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I wasn't sure when I was gonna post this. I thought about doing it after I reviewed Avengers: Endgame, but that'll be a while, and by then I don't think the relevance will be as strong. In the end I chose to post it on the 26th, and I am a day late. Well better late than never I guess.

This is just a tribute I made to celebrate the release of Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame. The end of the first 3 phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Y'know, Kevin Feige had a dream, and he did what Walt Disney did back when he envisioned a studio that would bring stories to life. No one thought it could be done. Sure there was X-Men but Feige was going to take a bunch of different Marvel Heroes and put them in the same universe. The original Iron-Man seemed like a movie destined to fail, and yet it succeeded, and it launched what is currently the most financially successful movie franchise of all time. I myself knew it was a thing but for a while I was never super into it until I saw The Avengers for the first time. They had done it. They had brought together all these character for one epic story. The MCU had become a staple in pop culture to the point where it really is the new Star Wars. It was able to unite a massive ensemble of actors, who most of which love being a part of these movies. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and who knows how many more. Did any of you honestly see these actors being cast in these roles and doing well in them? Seriously, did anyone honestly think for a second that RDJ would be such a great Iron-Man? Marvel Studios has been able to achieve the impossible and they've done it so well that for years on, other Studios will try and copy them. In fact DC is already trying to do it and they've had a petty rocky start to say the least. Is it a perfect franchise, well no. Their villains, can be pretty hit or miss. While ones like Loki, Thanos, Killmonger, and Vulture are great, Malekith, Ronan, and Whiplash are painfully boring and uninteresting. Then there's the fact that, while most of the time the jokes are really funny, sometimes, even if a joke is good, can be put in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Does that mean it doesn't make me laugh? If you think it doesn't, then you're horribly wrong. When these movies are funny, they are really funny. I'd list some of my favorite one liners, I'd be here all day.

Anyway, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done a lot of great things. Now there are people who are against the MCU. The two complaints I've heard the most are: 1.) They have too many jokes. 2.) All of their movies are the same. Obviously I don't agree with either of theses. Now yes, like I said earlier, not all of their jokes work, but comedy is subjective. Everyone laughs at different things, so I cant really get onto people for thinking this. I can get onto people for calling all of the movies the same. Well to be more specific, I just disagree with that opinion. While some of the early Marvel films do follow a similar formula, they all have a different style and tone. Iron-Man and Ant-Man both have similar formulas. Main character is very witty and arrogant. They have a female partner who are more capable then them. They both get a suit equipped with special weapons and abilities. They both get help from an old scientist. And they both fight a villain who wears a similar suit to them. However, despite that, they both have different tones. Ant-Man is a heist film. The characters are going after an item, and have to keep it out of the hands of the villains. Iron-Man is somewhat of a coming of age story. Tony Stark is a rich jerk, but after getting kidnapped by terrorist, he learns just how vulnerable he is, and uses his great intelligence to escape and becomes a superhero who keeps the innocent from getting into similar situations. Also Ant-Man is a lot more comedic and goofy than Iron-Man. While Iron-Man is also humorous, it is a lot more adventurous and has a lot more peril. Another example is Guardians of The Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok. Which are both similar films. Both are over-the-top action films that have our heroes traveling to unfamiliar alien planets and going on crazy adventures. While at the same time, have several characters who seem to argue a lot come together under a common goal. Both films are also very comedic, but there styles of comedy are very different. Guardians of The Galaxy is a series of quips that lead to a band of misfits coming together as one. The humor is very deliberate. Thor: Ragnarok is more improve comedy, and comes off as more natural. The actors were allowed to improve a scene and add comedy to one whenever they pleased. This is because James Gunn and Taika Waititi both had different visions on where they wanted to take the series. James wanted a series about characters who hated their lives coming together but learned to share pain and find a family amongst themselves. It was about acceptance and forgiveness. Taika wanted a series that grew Thor as a character and gave him a new kind of story.

Honestly I wouldn't say that Marvel has made any bad movies. So far the weakest movies of theirs that I've seen are The Incredible Hulk, Thor: The Dark World, ad Captain Marvel. At their worst, Marvel is just bland, uninspired, and uninteresting. Thor: The Dark World basically only had the purpose of saying "Oh hey look...it's the reality stone." The Incredible Hulk was a film that tried to revive the Hulk's popularity, but ended up being very uninteresting, and now Marvel hardly even acknowledges it. And Captain Marvel as a film that had a lot of great ideas, and executed them poorly. Still, I can at least say one good thing about each of these movies. Incredible Hulk has an awesome final battle, Thor: The Dark World has Loki being...Loki, and Captain Marvel introduced The Skrulls to the MCU and showed us a side of Nick Fury we hadn't seen before. So yeah, Marvel has been around for 10 years and many people agree that they haven't had a single failure. There's also the fact that no matter what anyone says about their films, each one has made a ton of money. This is a studio that for 10 years has done amazingly well both critically and financially. A feat that not even Disney and Pixar could achieve. Although, to be fair, Disney has been around longer so they were bound to screw up at one point.

The characters in these films are also very likeable and relatable. Think about it, Thor is a literal god
Odin: "We are not gods."
Quiet you, you're dead! Anyway, Thor is a literal god and yet he tries to be like a man. When he first ends up on Earth and first learns of Earth customs, he doesn't question them, but respects them and tries his best to understand humanity. Then there's Doctor Strange. He is a man who lets his fame go to his head. He ignores everyone around him, and treats himself like he's better than those in his life. But like Tony Stark, when he gets into a terrible situation, he ends up realizing just how vulnerable he is. But unlike Tony, he had the advantage of having people who were willing to help him. Tony had to handle things on his own. While his love interest, Pepper Potts, basically runs his company for him, Tony has to handle all of his personal struggle on his own, and most learn how to solve his own problems. He's also fueled by fear and guilt. He's fear the thought of Thanos coming for his team mates, and he feels guilty about creating problems for the Avengers. He created Ultron, which leads to a destructive fight in Sokovia, creating the villain Zemo. Who nearly destroys the Avengers. He also wasn't there to stop a building filled with innocent people from exploding. This makes Tony think that without restrictions, the Avengers are no better than the people the bad guys they put away every single day. Then we have Captain America. My favorite MCU character. Unlike most superheroes, he doesn't have a tragic backstory. He's a hero just because he believes it's the right thing. He also has a hatred for bullies. Seeing people with power pick on those weaker than themselves simply disgust Cap. It disgust him so much that when he sees a bully as big as Red Skull, he has no choice but to join the army.. He doesn't have a dark side, and I find that fascinating since other characters try to find out if he really does. The development of these characters is still consistent throughout the films. The best example I can think of is Loki. Loki has had a character arc that has spanned across a total of 5 films. In Thor, Loki earns of his true heritage, and is furious that he was lied to for most of his life. To the point where he feels like no one loves him. And his love for mischief and chaos causes him to think that killing Frost Giants or taking over Earth would prove himself as a worthy heir to the throne. Which leads him to being the main villain in The Avengers. He allies himself with Thanos, thinking he'll provide Loki with everything he needs to conquer the Earth. When Loki is defeated and taken back to Asgard, his adoptive parents are very upset with him. This makes Loki think that he means nothing to his parents, even though deep down he cares about them and their approval. In Thor: Ragnarok. Loki has stopped caring about anyone. He's sick of putting up with his family and abandons Thor to go be on his own. It takes Thor going off to face their evil sister alone that motivates him to stop acting like an angsty teen in an adults body, and be a true hero. His arc concludes in Avengers: Infinity War where he tries to kill Thanos to save his brother Thor. This ultimately leads to Loki's death. Thankfully, he died a hero.

It simply blows my mind that despite all of the different directors, each with different visions, were able to have consistency with these characters and their development. Of course Kevin Feige is a part of why. Even if he's not responsible for all the little nods, references, and callbacks, the effort is appreciated. Speaking of which, this franchise is just amazing with its callbacks and foreshadowing. In Doctor Strange, Mordo tells Strange that somethings there is no other way than the hard way to solve a problem. And in Infinity War, Strange tells Tony that there was no other way to stop Thanos than giving him the time stone, and letting him win. So if you're wondering why he didn't just cut off Thanos's arm with one of his portals, now you know why. There's also Rocket Raccoon who in Guardians 2 said he could only afford to lose one friend today, only for Infinity War to take all of his friends if you don't count Nebula. This consistency is something to "Marvel" at to say the least. No Regrets!

In conclusion, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a franchise that has had a plan unlike any other. There was so much time and effort put into this golden age of Marvel films. What other franchise is able to make such powerful and god like characters such relatable ones. It takes multiple character who couldn't be more different from each other with different ideals and puts them together as a team and a family. We care about all of these characters. We care about a thunder god, a space cowboy, a kid who can stick to walls, a talking raccoon, and a bunch of other characters. We care about the relationship of the guardians of the galaxy so that when we watch Infinity War, and see Star-Lord try and kill Gamora, or Rocket lose his best friend, we care, and sometimes we cry. We sympathize with Thor when he loses his hair, his hammer, his eye, his home, his people, his victory, his friends, and every single member of his family. We care about him and his struggles. We care about Peter Parker when he has to abandon his friends and the girl he loves to do the right thing. He's scared, and nervous, but he still fights despite it seeming like the world is against him. We care about an egotist like Tony Stark who was originally driven by greed and selfishness, but is now driven by guilt and fear. Who believes protecting the world is a burden that rest in his hands and his hands alone. Who's worst fears soon come to life when he tries to fight, but goes in over his head. And we care about an optimistic hero. A scrawny kid from Brooklyn who was willing to do anything to protect people in a simpler time just because he believes it's right. Even though people around him told him he would never be a good soldier. The people at Marvel Studios spent 11 years making 22 different films and kept audiences invested with each one. Pulling many ideas from a massive series of comic books and giving them a new sense of originality. We watched these amazing characters grow and evolve across 11 years. Even people who never touched a comic book in their life have grown an appreciation for these characters and the well told stories they're in. We look at these characters and stories and fall in love with them in ways never seen since the original Star Wars came out back in 1977.

I say all of this out of love. Because at the end of the day...

We don't deserve something as great as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Description
I wasn't sure when I was gonna post this. I thought about doing it after I reviewed Avengers: Endgame, but that'll be a while, and by then I don't think the relevance will be as strong. In the end I chose to post it on the 26th, and I am a day late. Well better late than never I guess.

This is just a tribute I made to celebrate the release of Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame. The end of the first 3 phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Y'know, Kevin Feige had a dream, and he did what Walt Disney did back when he envisioned a studio that would bring stories to life. No one thought it could be done. Sure there was X-Men but Feige was going to take a bunch of different Marvel Heroes and put them in the same universe. The original Iron-Man seemed like a movie destined to fail, and yet it succeeded, and it launched what is currently the most financially successful movie franchise of all time. I myself knew it was a thing but for a while I was never super into it until I saw The Avengers for the first time. They had done it. They had brought together all these character for one epic story. The MCU had become a staple in pop culture to the point where it really is the new Star Wars. It was able to unite a massive ensemble of actors, who most of which love being a part of these movies. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and who knows how many more. Did any of you honestly see these actors being cast in these roles and doing well in them? Seriously, did anyone honestly think for a second that RDJ would be such a great Iron-Man? Marvel Studios has been able to achieve the impossible and they've done it so well that for years on, other Studios will try and copy them. In fact DC is already trying to do it and they've had a petty rocky start to say the least. Is it a perfect franchise, well no. Their villains, can be pretty hit or miss. While ones like Loki, Thanos, Killmonger, and Vulture are great, Malekith, Ronan, and Whiplash are painfully boring and uninteresting. Then there's the fact that, while most of the time the jokes are really funny, sometimes, even if a joke is good, can be put in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Does that mean it doesn't make me laugh? If you think it doesn't, then you're horribly wrong. When these movies are funny, they are really funny. I'd list some of my favorite one liners, I'd be here all day.

Anyway, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done a lot of great things. Now there are people who are against the MCU. The two complaints I've heard the most are: 1.) They have too many jokes. 2.) All of their movies are the same. Obviously I don't agree with either of theses. Now yes, like I said earlier, not all of their jokes work, but comedy is subjective. Everyone laughs at different things, so I cant really get onto people for thinking this. I can get onto people for calling all of the movies the same. Well to be more specific, I just disagree with that opinion. While some of the early Marvel films do follow a similar formula, they all have a different style and tone. Iron-Man and Ant-Man both have similar formulas. Main character is very witty and arrogant. They have a female partner who are more capable then them. They both get a suit equipped with special weapons and abilities. They both get help from an old scientist. And they both fight a villain who wears a similar suit to them. However, despite that, they both have different tones. Ant-Man is a heist film. The characters are going after an item, and have to keep it out of the hands of the villains. Iron-Man is somewhat of a coming of age story. Tony Stark is a rich jerk, but after getting kidnapped by terrorist, he learns just how vulnerable he is, and uses his great intelligence to escape and becomes a superhero who keeps the innocent from getting into similar situations. Also Ant-Man is a lot more comedic and goofy than Iron-Man. While Iron-Man is also humorous, it is a lot more adventurous and has a lot more peril. Another example is Guardians of The Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok. Which are both similar films. Both are over-the-top action films that have our heroes traveling to unfamiliar alien planets and going on crazy adventures. While at the same time, have several characters who seem to argue a lot come together under a common goal. Both films are also very comedic, but there styles of comedy are very different. Guardians of The Galaxy is a series of quips that lead to a band of misfits coming together as one. The humor is very deliberate. Thor: Ragnarok is more improve comedy, and comes off as more natural. The actors were allowed to improve a scene and add comedy to one whenever they pleased. This is because James Gunn and Taika Waititi both had different visions on where they wanted to take the series. James wanted a series about characters who hated their lives coming together but learned to share pain and find a family amongst themselves. It was about acceptance and forgiveness. Taika wanted a series that grew Thor as a character and gave him a new kind of story.

Honestly I wouldn't say that Marvel has made any bad movies. So far the weakest movies of theirs that I've seen are The Incredible Hulk, Thor: The Dark World, ad Captain Marvel. At their worst, Marvel is just bland, uninspired, and uninteresting. Thor: The Dark World basically only had the purpose of saying "Oh hey look...it's the reality stone." The Incredible Hulk was a film that tried to revive the Hulk's popularity, but ended up being very uninteresting, and now Marvel hardly even acknowledges it. And Captain Marvel as a film that had a lot of great ideas, and executed them poorly. Still, I can at least say one good thing about each of these movies. Incredible Hulk has an awesome final battle, Thor: The Dark World has Loki being...Loki, and Captain Marvel introduced The Skrulls to the MCU and showed us a side of Nick Fury we hadn't seen before. So yeah, Marvel has been around for 10 years and many people agree that they haven't had a single failure. There's also the fact that no matter what anyone says about their films, each one has made a ton of money. This is a studio that for 10 years has done amazingly well both critically and financially. A feat that not even Disney and Pixar could achieve. Although, to be fair, Disney has been around longer so they were bound to screw up at one point.

The characters in these films are also very likeable and relatable. Think about it, Thor is a literal god
Odin: "We are not gods."
Quiet you, you're dead! Anyway, Thor is a literal god and yet he tries to be like a man. When he first ends up on Earth and first learns of Earth customs, he doesn't question them, but respects them and tries his best to understand humanity. Then there's Doctor Strange. He is a man who lets his fame go to his head. He ignores everyone around him, and treats himself like he's better than those in his life. But like Tony Stark, when he gets into a terrible situation, he ends up realizing just how vulnerable he is. But unlike Tony, he had the advantage of having people who were willing to help him. Tony had to handle things on his own. While his love interest, Pepper Potts, basically runs his company for him, Tony has to handle all of his personal struggle on his own, and most learn how to solve his own problems. He's also fueled by fear and guilt. He's fear the thought of Thanos coming for his team mates, and he feels guilty about creating problems for the Avengers. He created Ultron, which leads to a destructive fight in Sokovia, creating the villain Zemo. Who nearly destroys the Avengers. He also wasn't there to stop a building filled with innocent people from exploding. This makes Tony think that without restrictions, the Avengers are no better than the people the bad guys they put away every single day. Then we have Captain America. My favorite MCU character. Unlike most superheroes, he doesn't have a tragic backstory. He's a hero just because he believes it's the right thing. He also has a hatred for bullies. Seeing people with power pick on those weaker than themselves simply disgust Cap. It disgust him so much that when he sees a bully as big as Red Skull, he has no choice but to join the army.. He doesn't have a dark side, and I find that fascinating since other characters try to find out if he really does. The development of these characters is still consistent throughout the films. The best example I can think of is Loki. Loki has had a character arc that has spanned across a total of 5 films. In Thor, Loki earns of his true heritage, and is furious that he was lied to for most of his life. To the point where he feels like no one loves him. And his love for mischief and chaos causes him to think that killing Frost Giants or taking over Earth would prove himself as a worthy heir to the throne. Which leads him to being the main villain in The Avengers. He allies himself with Thanos, thinking he'll provide Loki with everything he needs to conquer the Earth. When Loki is defeated and taken back to Asgard, his adoptive parents are very upset with him. This makes Loki think that he means nothing to his parents, even though deep down he cares about them and their approval. In Thor: Ragnarok. Loki has stopped caring about anyone. He's sick of putting up with his family and abandons Thor to go be on his own. It takes Thor going off to face their evil sister alone that motivates him to stop acting like an angsty teen in an adults body, and be a true hero. His arc concludes in Avengers: Infinity War where he tries to kill Thanos to save his brother Thor. This ultimately leads to Loki's death. Thankfully, he died a hero.

It simply blows my mind that despite all of the different directors, each with different visions, were able to have consistency with these characters and their development. Of course Kevin Feige is a part of why. Even if he's not responsible for all the little nods, references, and callbacks, the effort is appreciated. Speaking of which, this franchise is just amazing with its callbacks and foreshadowing. In Doctor Strange, Mordo tells Strange that somethings there is no other way than the hard way to solve a problem. And in Infinity War, Strange tells Tony that there was no other way to stop Thanos than giving him the time stone, and letting him win. So if you're wondering why he didn't just cut off Thanos's arm with one of his portals, now you know why. There's also Rocket Raccoon who in Guardians 2 said he could only afford to lose one friend today, only for Infinity War to take all of his friends if you don't count Nebula. This consistency is something to "Marvel" at to say the least. No Regrets!

In conclusion, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a franchise that has had a plan unlike any other. There was so much time and effort put into this golden age of Marvel films. What other franchise is able to make such powerful and god like characters such relatable ones. It takes multiple character who couldn't be more different from each other with different ideals and puts them together as a team and a family. We care about all of these characters. We care about a thunder god, a space cowboy, a kid who can stick to walls, a talking raccoon, and a bunch of other characters. We care about the relationship of the guardians of the galaxy so that when we watch Infinity War, and see Star-Lord try and kill Gamora, or Rocket lose his best friend, we care, and sometimes we cry. We sympathize with Thor when he loses his hair, his hammer, his eye, his home, his people, his victory, his friends, and every single member of his family. We care about him and his struggles. We care about Peter Parker when he has to abandon his friends and the girl he loves to do the right thing. He's scared, and nervous, but he still fights despite it seeming like the world is against him. We care about an egotist like Tony Stark who was originally driven by greed and selfishness, but is now driven by guilt and fear. Who believes protecting the world is a burden that rest in his hands and his hands alone. Who's worst fears soon come to life when he tries to fight, but goes in over his head. And we care about an optimistic hero. A scrawny kid from Brooklyn who was willing to do anything to protect people in a simpler time just because he believes it's right. Even though people around him told him he would never be a good soldier. The people at Marvel Studios spent 11 years making 22 different films and kept audiences invested with each one. Pulling many ideas from a massive series of comic books and giving them a new sense of originality. We watched these amazing characters grow and evolve across 11 years. Even people who never touched a comic book in their life have grown an appreciation for these characters and the well told stories they're in. We look at these characters and stories and fall in love with them in ways never seen since the original Star Wars came out back in 1977.

I say all of this out of love. Because at the end of the day...

We don't deserve something as great as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.