not sure what you're looking for but mind you my answer is going to be based on MCU Tony Stark so...

Tony, purely as a character, is someone who has had the most screen time, the most story/plotline in all the ensemble films and, to top it all off, had his trilogy complete before Marvel was completely integrated into Disney. So all the predictability of the plot and adhering to the larger storyline of the Infinity Saga wasn't a priority for his films. And due to his pull, he was always the main focus in whichever film he was in.

I think Tony is a deeply-flawed but earnest character who has been through a lot, has made a lot of mistakes, hasn't really faced any repercussions (you might disagree, but this is my opinion), but has tried (to the best of his ability, maybe?) to make up to them. His trauma and loss comes with being a superhero and this can be said of all other Avengers. However, he was lucky to be the only one who had it portrayed on the big screen.  Moreover, he was played by a charismatic and accomplished artist and honestly, it would not really have worked without him (we won't ever know till they inevitably make another IM).

Due to this, when we look at MCU/Marvel fandom, it largely comprises Tony fans or at least fans who like several characters but Tony is always at the top. You can see it in the amount of fanfics with ships that feature him and all other fandom-related art, discourse, accounts etc. And a lot of what we associate with him is largely based on artworks, fics and head canons. This is true of every character but I would say when a character is really popular among fans, like Tony Stark is, a lot of our interpretations of them is based on our own perceptions and of the people we agree with than what is actually in the canon.

Do I like him? Oh yes. Is he at the top of my favourite list of Marvel characters, no. He is definitely part of my most favourite ship. 🙂

[ununniliad]

Book Review: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World (YA Book 1)

Squirrel Meets World is the first of a recent series of young adult novels about Squirrel Girl. As someone who's read and seen a number of Adaptations For The Young People in my time, I was a bit worried that Doreen Green as seen in the recent comics (AKA the best superhero ever) was too unusual a superheroic protagonist to easily translate to another writer's pen. 

Gentle reader, I was happily wrong. The fourteen-year-old version of Doreen seen here feels like a thoughtful, worked-out predecessor to the college student version of Doreen in modern comics--  and she's not alone.

Doreen herself is extremely sweet, kind and open, and the story gives us a deeper understanding of how the way she was raised helped create that, with a pair of parents who are ridiculously supportive of her being herself - while still trying to be reasonably cautious about the realities of being a young person in a messed-up world. (It feels like the Hales looked at the story of Clark Kent and went, "How can we take this apart and put it back together to really emphasize the important parts?" It turns out, weekly Scrabble tournaments.)

Just as (and arguably more) importantly, the supporting cast is amazing, getting their own viewpoint chapters. Tippy-Toe, Doreen's number one squirrel partner in the comics, gets to be a badass, negotiating between different communities of squirrels in a surprisingly real-feeling way; the translated-from-Squirrelese slang is exaggerated, but the communication itself feels like the carefully-navigated mixture of aggression and open respect you'd find in communities where painful disrespect by the larger world is a daily occurrence. Then there's Ana Sofia, a deaf, implicitly neurodivergent Hispanic girl whose personality is impacted by all those things but goes well beyond them, who gets to be messy and resentful and still get friendship and still get to be a hero. And the bad guy is clearly a carefully worked-out character, hitting a really good space between "realistically awful", "meaningfully sympathetic", and "comic-book exaggerated".

Even the more background, tertiary characters, like the Mean Girls-y clique known as the Somebodies...

...actually, question: Do high school popularity cliques actually exist? I've never met anyone who actually interacted with one, and you'd think that people who are actually popular among their peers wouldn't get that way by being randomly cruel to them, and only having friendly interactions with a small, insular group. I feel like maybe rich kids have such small, insular, randomly mean groups, and (as is usual in capitalism) people confused "had money" for "is well-liked".

But! That said, the narrative thankfully ends up showing the Somebodies not as Innate Bitches, but as fundamentally good young people who are clinging to social roles for protection and comfort. And similar things go for the other backgrounded groups, like the troublemaking boys known as the Skunk Club, or the overenthusiastic group of LARPers, or even the wild dogs. Each character is given a name, even just in passing (there's a hilarious part where Doreen rattles off two pages' worth of funny squirrel names), and they all feel like, somewhere off the page, they have their own stories too.

The Avengers are in this book, but almost entirely at a distance; we get funny text message conversations with them, we get references to their exercise videos, we get cameos at the end. But this isn't just a hook for MCU fans and a reminder that Doreen's part of a greater universe. It's part of the biggest theme here. Doreen's greatest power, beyond squirrel-strength and squirrel-agility, even beyond her ability to think laterally and find creative solutions, has always been her ability to connect to other people - human people and nonhuman people alike. Only in the very first chapters is Doreen running solo. From there, she gathers allies, big and small, by being reflexively helpful, by reaching out for help (from the Avengers and many others), and most importantly, just by being her optimistic, helpful, loving-others self. Every character in this book ends up helping her one way or another, and she ends up helping them, and that is just how it should be.

Squirrel Girl is the best aspirational figure I can think of in today's pop culture mainstream, and this book expresses that really well. Gosh, I love her.

[data-monkey]

AO3 stats project: fandoms

Next up: a more detailed analysis of fandoms, the engine of fan works everywhere.

The Data | Basic Questions | Fandoms | Tags | Correlations | Kudos | Fun Stuff

Thanks to @eloiserummaging for beta reading these posts; any remaining errors are my own.  A Python notebook showing the code I used to make these plots can be found here.

What are the top fandoms on the AO3?

I pulled this data directly from the Archive fandoms pages in mid-March, just to make sure I was comparing work counts on the same day. And, as it happens, I checked about 3 days after BTS pipped Star Wars to become the 10th-biggest fandom on AO3! You may note that there’s significant overlap between some of these fandoms–K-pop and BTS, Marvel and Avengers–but they are classified as different fandoms so I’m preserving that here. (In a technical sense, while there’s significant overlap between Marvel and the Avengers, Marvel has some works Avengers doesn’t and vice versa.) Edit 4/25: in fact, I had a data processing failure and BTS should have been a subfandom of K-pop all along! I'm leaving the plots for now, but worth keeping in mind.

These fandoms aren’t of equal popularity over time:

(The height of the curves are relative within each fandom but not correct between fandoms, by the way. The BTS work count is like ⅓ of the Marvel work count, fore example, but it looks taller because a higher fraction of those works were posted in recent years. Basically, all the colored blocks have the same area, so the ones popular over a short time are also taller.)

RPF and Supernatural are nearly-constant juggernauts, while Marvel rises and falls with movie releases, and K-pop has exploded in the last few years. You can also see release dates of Sherlock series reflected in the Sherlock Holmes tag, and Fantastic Beasts in the Harry Potter tag. (And in the old version of this where Star Wars was the 10th biggest fandom, you could REALLY see The Force Awakens.) Marvel has the biggest single day for any fandom–on Dec 24, 2015, there were (at least) 452 Marvel works posted! In fact, we can look at Marvel in more detail. Here’s Marvel posting rates over time, with the MCU movie release dates overplotted:

Wow–guess we all hated Civil War, lol. In fact, that dip is so big that you can see it on the Archive-wide stats from the previous post–other fandoms had a small dip there, but nothing like Marvel, so it drives most of the decrease you see in mid-2016.

Here’s a fun comparison: the top 10 fandoms by number of works; by total number of hits on all works; and by median hit count per work, for fandoms with at least 1,000 works. Another way to think of this table is: most popular with creators; most popular with readers; and highest reader-to-creator ratio. For an apples-to-apples comparison, I’m using the number of works in my dataset and not the Archive counts, so this top-fandoms-by-works list is a little different from the plot above.

The total works/total hits lists are not that different, though there’s some obvious order reshuffling. The top fandoms by median hit count list is really different, though, with only Teen Wolf on there from among the top fandoms by hits or number of works. I can think of two explanations for why those fandoms in particular: either they’ve got massively better fic than other fandoms (hard to know why that would be), or there’s a big unmet desire for fic in those fandoms. Maybe a place to write, if you’re looking for lots of approbation. :)

Do fandoms produce works of the same length?

Kind of surprisingly: no. Those are big differences: the median BTS fic is 70% longer than the median Sherlock or Supernatural fic! Also note how very small these values are. 50% of all the works in Sherlock fandom are under 1705 words. You can also see that in the wordcount histograms in the last post, of course.

A couple of other questions: how many works are there in a typical fandom?

The most common number is 1! That’s very surprising to me.

I was also curious about how per-work hit counts relate to the number of works in a fandom. Naively, I would think that having more works in a fandom would increase hit counts: a person who reads a fic about fandom X is likely to want to read more fics about fandom X, so you build a self-sustaining readership if there are lots of fics to choose from. Also, since work creators are a subset of work readers, in general, what writers choose to write in is probably a good proxy for what readers are interested in reading; more fics means more people interested means more readers.

Here’s the actual relationship between number of works and median hit count:

It’s kind of noisy (meaning the points move around a lot), but for fandoms with more than ~5 works, we do see that more works means more hits. The increase actually stops around 1000 works, which I should have predicted above. (I’ve cut off the graph because it’s very noisy above 10,000 works, but the flattening continues.) Apparently, that’s about the point where you have more works in a fandom than even a devoted reader could read. If you have 10 works, or 20 works, then every possible reader can read everything, so more interest means more hits. But once you have more works than people can read, then, basically, adding readers and adding creators cancel each other out in the average hits per work.

Also kind of interesting is that things with <5 works seem to have more hits on average. I suspect this is because of Yuletide, which steers people to rare fandoms they might not read on their own.

Up next: tags.

[buttercookie-art]

Disclaimer: I’m just a fan. Not a critic or a reporter, this is not my job.

I liked it, that doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s a fresh start after Endgame. I don’t have any pros and cons, really. All I want to talk about it’s spoiler and I can’t articulate without ruining the movie for the ones who haven’t seen it yet. It got released in Italy today, so I guess there are a lot more people who haven’t seen it yet who deserve to enjoy it as much as the others did. I don’t really recommend it for those who are sensible at lights, there’s a lot of flashing. For the arachnophobic peanuts out there: there’s a scene in a battle after Prague with a very close close-up of a spider, beware.

On the movie, without spoilers: it’s still fresh and young as the first movie, we see what happened after Tony’s snap and the consequences of it all. Teens are still teens, but this time on vacation. Overseas. It’s a holiday trip teen movie with a heavy “we’ve been hijacked by Nick Fury” twist. If you’re a teen, you’ll relate. If you’re past your teen years, you’ll definitely relate too! I mean, I took one (1) school trip in all my life and those things happened to me and my school mates too. Unfortunately not the Nick Fury’s related ones. There are two post credit scenes. Both will blow your mind. Especially if you’ve read some comics or did some research in the past years ;)

                                              Spoilers under the cut

Now, moving on the spoiler-y section (I took some notes, so it will be in order):

That powerpoint presentation with the fallen ones and I will always love you. Guys, I was choking back tears and laughter.

Idk about the other Country’s songs, but the Italian ones… Well, they were Italians but I’ve never listened to them before. I’d guess and say the second one was from Venice’s traditions, but I’m not really sure. Any Venetian who can confirm or deny??

Boh. Michelle learns it while in Venice. She says two things about its use: it could mean I don’t know and/or piss off. Wrong. Boh, means I don’t know. The piss off part was invented.

A thought about Peter trying to glue everything back in Venice: he did more than Government and Unesco to preserve the art and architecture lol 

Beck mentioning Earth 616 got me flipping. Also, it confirmed he was on the bad side from the very beginning, I found it clever. Not that I walked in the theatre with doubts about it

Continuing on Beck, his back story is very good. I can totally understand his motifs. I’m actually impressed with Sony and Marvel. Good job guys. I had some fears about it, ngl

Can we talk about the prison scene for a hot second? Hooligans or mere Netherlands nt supporters taking care of him? Giving him their shirt? Making Tom Holland wear a Holland jersey? I call this Pun service.

We’re going to replace #GiveTonyStarkabreak with #GivePeterParkerABreak, aren’t we?

I love Led Zeppelin. I wanted to smack him, but I was emotional.

Peter realising/knowing he can’t be the next Iron-Man because he is his own person/hero cleared my skin and watered my crops. I’ve been living on the edge thinking about Sony-Marvel screwing his character even more.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tony/Peter parallels, tbh

Happy has completely taken on his role as babysitter. One might even dare to say he’s a Steve Harrington 2.0. His relationship with May is cute, I like it better than May/JJJ ;)

We finALLY GOT SPIDER-MENACE AND J JONAH JAMESON!!!

JK Simmons playing J Jonah Jameson. My personal Marvel fan cast has happened. Not just mine, because I’ve seen other people dream about it too. I can’t believe it’s real. Someone pinch me. (Edit: I re-read this point and it looks like JK Simmons has never played JJJ before lol. What I mean is: I’m happy he reprised the role in the MCU, since I couldn’t think of anyone else to portray the character)

Everyone now knows who Spider-man really is. Like, at the end of the movie, with that voiceover, I thought we were going to get the infamous Civil War reveal (they had teased us at May’s party) so I knew it was coming… but like this? Almost utter shock.

Maria and Nick were Kree all along. Which explains why they felt a bit off, I even wrote I didn’t like how stupid and naive Fury acted in my notes. Happy there was an explanation at the end of the movie and not after it.

The actual Nick Fury is working on a Kree ship, in space… I guess the rumours about phase four being set mainly in space is confirmed.

Edit: I came down from cloud nine and wanted to talk about a few more things

Peter: home boi got good character development, but it came to a “cost”. We don’t really see his nerdy side, except for Nick/Thalos mentioning his love for pop culture, him getting excited about the multiverse and making his new suit. I wish we could see more of it, maybe in the next movie? But I doubt it. 

Michelle: if I had my doubts during Homecoming, now I have none. It’s still pretty weird that everyone calls her MJ, because she’s not. Mary Jane has always been that character portraited has the most beautiful and popular among the others. The angelic one. With a strong feminine look. Michelle is none of it. And I adore it. She likes things that are considered weird, wears dark clothes and Peter falls for her not for how she looks, but how she is. I’m very happy with how they have written her. Finally, a character played by a woman who it’s not portrayed as the “femme fatale”  nor the “strong woman tm”. She just a normal kid, with her own sense of humour and her own interests. 

Ned: There’s not enough. He has a few interactions with Peter and that’s it. I know that the movie has already a lot to show, but I really missed them together, plotting and getting in trouble

Zombies: one of Mysterio’s illusions was Tony’s grave from which an Iron Man zombie crawled out from. It was a great easter egg. And... maybe will see more of it in one of the Marvel’s What/Ifs?

Tony hate: second movie, second villain who turned bad because Tony Stark was a billionaire asshole. It makes sense, don’t get me wrong, they’re written very well but... I wonder for how long they can keep going now that he’s dead. I liked how they played this card, though. Lately, Tony’s has been portrayed as this good Samaritan guy only. Forgetting that he has his issues too, which they weren’t just mental health related. It was a good reminder.

[anistarrose]

I never understood the obsession with plot twists that are impossible to see coming, tbh. I definitely try not to make my foreshadowing too obvious, but nothing makes me happier than seeing people predict things in the comments of my fics... and I kind of wonder if audience size has to do with that mindset difference? 

Like, I write fanfiction so naturally my audience is smaller than that of a big-name TV or movie series, and to me, seeing people predict twists is proof that people are invested. It’s satisfying knowing that people care enough to really think about certain details and figure out where the story is going! 

But meanwhile, if you’re writing for Game of Thrones or the MCU or something, you can be pretty confident that you’ll have a large, thoroughly invested audience — and not just an audience, but an active fanbase that’ll be talking among themselves and putting their heads together to make theories. I don’t have that kind of fanbase, so I can only speculate what runs through the heads of certain people who do, but I wonder if there’s sort of an opposite mindset going on. Maybe there’s a certain audience size at which one starts to take that fan investment for granted, and it’s easier to get that ego boost all writers crave from being able to thwart the fan theory hivemind by doing something no one expects.

Of course, I don’t want make any blanket statements to throw all creators of popular works under the bus here, because not all of them make up bullshit twists solely for the sake of surprising viewers. (And there are plenty of ways to pull off unpredictable twists without them ruining the story, in my opinion — the end of The Suffering Game in The Adventure Zone being one of my favorite examples.) I’ve just been thinking about my own experiences writing mysteries and suspense a lot lately, and wanted to toss some thoughts out there into the void.

[marvelvsmarvel]

Future of the X-Men Mutants in the MCU

It was more than noticeable when closing out the Marvel Panel at SDCC that Kevin Feige was eager to say Fantastic Four and then followed in with Mutants instead of X-Men when confirming plans for the previously Fox owned Marvel properties. When asked if it was intentional he responded that they definitely have plans for the characters but to do something different that hasn’t been done before. It should be noted that obviously not all Mutants are X-Men and even more so that apart from the good vs bad Xavier’s Institute (X-Men) and Brotherhood of Mutants that there are many different Mutant teams in the comics. It’s for the sake that Fox never really had it in themselves to think beyond those two main parties to have the imagination and fun to introduce these other groups until just the recent year when they wanted to do X-Force and New Mutants. But knowing Feige and the MCU and the Marvel Formula I wouldn’t count out an X-Men team up film much later down the line following solo outings of the definite headliners while also introducing some through other character films as well.

Exhibit A: Wanda and Pietro (RIP) Maximoff. Still yet to be officially referred to as Scarlet Witch or a mutant Wanda has been a proud Avenger since she first stepped out that door in Sokovia. She’s been rooted in the opportunity of running from a troubled past and powers through both mentally and literally as she very well may be the Strongest Avenger. She’s loved and lost in a classic comic romance and yet her best relationship has been with that rugged witty mentor in Hawkeye. While her inception was still under the Perlmutter/Whedon days of the MCU she’s become much more popular and way less errgh accent. But while her origins haven’t well stayed true to the comics it’s still the idea as with Spider-Man and Black Panther in being introduced in Captain America: Civil War that characters can debut almost anywhere if it so fits the storyline to do so.

Exhibit B: Namor the Sub-Mariner. The First Mutant. Not only is he a solo mutant hero but he’s also an Atlantean and thee sovereign King of Atlantis at that but that hasn’t kept him from mingling. Yes he’s been an X-Men but his roots find him alongside Captain America, Bucky, and the original Human Torch Jim Hammond in the Invaders back during WWII. He’s been alongside more MCU standards like the Incredible Hulk, Doctor Strange, and the Silver Surfer in the original Defenders. He’s also the original antihero and has proven some meddling alongside the likes of Loki, Thanos, Maximus the Mad and Doctor Doom in the Cabal. Of even greater mystery and power he’s aligned with the likes of Professor Xavier, Black Panther, Mister Fantastic and Tony Stark in the Illuminati. Make no mistake Namor deserves to be in the MCU whether he’s an X-Men or Avenger or villain because no matter what there’s only one him.

Touching back on other mutant teams consider a team as different as Excalibur. In collaboration with the Europe based intelligence program MI-13 this team featured many fan favorite Mutants like Nightcrawler Kurt Wagner, Shadowcat Kitty Pryde, and Psylocke Betsy Braddock. By extension you also get one of my faves in Captain Britain Brian Braddock who is Betsy’s brother. The addition of Blade in the MCU could open up his English roots by introducing MI-13 in his film and then these characters down the line. But when considering mutant teams we can obviously look to Deadpool Wade Wilson where again we haven’t gotten an official X-Force team but there’s also X-Factor, X-Corps, X-(you get the point). X-Men aren’t the only mutant team and it would be great to explore that more in film (plus I hope to get the a true Hellfire Club because reasons).

Speaking of reasons another obvious way to introduce characters could be through relationships. Storm Ororo Munroe has never been portrayed as the literal African Queen she is and a royal union between herself and the well established King T’Challa the Black Panther of Wakanda would make for one hell of an entrance and would make for the most powerful couple in the MCU. On a lighter side was the more recent romance between Kitty Pryde and Starlord Peter Quill of the Guardians of the Galaxy. With Gamora on the run who knows where that storyline is? Maybe the Guardians take Quill on his first trip back to Terra where they may meet.

But obviously there is Deadpool who’s been confirmed to be coming back around with Ryan Reynolds and an R-Rating somewhere down the road and he could easily pop up wherever in the MCU just because. There’s been reports that there’s already a pending search for a young Wolverine Logan Howlett to dawn the claws and possibly the yellow and blue get up. Cyclops Scott Summers is another fave of mine who would be hard pressed not to be introduced and much like Storm it would be nice to finally be given the attention he deserves as a lead. Countless fan favorites like Gambit Remy LeBeau who was supposed to get a solo outing probably still should but maybe just not Channing Tatum. Mutants are among us and they always have been with as with Wanda. But without an outright titular film it’ll be hard not to be surprised at where or when more finally pop up in the MCU.