Over the last month and a half, I have been a part of a dedicated and delightful group of individuals who watched every Marvel Cinematic Universe film leading up to this weekend’s Age of Ultron premier. It’s been quite the journey. In some ways, we’ve come a long way. And in some ways it’s delightful to look back and see all the ways this series won my love. So here’s some thoughts.
We’ve Come a Long Way
Iron Man came out in 2008. 2008. That’s 7 years ago. 7 years is a long time to grow, and we all have, Marvel included. The first Iron Man movie is fun, but it also had moments that made me marvel (pun intended) at how much things have grown. The plot is simple and archetypal, and my gods is Pepper Potts ditsy. These days Pepper is the mighty CEO of Stark Industries who keeps Tony in line as a hobby, but in 2008 she was embarrassed because she was dancing with her boss and forgot her deodorant. I’m sorry, but a world where Pepper Potts can’t remember her deodorant is a world I don’t want to live in. It’s fascinating to see how the writers and minds at Marvel have had more faith in Pepper and their female characters more generally. We have a long way to go, but they’ve certainly become more dynamic and been given a lot more to do. And then there’s the misstep of The Incredible Hulk. Marvel clearly learned some things from that. Most notably that it helps to give your characters, ya’ know, character. But I don’t believe we could have a more complicated movie like Winter Soldier if Marvel hadn’t first learned that audiences want something and someone to care about.
Perfection Isn’t Where You Think
It’s easy to look back on Iron Man and believe that because it was first, it probably wasn’t that great. But, I have to say: Iron Man is a strong film. Like a really strong film. It’s fun, it’s well structured, and it’s so damn likable. The plot is easy to follow and doesn’t rely heavily on techno-babble. The setup and payoff is all there. And the last couple of minutes of the movie are still some of the most rewarding in the franchise.
When I think back on the Marvel movies, there are those I dismiss and those I think I love. It was interesting to go back and test all those memories. I found that a lot of the ones I dismissed were stronger than I remembered. And many of the ones I considered my favorites had big flaws. Let’s take the Captain America movies. They’re my favorite. I love them. But the more times I watch them, the more I realize they have plot holes you should drive a helicarrier through. After re-watching The First Avenger, we spent almost an hour coming up with literally any other way Cap could have saved New York other than putting that plane in the water. And seriously, why couldn’t they just tell one helicarrier to shoot down the other two at the end of Winter Soldier? Why did they need to dramatically triangulate all three? And whatever you do, do not try to explain the final fight scene in Guardians of the Galaxy to anyone.
But The Connections!
Probably the #1 reason the Marvel Cinematic Universe is beloved is their commitment to fan service. This is a franchise that wants to reward the dedicated. It’s fun to look for Stan Lee every time and know that every time your waiting will pay off. It’s fun to watch the characters interact across each other’s movies. There’s magic to watching Steve Rogers show up for a quick second in Thor 2. There’s great fun to be had with the fact that across the TV and movie empire, Natasha is the gold standard for spy. And it’s just perfect that they use a post credit scene to give me fodder for my head cannon belief that Tony and Banner are BFFs even between movies.
And more seriously, it’s a huge strength of the series that characters who could be throw-aways become important. Be it Agent Coulson moving from minor cameo to star of his own TV show, or Jasper Sitwell and the asshole Senator from Iron Man actually having been Hydra all along, this is a franchise that rewards loyalty. And it’s nice to feel appreciated.
Final Notes
We learned a collection of other things on the Marvel re-watch journey, from deep thoughts on types of origin stories to the fact that apparently in movie physics all you need to do to survive an explosion is hide behind a wall. Ultimately, what really sets Marvel apart from the other superhero stories is that in this world there are consequences. Experiences matter. The characters grow and change because of what they experience. Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy is pretty much always the same Batman. But the Iron Man series sees Tony go from spoiled playboy, to revered super hero, to full PTSD wreak because of the things he’s seen and done. Other examples abound, from New York’s rebuilding in Daredevil, to Erik Selvig in the mental institution in Thor 2. Hell, sometimes people who die even stay dead. Sometimes. It’s still superheroes, after all.
Nerd Academy 