Weekly MCU Review for September 2

Another week, and more MCU news!  Not much going on this week, though Marvel’s Inhumans is in theaters for the next couple weeks (read my “review” before running out to see it).  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

The Defenders EXPECTATIONS

Marvel and Netflix’s heroes join forces tomorrow as they become The Defenders!  The series will be available some time tomorrow.  What are our expectations?

Weekly MCU Review for July 8

Another week, and more MCU news!  Spider-Man: Homecoming is finally out, so go see that!  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Weekly MCU Review for June 10

Another week, and more MCU news!  Not a ton this week, but we got some news about Black Panther.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

The Future of Iron Fist

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Back in March, Iron Fist season 1 was made available on Netflix.  Since then I’ve talked about various aspects of the show and how they work out.  There are definitely some elements of this series that did not work out at all; there are definitely some other elements that work out very well.  I think all of the Marvel Netflix series have been subject to this same criticism, but Iron Fist has definitely received it much more.

But with all that behind us, it’s time to talk about what may happen moving forward with these characters!  There are some obvious plot threads which can be explored, either in an unannounced Iron Fist season 2 or in The Defenders this August.  Unfortunately, we do not know enough about The Defenders say definitively what may appear in each series.

But that’s never stopped me before!

Weekly MCU Review for May 20

Another week, and more MCU news!  We got new synopses for two movies, the Venom movie is moving forward, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended, and now we know more about AoS season 5 as well as Inhumans.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Weekly MCU Review for May 13

Another week, and more MCU news!  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has been out for a week, and a bunch of TV series’ got picked up, renewed, and cancelled.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Iron Fist REVIEW Part 5 (Netflix Connections) SPOILERS

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This is the last aspect of Iron Fist that I really want to talk about, and it is the one for which I’m the most torn.  All of the Marvel Netflix shows share characters and settings, both in the foreground and the background.  This really helps them feel like they are all taking place in the same world, just a few blocks apart.  Considering that these series are all building up to The Defenders crossover miniseries this summer, it is important for them to already feel like they inhabit the same neighborhood—even though there are tonal differences between them.  It’s similar to what Marvel Studios did in Phase 1 by having Coulson, Tony, and/or Fury show up in all the movies at some point.

Unfortunately, at a certain point the shared characters cease to be fun and start being genuine plot holes.  That is part of the problem with Iron Fist.

Weekly MCU Review for April 29

Another week, and more MCU news!  Not a ton of MCU-related news this week, but only because I didn’t include the mountains of press for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which hits theaters next weekend.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Iron Fist TL;DW

I have written these “Too Long; Didn’t Watch” articles before for upcoming movies, but this is the first time I’ve felt the need to write one for a television series.  However, with the TV corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuing to expand, I feel like it’s only faith that I put together a “Too Long; Didn’t Watch” article to anticipate the Netflix release of Iron Fist later this week.  The “TL;DW” articles for the movies have offered viewing suggestions, but I don’t think I can really do that here.  For one thing, it’s only 3 days until Iron Fist comes out; for another, there is so much TV to wade through, and it’s pretty much impossible to pick and choose which episode to watch, at least with the Netflix series.

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For the sake of brevity, this “TL;DW” will ignore everything happening in the movies (apart from acknowledging Doctor Strange), as well as Agent Carter, which takes place in 1946-47 and probably won’t be much of a factor on Iron Fist.  Of course, just because I said that, Peggy Carter will find a way to appear on Iron Fist, just to make me look stupid.  I will deal with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. first, and then take the Netflix seasons in order of release.  At the end I will note the other upcoming TV series, though I doubt there will be much connection to Iron Fist.

Note:  Here is your (inevitable) SPOILER warning:  from here on out, this article contains major spoilers for everything having to do with Marvel TV!  You have been warned…

Weekly MCU Review for January 14

Another week, and more MCU news!  Someone turned on the spigot; there's a ton of new information on Marvel movies, network, and Netflix!  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Weekly MCU Review for 12/10

Another week, and more MCU news!  Easily the biggest news this week is the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Luke Cage Season 1, Episode 5, "Just to Get a Rep" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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Sorry for the late review this week—and sorry in advance that it is shorter than usual.  We went to see Doctor Strange again last night, this time in 3D.  The 3D experience is certainly worth it, particularly for the multiverse and fight sequences.  There is something to be said for 2D making it easier to see details of what’s going on, but the 3D definitely makes everything “pop” more.

But we’re not here to talk about Doctor Strange; we are actually here to discuss the fifth episode of Luke Cage, “Just to Get a Rep.”  After the previous 2 episodes, in which Cottonmouth made a direct attack on Luke, we see some of the fallout of that decision as Cottonmouth goes after Luke’s reputation in the community.  This episode is a lot of fun, particularly for the indirect ways in which Luke and Cottonmouth fight each other.

Oh, and this is also when Claire Temple shows up.

Luke Cage Season 1, Episode 4, "Step in the Arena" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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A massive Cinematic Universe with over a dozen movies, two network TV series, a couple dozen tie-in comic books, and three (and counting) Netflix TV series is prone to a number of dangers.  For one thing, there is always the fear of oversaturation:  between Marvel Network, Marvel Netflix, DC Network, and the DCCWTVU, and other comic properties, there is an enormous number of comic book-based TV shows on the air today.  Then there is also the risk of continuity errors (such as Luke Cage name-dropping Obama, though that’s easy enough to explain away as Obama also existing as a popular politician in the MCU).  But the one I want to talk about in this review is the danger of repetition in storytelling.  Something I noticed in both seasons of Daredevil as well as Jessica Jones season 1 is that the flashback episode revealing the hero (or new hero)’s origin came in episode 7.  I was curious if that would continue into Luke Cage (not necessarily a problem, but it does make the show predictable), and fortunately it does not.  Instead, we get Luke’s origin a little sooner, in the fourth episode.

Weekly MCU Review for 10/29

Happy Halloween!  Another week, and more MCU news!  Not too much of note, though Thor: Ragnarok finished filming.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Follow-Up to Luke Cage

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No review today (busy weekend), so instead, you get my thoughts on the follow-up to Luke Cage.  Obviously there are spoilers for the whole season.

Now that Luke Cage has been released and we’ve had some time to digest it, there is a lot to unpack as far as where these characters will go from here.  Luke Cage was unique when compared to the other Netflix shows in that this one ended with the least definite resolution.  Daredevil season 1 ended with Matt in a very good place in both his personal and superhero lives.  Jessica Jones season 1 ended with Jess still about as broken as ever, but in a position to begin healing and helping.  Daredevil season 2 ended with a bit of unresolved tension, as Matt revealed himself to Karen and the Hand began the process of resurrecting Elektra, but the primary conflict did end with the Hand defeated and Frank Castle walking around wearing a skull on his chest.  Compare that to Luke Cage, and Daredevil season 2 practically wraps it all up with a bow!

In other words, we’ve got a lot to talk about as far as where things will go from here!

Obviously there will be spoilers for Luke Cage ahead, and obviously there will be a ton of wild speculation as far as Iron Fist and The Defenders are concerned.

Weekly MCU Review for 10/22

Another week, and more MCU news!  We’re getting closer and closer to the Doctor Strange U.S. premiere, and more movies and Netflix shows are entering or nearing production.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Luke Cage Season 1, Episode 3, "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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After the excitement in the last episode, “Code of the Streets,” you would think that Luke Cage needed to take a moment to reflect on what happened to Pop and Chico.  However, that is absolutely not the case in “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight,” as Luke gets right back into the action.  There’s plenty of exciting action in this episode, but that doesn’t mean it’s all action; there is still plenty of intrigue, as well as a few moments for reflection.

Weekly MCU Review for 10/15

Another week, and more MCU news!  There’s a lot going on with the Marvel Netflix shows, with shows finishing production, entering production, casting…  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Luke Cage Season 1, Episode 2, "Code of the Streets" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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After the first episode of Luke Cage introduced the instigating conflict, things really start moving in the second episode, “Code of the Streets.”  Up until this point Luke is content to largely stay out of the way, keep to himself, and keep his unbreakable skin out of everyone else’s business.  However, events take a turn decidedly for the worse, and Luke can no longer stay on the sidelines.

The episode is very serious, but there are also a few fun moments, particularly having to do with Turk Barrett, who it seems decided to take a break from being Daredevil’s go-to punching bag in order to visit some friends in Harlem.