Weekly MCU Review for 1/30

Another week, and more MCU news!  Pretty slow news week, but we did get some information about Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and Marvel announced the first new cast member of Marvel’s Most Wanted.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Kid Colt, Westerns, and the MCU

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Wow.  I completely missed something rather big in the last episode of Agent Carter, “Better Angels” (2x03).  Pretty early in the episode, Peggy and Jarvis visited Howard on the set of his latest movie, a Western.  While there, Peggy and Howard engage in a witty, fourth-wall-breaking repartee which would make the Merc with a Mouth himself proud.  Howard offers Peggy the part of the lead’s love interest, a hard-drinking barmaid (the actress was too drunk to film that day), but Peggy says she’d rather be the one with the gun.  Howard comments that while he’d love to see that, he doesn’t think the world is ready for a female-led movie (*wink wink*).  Peggy comes back in disbelief that the world would really be interested in a movie based on a comic book (*wink wink*), but Howard retorts that the subject, Kid Colt, was a real person (making this a historical drama), and that if it fails he can write it off in tax season!

In my review, I noted the fourth-wall-breaking, but I neglected to comment on the fact that Kid Colt is actually a character from the comics whose stories are set in the Wild West of the 1870s and 1880s.  Kid Colt is an outlaw, but not exactly a criminal; he works outside the law to help people, even in situations where the law is in the wrong.  Though the character isn’t actually based on a real person, Howard Stark certainly claims that Kid Colt really exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—which evidently means that he was a real historical figure in the MCU!  This puts him in the same category as Captain America:  a real hero whose exploits were also published in comic books.

Agent Carter Season 2, Episode 3, "Better Angels" REVIEW (SPOILERS!)

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Agent Carter is really doubling down on the weird in this week’s episode.  Remember how last year the most unusual elements of Agent Carter were a preteen assassin and hypnotic suggestion?  That’s definitely not the case this time around!  We’ve gotten extra-dimensional substances, frozen bodies, invisible scientists, an actress who can make her pervy director disappear, and an over-caffeinated Howard Stark (okay, that’s not all that unusual!).  And that’s just in the first three episodes!  I get the feeling this is going to be a “weird” season—and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Agent Carter Season 2, Episode 3, "Better Angels" EXPECTATIONS

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Agent Carter returns tonight with “Better Angels” (2x03) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episode?

Jessica Jones Season 1, Episode 9, "AKA Sin Bin" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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We are now entering the final third of Jessica Jones season 1, and it is only now that we really get any back story on the main villain of the series.  Actually, in all honesty I was not expecting Kilgrave to get any back story before the season began!  I was really thinking about him in the same way as Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight:  more like a force of nature than anything else, someone that pushes the hero to the breaking point in every possible way and feels more like an insurmountable obstacle, rather than a simple antagonist.  That’s not to say that I was disappointed with the portrayal of Kilgrave in Jessica Jones; on the contrary he exceeded my expectations.  And I thought that giving him a back story actually helped his character much more than I originally thought it would.

Weekly MCU Review for 1/23

Another week, and more MCU news!  Agent Carter season 2 started this week, and we got a little more information about Doctor Strange.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Mostly MCU Reviews

My articles from the week

Expectations and review for the first two episodes of Agent Carter season 2, “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark”.  Something I didn’t notice on my first watching was an Easter egg for “Tales of Suspense,” an Iron Man- and Captain America-related comic title.

On the subject of Agent Carter, here is an article I wrote about the introduction of Darkforce/Zero Matter on Agent Carter this season.

After missing last week, here is my review of Jessica Jones season 1, episode 8, “AKA WWJD.”

MCU News

Links to news articles and blog posts about the MCU

If you didn’t get a chance to see Agent Carter on Tuesday, you can watch it on Sunday from 9-11 PM Eastern Time.

Can you say “prophetic”?  Just a couple days ago MCUExchange had an article asking if Marvel was planning to leave Wong out of Doctor Strange.  And then Marvel announced Benedict Wong to play Wong.  I’m gonna just throw this one out there:  “The Benedict is strong with this movie!”

So Sony and Disney played a game of “Musical 2017 Release Dates” this week.  This means that Star Wars Episode VIII will not be released until December 15 (the same weekend as The Force Awakens.  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was bumped up to May 26, the slot previously held by Episode VII.  Spider-Man got pushed up to July 7, PotC’s previous release date.  And Jumanji will come out on Spider-Man’s previous date of July 28.

There have been reports surfacing for quite a while to suggest that Marvel and Netflix are very pleased with Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher.  However, TV Line is reporting that Marvel TV and Netflix are developing a Punisher series to pick up with the character after his appearance in Daredevil season 2.  Of course this rumor has been going around for a while, and TV Line doesn’t reveal a source, so it may not be true—though it would certainly make sense.  Do you want to see the Punisher get a Netflix show?

Add another one to the “Impending Marvel Netflix Series” list:  Jessica Jones season 2, which was announced on Sunday.  There is also a teaser image:

However, there’s nothing about when to expect it, and I don’t know if we should expect it this year, considering that they have Luke Cage (which will likely come out this summer) and Iron Fist (showrunner but no star yet) left to release before they can get to The Defenders.  If I had to make a guess on how they will handle their veritable glut of Marvel Netflix this year and next, here’s the schedule I would follow:

Daredevil season 2- March 18, 2016

Luke Cage season 1- July, 2016

Iron Fist season 1- December, 2016

Jessica Jones season 1- April, 2017

The Punisher season 1- August, 2017

The Defenders season 1- December, 2017

(A New Property (Moon Knight?)- April, 2018

(Heroes for Hire season 1 (season 2 of both Luke Cage and Iron Fist in spirit)- August, 2018)

Bookending The Defenders with new properties would allow them to continue production on those series without over-taxing the actors involved with The Defenders.

News from Around Geekdom

Anything not related to the MCU that I find interesting

Add another one to the list of Marvel comic books debuting on Free Comic Book Day:   Captain America: Steve Rogers.  Steve’s got his powers back in this one, and just in time for Civil War 2.  Are you looking forward to seeing Steve take up the shield again?

The new Thunderbolts comic book will also be making its debut in May, with a new team led by the Winter Soldier.  Considering the tie between the Thunderbolts and the phrase “Marvel’s Most Wanted,” I am very curious to see if the new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff will deal with the Thunderbolts (and this new comic).

Did you see all the DC movies news on Tuesday?  What are you  most excited for?

Loot Crate revealed a new “Firefly Cargo Crate.”  Do you want one?

If you want to get an email whenever I publish a new article, go to the top of the page and enter your email address in the box labeled “Subscribe to Mostly MCU Reviews” and click “Submit.”

Agent Carter Season 2, Episode 1, "The Lady in the Lake," and Episode 2, "A View in the Dark" REVIEW (SPOILERS!)

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Sorry for the late review.  Like I said on Tuesday, I was at a retreat Tuesday night and couldn't watch the episodes until last night.

Agent Carter season 2 certainly started off with a bang.  Right off the bat in the first two episodes we meet several new antagonists and all the new main cast members for the season.  We also catch up on what the regulars from season 1 have been doing.  Oh, and that major tie-in to Doctor Strange?  It’s established by the end of the second episode.  You can also add to that at least a few obvious references to other (non-Marvel) movies.  All in all, it’s a pretty good pair of episodes which set a definite path for the rest of the season.

Agent Carter Season 2, Episode 1, "The Lady in the Lake," and Episode 2, "A View in the Dark" EXPECTATIONS

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Agent Carter returns tonight with “The Lady in the Lake” (2x01) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific, followed by “A View in the Dark” (2x02) at 10:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episodes?

Jessica Jones Season 1, Episode 8, "AKA WWJD" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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Can a leopard change its spots?  That’s the question which “AKA WWJD,” the next episode of Jessica Jones, asks.  And at the end of the episode, you’re really left wondering whether it really is possible for a villain like Kilgrave to change.

At the same time, this episode also starts to flesh out Jessica’s back story, which remains extremely faithful to the comics.

Darkforce, Doctor Strange, Magic, and Marvel TV

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This week the showrunners of Agent Carter, Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, revealed that the second season of Agent Carter will feature a small tie-in to Doctor Strange.  Over the course of the season, Peggy will be charged with investigating the California-based weapons company Isodyne which has been developing weapons of mass destruction.  However, one of these weapons will take an unexpected turn, resulting in the first discovery of the substance known as “Darkforce” (and with a name like that I suppose would have to be named in the ’40s!).

Okay… that just begs the question:  what’s “Darkforce”?

Weekly MCU Review for 1/16

Another week, and more MCU news!  Not a ton going on right now, though the Russos have been opening up about Avengers: Infinity War.  Also, Agent Carter comes back this Tuesday!  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Agent Carter Season 2 EXPECTATIONS

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Agent Carter returns next week to start its season 2 run.  Next week we will get two episodes:  “The Lady in the Lake” (2x01) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific and “A View in the Dark” (2x02) at 10:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from this season?

What happened last season?

Peggy struggled to settle into a peacetime role in the Strategic Scientific Reserve after serving with distinction alongside Captain America and the Howling Commandos in World War II.  In contrast to the purpose and meaning she found during the war, Peggy is faced with men who treat her like a second-class citizen because of her gender.

This all changes when Howard Stark returns to her life and asks her to help clear his name of a charge of treason for selling weapons to enemies of America.  He assigns his butler, Edwin Jarvis, to assist her in the investigation.  Over the course of the investigation Peggy finds herself uncovering and stopping a plot by the Soviet splinter intelligence agency Leviathan, which seeks to use one of Howard’s stolen inventions, “Midnight Oil,” to turn the city of New York against itself and frame Howard for the crime.  She must combat the mind control abilities of Dr. Johann Fennhoff (known in the comics as “Dr. Faustus”) as well as the abilities of elite Soviet agent Dottie Underwood, who is herself a proto-Black Widow.  In the end Peggy foils their plot while simultaneously coming to terms with the tragic loss of the love of her life, Steve Rogers.

AoS-Less Tuesday Discussion: Resolve a Loose End

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AgentsofSHIELD

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entered its winter hiatus following the winter finale, “Maveth” (3x10).  There are going to be five total weeks without any new Marvel TV—Agent Carter will begin next week on January 19—so I am going to post a new discussion thread every week with a different concept for us to explore and debate.

First, here are the previous discussions:

If you could be Inhuman, what power would you want?  Mostly MCU Reviews Reddit

Pitch a new hero for the MCU Mostly MCU Reviews Reddit

Pitch a crossover fight between Marvel and DC characters Mostly MCU Reviews

Pitch a spinoff from Agent Carter Mostly MCU Reviews Reddit

Here is this week’s prompt:  Pick one loose end from the first 2 seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and explain how you would resolve it in the second half of this season.

Weekly MCU Review for 1/9

Another week, and more MCU news!  Agent Carter is only a week-and-a-half away, Daredevil season 2 received a release announcement, and Black Panther has a director.  Other than that’s it’s been something of a slow news week.  But regardless, put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

AoS-Less Tuesday Discussion: Agent Carter Spinoff

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entered its winter hiatus following the winter finale, “Maveth” (3x10).  There are going to be five total weeks without any new Marvel TV—Agent Carter will begin on January 19—so I am going to post a new discussion thread every week with a different concept for us to explore and debate.

First, here are the previous discussions:

If you could be Inhuman, what power would you want?  Mostly MCU Reviews Reddit

Pitch a new hero for the MCU Mostly MCU Reviews Reddit

Pitch a crossover fight between Marvel and DC characters Mostly MCU Reviews

Here is this week’s prompt:  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has two different spinoffs or semi-spinoffs on the way in Marvel’s Most Wanted and Damage Control.  Pitch an Agent Carter spinoff to air alongside Agent Carter, presumably taking the place of Marvel’s Most Wanted during the midseason break next year.  Obviously this series can work with a slightly higher budget-per-episode than a typical TV series (less episodes to spread it over), but it is still on a TV budget.

Jessica Jones Season 1, Episode 7, “AKA Top Shelf Perverts” REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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You know how just about every superhero-based movie and TV series has a moment in the second half where the protagonist looks to be at the end of his or her rope and the villain looks to be nearing victory?  Of course you do; you read this blog and watch many of these same shows and movies!  In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1 it would be right around Hydra’s coming-out party, specifically when Ward reveals himself to be a Hydra agent and Coulson gives his “S.H.I.E.L.D. has to mean something” speech.  In Daredevil season 1 it would be Matt and Foggy’s huge fight which ends with “Nelson and Murdock” quite literally in the garbage.  In Jessica Jones season 1, this episode is the first time that Jessica hits that low point, though it is not the last one.

Weekly MCU Review for 1/2/2015

Happy New Year!

Another week, and more MCU news!  I guess the powers that be must have seen how little MCU news there was last week, because this week we got a whole bunch of news about Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Daredevil season 2...  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!