Iron Man (2008):
- This is the film that set off the entire MCU, and it's a worthy entry.
- Some people still stand by this one as the best Marvel film, but I like how much things have evolved from this point.
- Having seen what the later Marvel movies are capable of, it's hard for me not to see this one as a little dated. Still an amazing movie, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.
- Origin stories aren't my favorite, just cause I hate wading through all of the exposition. That being said, this film makes the most out of what is actually a pretty minimal plot.
- If there was just a movie where Tony Stark and Pepper Potts spent a day together as civilians, I'd watch it. The interactions between these two never get old.
- Infinity Stone Watch: This film predates Marvel's interest in infinity stones in the MCU, but it does heavily focus on Tony Stark's "arc reactor," which has played a large role in the MCU.
- In my opinion, this is Marvel's weakest film.
- It's a shame that behind the scenes circumstances basically prevented a Hulk series from ever taking off. I think it would have been interesting to see the this character faced with challenges that are worthy of his ability.
- That being said, I'm not sad that Edward Norton was replaced after this film. He's not bad here, but I think things worked out for the best.
- It's also a shame that Liv Tyler's Betty Ross character didn't get a chance to grow in future films. She's such a strong motivation for the Hulk, that her absence from future films seems like the biggest hole in the overall Hulk story.
- This may be the weakest film in the bunch, but if it did nothing more that set up the Hulk as a character in the Avengers films, then it was worth it.
- Infinity Stone Watch: None here. This film is the least vital to the MCU as a whole.
- A lot of people think this is the worst Marvel film. It has its fair share of flaws, but I like parts of it better than the first film.
- This was the first Marvel film to have a truly great fight scene.
- I could do without the Justin Hammer villain, but Ivan Vanko is one of the more impressive villains in the MCU.
- I like Don Cheadle much better as Rhodey than I did Terrence Howard. As an actor he seems to have a charisma that better matches the energy of Robert Downey Jr.
- Based on Black Widow's somewhat unimpressive introduction here, I wouldn't have predicted just how big of a character she would become in the MCU. She does have a particularly badass fight scene, though.
- I'm glad that Marvel took the time in this film to promote Pepper from assistant to CEO. Films like this run the risk of turning the supporting women into nothing more than a love interest, but this franchise wisely does more than that with Pepper.
- This is the closest Marvel comes to an "in between" movie that only sets up other films (could they talk about New Mexico more?), but I still think it is a better stand alone film than it is given credit for being.
- Infinity Stone Watch: Again, none yet, but Tony does invent a new element.
- This series gets the least amount of credit in the MCU, and I've never fully understood why. It's a solid origin story film that proved Marvel could have success outside of the Iron Man franchise.
- Natalie Portman's Jane Foster has been criticized for only being a flat love interest. I disagree. Portman is great in the role, and she brings a necessary element to the film.
- With so much of Thor's world being made up of unexplained "magic," I like how Jane and her team ground part of that in their scientific pursuit. I'm glad that the film doesn't try to explain too much of Thor's world. The mystery heightens the idea that Asgard is beyond human understanding.
- I like that this film brings a sort of "fantasy" element to the MCU.
- Loki is the best villain to date in the MCU. There's no disputing that.
- Darcy is great. More Darcy please. I don't care that she's only here for the jokes. It works. Darcy is probably the most universally loved part of this franchise.
- Infinity Stone Watch: In the post-credits, Nick Fury (the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.) is shown to be in possession of the Tesseract (a glowing blue cube). This is the first sighting of an infinity stone, even though it has yet to be identified as one.
- It was a bold move using an entire movie as an origin story set decades before any of the other MCU films, but it clearly paid off.
- I'm not as big a fan of this one as most people seem to be. It's a great film, but as I mentioned before, I only have so much patience for origin story films.
- I said Loki was a the best MCU villain, but Hydra is right behind him. I say Hydra and not Red Skull, cause clearly Hydra is an idea that exists beyond one single villain.
- Peggy Carter is one of the MCU's greatest heroines. Given her presence in this film, it's no wonder Marvel decided to base a whole show around her. In Phase 1 of the MCU, she's the next best thing to Black Widow.
- Casting Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark was genius. His performance leaves no doubt that the Stark personality is a family trait.
- Infinity Stone Watch: The Tesseract is the central point of this film. It is shown to possess lethal power that humans cannot fully understand. We last see it being retrieved from the bottom of the ocean by Howard Stark.
- I think that this is overall greatest film in the superhero genre. It has flaws like any movie, but it is an amazing accomplishment. I know some Dark Knight fans would fight me on this one, but in my opinion one great villain (and I'll admit, that portrayal of the Joker is more impressive than any MCU villain) does not outmatch a collaboration like this.
- Bringing in Joss Whedon to write and direct was a smart move. He's clearly a fan of the material, and he proved with 2005's Serenity, that he can handle large ensembles without losing the individual characters in the overall collaboration.
- Whedon knows exactly how to insert jokes into a film like this, and it makes this such a fun film to watch. It also gives much more personality to characters like Black Widow, who before had been pretty flat.
- Speaking of Black Widow: she becomes one of the most compelling characters in the MCU here. She steals most scenes that she is in, and the scene where she deceives Loki by playing into his misogynistic tendencies, is brilliant. I think it's no mistake that Whedon portrayed the lone female Avenger as the most clever Avenger.
- I'm glad Whedon cut out a little time for Pepper Potts and Tony Stark to have a little banter before Tony has to suit up for action.
- Mark Ruffalo's performance coupled with Joss Whedon's writing took the Hulk from being my least favorite MCU hero, to being in my top three. The character is used excellently here.
- Loki was a smart choice as a villain. He didn't get to show off much in Thor, so bringing him back to cause even more chaos, was smart.
- I've heard the complaint that Loki's actions make no sense in this film, because his actions essentially unite the Avengers against him. During WWII, Japan and German provoked the USA and the USSR into joining the war against them, which ultimately lost them the war. Hubris causes people to act out of ego instead of reason. Loki's main motivation in this film is his ego driven need to rule over people he thinks are beneath him. I think it makes perfect sense. He thinks by striking first he can stop the Avengers before they start.
- The battle of New York is the single greatest fight scene in any superhero film. Whedon basically just lets the Avengers loose to show off all of their skills. It's fun, but also has serious stakes.
- Infinity Stone Watch: The Tesseract once again is at the center of this film. Loki uses it to open a portal to unleash and alien army on Earth. Loki also has a scepter with a powerful blue stone in it. I don't know if it has ever explicitly been labeled as an infinity stone, but at the least its powers are clearly somehow linked to the Tesseract. At the end of the film Thor takes Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard for safekeeping. I don't think it is ever clearly explained where Loki's scepter ended up, but Black Widow was the last character seen with it, so it's probably in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Iron Man 3 (2013):
- This film sets off Phase 2 of the MCU, which will conclude with this year's release of Ant-Man.
- This is my favorite Iron Man film, cause it doesn't have to deal with the exposition of the first film, or the clear future Avengers agenda of the second film. I think it stands alone the best of any film in this series.
- It's unfortunate that Tony and Pepper spend most of the film apart, but having Pepper be the character that ultimately saves the day was a nice twist and another spotlight on a consistently strong female character in the MCU.
- Tony's team up with Harley (a boy he befriends after Jarvis accidentally sends Tony to Tennessee) makes up for his lack of screen time with Pepper. The relationship between the two is fun, but also makes Tony face some hard realities.
- Speaking of hard realities, I'm glad that the film chose to show that Tony had emotional trauma after the events of The Avengers. An attack from an alien army and a near death experience would do that to anyone; even Tony Stark.
- Aldrich Killian is a passable villain. He's not the most impressive, but he's definitely not the least impressive. His powers prove to be a good match for Iron Man, to the point where a similarly powered Pepper has to defeat him in the end.
- I've read complaints about Tony spending so much time out of the suit in this film, but I think it just reinforces the idea that it is Tony, and not his suit, that is the real Iron Man.
- Tony's army of Iron Man suits is an interesting idea that pays off in one of the MCU's better fight scenes, at the end of the film.
- Infinity Stone Watch: None here, which is probably smart given the heavy reliance on the Tesseract in the previous two films.
Thor: The Dark World (2013):
- Most of the criticisms people had of the first film in this series are the same criticisms they had of this film.
- While Thor is arguably the least complex Avenger, I think this film works on digging a little deeper into his character here, and even gives him a darker edge at times. I like that Thor is less naive to Loki's tricks in this film.
- The Dark Elves are arguably the least compelling villains in any of the MCU films. It's not that they aren't powerful (they clearly possess the power to wipe out Asgard if they wanted to), they just don't have much personality or motivation.
- That being said, Loki makes a nice anti-hero/villain, and gives the film a few nice twists. His impersonation of Captain America is pretty clever too.
- The scope of the first film felt pretty limited. This film does an excellent job of expanding Thor's universe beyond just Asgard and Earth. It was an important idea to establish not just for this film, but for future films such as Guardians of the Galaxy.
- I think this film makes better use of Jane than the first one did, but I still would like the series to find a more natural way to bring her into the action of the story.
- Darcy is back! Her role is once again limited, but it seems like this film gives here even more room to crack wise, and such. I love that she has her own intern to boss around in this film. Besides a small plot line where she saves Erik Selvig from a mental institution, there isn't any real reason for her to be here. I'm glad they brought her back anyway. She's a scene stealer.
- It's too bad that Rene Russo's Frigga was killed off so early. She grounded the film, even if she had very limited screen time.
- I'm also a fan of Idris Elba's Heimdall portrayal in this series. He doesn't have a very large role, but he plays the part well.
- Infinity Stone Watch: At the beginning of the film, Oden explains what the infinity stones are, and that there are six of them. This is the first detailed explanation of the infinity stones in any MCU film. After the events of The Avengers, Asgard is in possession of the Tesseract (and since Loki is impersonating Oden at the end of the film, that essentially means he once again has control of it). Jane is possessed with the Aether, a second infinity stone, which Oden explains is the only infinity stone to take a liquid form. The Dark Elves eventually take control of the Aether, but when they are defeated, Asgard gains possession of it. In a mid-credits scene, Lady Sif is shown giving it to The Collector, since the Asgardians believe it is unsafe to keep both it and the Tesseract in Asgard.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014):
- This film had a lot riding on it, being the first solo film in the series set in the present day. It surpassed any expectations I had.
- With this film, I believe the Russo Brothers have established themselves as the best directors in the MCU. I love what Whedon did with The Avengers, but this is clearly the superior film when it comes to direction. It's no wonder Marvel has asked them to direct the third Captain America and the final two part Avengers film.
- The action scenes in this film are amazingly well shot, and have an acrobatic nature to them. I've read many comments about how impressive Black Widow's fighting style is in this film, because you can see how she realistically uses momentum to overcome her size while fighting larger enemies. Everyone gets a chance to shine here, as well. We finally get to see Nick Fury in action, during a very fun and unique car chase scene.
- The writing is smart here too. Characters are given snappy dialogue that rivals Joss Whedon in wit. It says a lot that so many previously established characters are explored much deeper than they have ever been before.
- Emily VanCamp's Agent 13 is an unnecessary character here, but at least she works as a representation of the agents who remain loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. when Hydra is exposed.
- I love the pairing of Black Widow and Captain America. They represent opposite sides of the hero spectrum in almost every way, and yet their chemistry on screen together is perfect (and I chemistry in a very platonic way.)
- The Winter Soldier title is a bit of a misdirect. He's a very dangerous tool being used by the true villain, Hydra (which has managed to survive hidden inside S.H.I.E.L.D.).
- The Hydra twist is bold. Marvel unraveled a lot of previously established ideas in the MCU with the dissolution of S.H.I.E.L.D. It pays off tremendously here (and also gave a jump start to the show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
- I love the inclusion of Falcon as a character here. Not only does he provide the film with a character that is completely removed from S.H.I.E.L.D/Hydra, he also gives the MCU a much needed African American hero. Yes there are Rhodey (a.k.a. War Machine/Iron Patriot) and Nick Fury, but Falcon sees more action in this one movie than they have seen in the entire MCU. Anthony Mackie is perfect for the role, and I hope Marvel continues to take advantage of the asset they have in him.
- This is the most culturally relevant Marvel film to date. The film asks a lot of questions about the nature of privacy in a world where governments want to take more and more control in the face of unknown threats. It's significant that a character as morally upstanding as Captain America takes a stand against the actions that both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra are trying to take to control the world.
- Infinity Stone Watch: In a mid-credits scene, we see that Hydra's Baron von Strucker is in possession of what appears to be Loki's scepter. If S.H.I.E.L.D. indeed maintained possession of it after The Avengers, this could explain how Hydra obtained it. It appears Strucker has been using the scepter to do tests on people, the result being the creation of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, whom we briefly meet during this scene. Both are characters in the upcoming Avengers sequel. Again, I don't know of any official confirmation that the scepter itself is an infinity stone.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014):
- By the tenth film, Marvel has perfected the origin story film. This is hands down the best origin story in the MCU (no, I did not stutter, die hard Iron Man fans).
- A lot of people said casting Chris Pratt was a risk. By Hollywood's standards, I guess it was. Personally, I always saw it as the most spot on casting choice Marvel had made since Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark (and this is coming from someone who is a big fan of Marvel's casting choices).
- Pratt is the heart and soul of the film, but there's no doubt that this film is an ensemble piece. If one of the main five actors hadn't sold their part, the film would have fallen flat. It's great work by a diverse cast of actors.
- I love how this film is set in space, yet there's nary a reference to Thor or Asgard. This film definitely has a retro sci-fi atmosphere, compared to Thor's more fantasy infused setting. It also creates a more expansive universe in one film, than the Thor franchise did in two films.
- For a film with four villains, none of them are all that impressive. I'll cut Thanos a little slack here, though, since he clearly isn't meant to be much more than a cameo here.
- This is a film that shouldn't work, but it does because from the very start they committed to the idea of being surreal and silly in their approach to the material. Consistency goes a long way in a movie like this.
- I always think it is interesting when a film's tone is driven by its soundtrack. That's definitely the case here, and it helps set this film apart from the rest of the MCU.
- Of all of the films in the MCU, I think this one feels the least like a "Marvel" film, which is a refreshing change of pace.
- Infinity Stone Watch: Like much of phase two, this one is centered around an infinity stone. In this case it's a small purple looking jewel that isn't really called much else except "the orb," which is actually more a description of the container for the stone, than the stone itself. The Guardians take it to The Collector (whom if you'll recall, Asgard entrusted with the Dark Aether because they didn't want two stones in one place) to sell him the orb. Once they learn how powerful it is, they decide to take it to Xandar where it will be safer. Of course it's not that easy, but eventually it gets to Xandar. So the orb is in Xandar, The Collector presumably still has the Dark Aether (and since he was looking to collect more stones, he is probably a future Marvel villain), and the Tesseract is in Asgard (where Loki seems to have access to it).
