Topic: Everything Marvel (Movies, Games, Comics, ect...)

Man, I’m super late to the topic here, lol. But as a kid I read comics randomly, not at all following series’ progressions or anything. Basically we got comics two ways as kids: 1. My dad would bring a few home that he would pick up at the store when we were sick or 2. My brother and I would ride our bikes to our local card shop that also sold some comics and we’d buy whatever we could afford that had a cool cover. So I never really knew the story arcs at all.

One of the last comics I remember reading was the first issue of Avengers 1998 when I was 13. I fell off comics after that as I got involved in other hobbies. I’ve checked out some MCU stuff over the years and enjoyed it, but never really got back into any of it.

Fast forward to now and my four year old daughter is absolutely in love with Spiderman and Ironman. So I bought her her first Avengers kids comic book and she loves it. So we started watching some of the animated series shows and movies and it’s got me wanting to get back into the comics a bit.

So I got a Marvel Unlimited sub and started back with Avengers #1 from 1998 to pick up where I left off as a kid. It’s been a blast. I’m almost through the 1998 run. Which brings the question...

Anyone have any links to a decent reading list of where to go from there?

I wonder with John Walker if they're going the Super-Patriot route of making him a villain of the show or if he's eventually going to become the USAgent once Falcon properly assumes the mantle

WandaVision (Disney+) - The first in a series of MCU related miniseries hitting Disney+, it follows Avengers Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch) & the Vision after the events of Avengers: Endgame in which the duo are trapped in a reality where the world exists as a classic sitcom centered around their daily life as husband & wife.

Absolutely gripping. The first two episodes were a bit slow (though unique for the franchise), but when things started to slowly fall apart (and when they started to reference sitcoms I grew up watching, like Malcolm in the Middle), I was absolutely hooked. I don't usually binge shows in a short period of time, but I chew through this over a single weekend. I did find it amusing that they portrayed their powers with the kind of low fi effects seen in classic sitcoms like Bewitched in the early episodes, and the Easter Egg involving a returning character, I believe Pietro was played by the actor from the X-Men movies?

Content Guide:

Language (Average) - PG-13 type stuff again.

Violence (Average) - Typical PG-13 superhero action.

Nudity/Sex (None) - Nothing to note here.

Just read the 3 part Gwenom vs Carnage crossover that's part of the King in Black event.

The writing has definitely gone down hill since Jason Latour's run but the have done an ok job at copying Robbi Rodriguez's art style of the character.
What I wasn't keen on was them turning Mary Jane into Carnage, it meant there was way too much talking between the 2 girls and not enough wanton violence that you would expect for a venom/Carnage confrontation - a battle of the bands finally was just stupid

I am a little disappointed that I decided to skip out on the King in Black event after reading this as I do like Knull, but im too tied up in other books to commit to another Marvel wide event spanning 100 issues (I'm working my way through the Secret Invasion TBPs ready for the next MCU wave) but will grab the TPB later down the line.

The Falcon & Winter Soldier (Disney+) - Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, it follows the titular pair as they get involved in a plot set forth by a group of international anti-government "terrorists", and it must be decided who (if anyone) should be next to take up the sheild of Captain America.

It's not revelatory, but solid enough. There are a handful of great action scenes, the narrative works in some topical elements and works in a grey area where they expect the viewer to ask which side is really in the just? It kind of falls apart late into the final episode though, where the writers either assume they didn't get their themes through well enough (or that the audience wouldn't understand them) and have they key character blatantly preach the themes they were trying to get at.

Sam's Captain America look is really cool though, so I'm interested in seeing where he pops up next.

@RR529 I thought he looked rubbish, it's comic accurate but the white head piece doesn't bring it together as well as it did in the comics.

I think you misunderstood what the speech was for, it's not the writers explaining it's a grey area to the viewers but showing that Falcon is Cap. He's done the punchy part but as shown throughout the show he needs to be more than that. Cap is a moral character too which Falcon had avoided throughout the show by just focusing on stopping them rather than finding a solution otherwise you may as well have US Agent still be Cap.

So I've decided to go back and watch all the Marvel films, since I probably haven't seen half of them. Watched the first three this week, and thought I'll keep up top whatever list. Don't remember if I've actually seen Iron Man 2 or not, but it was the least of the first three. Haven't watched Captain America, so I'm looking forward to that one.

1. Thor
2. Iron Man
3. Iron Man 2

@Octane, are you watching them all, or just what's on Disney+?

I ask because you're missing the Incredible Hulk, which came out inbetween the first two Iron Man films (though it, as well as the Spider-Man films, aren't on D+ due to licensing issues).

@Octane if you are starting again you should watch them in chronology order instead of when they released.
Captain Marvel and Captain America are set before Iron Man and the movies run really well into each other - I've just finished phase 1 and starting phase 2 with Thor 2

@RR529 Everything that's on Disney. Though I believe Spider-Man is on Netflix, can't remember, but I've seen them both some time last year, so even if they aren't on Netflix anymore, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

@Mr-Fuggles777 Nah, makes more sense to watch them in order of release, that's how it was intended anyway. The after credit scenes kinda guide you into the next one. I wouldn't watch Star Wars starting with episode 1 either, first the originals, then prequels, then sequels.

Disney have the Spider Man films coming to Disney+ but they are waiting for the deals Sony made to finish before it's added.

Yeah, it's best to watch them in the order of release. Nick Fury will mean alot less watching him first in Cap Marvel than in Iron Man etc.

Saw Captain America for the first time, and yes, it's pretty much a direct continuation of the events of Iron Man and Thor, even though it's set 70 years in the past. I think it was pretty decent, maybe the best one so far.

@Octane Just curious are you watching the side tv shows as well?

Stuff like WandaVision fits right in with the movies and is as much MCU as Iron Man or Avengers is but some of the other shows like Agents Of Shield weren't great and they are iffy as to if it's actually MCU or not, there's cameos from the side players and stories link together but the guy that made the movies doesn't seem to count them. I did really like Agent Carter though.

@Octane The First Avenger was indeed very cool movie! The only one that I did not like was Captain Marvel as it was just boring ...

My favorite in the MCU is Spider-Man. I can't wait for the No Way Home movie in December

@Zuljaras I thought Cap Marvel was fine, about the same as Doc Strange and the other standard origin movies but far from the worse MCU movie, the second movies for Thor and Spider Man are probably the least favourite of mine. The humour in Far From Home is really poor and apart from the end set piece (which isn't even that great) in Dark World the whole thing is a drag.

@jump Hmm true Dark World was a drag. Still Captain Marvel was worse than that for me ofc. Also Iron Man 3 was not that good either. And Thor Ragnarok was just a parody of everything. But at least it was fun

@Zuljaras I thought Iron Man 3 was great myself, having practical special effects and stunts made it stand out and the themes of Tony's PTSD and if Iron Man is Tony himself or the suit was interesting. Whilst Ben Kingsley's take on the villain was very polarizing I found it a funny twist.

One thing I didn't like about IM3 was the change in soundtracks, having AC/DC blasting throughout in the first two and Avengers really added something to Tony himself being a rockstar of superheroes.That plus AC/DC are brilliant in general!

@jump I've already seen Wandavision and Falcon & the Winter Soldier. FYI, I have seen quite a few Marvel films, but it's been a while (especially the early stuff), and I haven't seen all of them. I've been debating whether I should watch the pre-Disney+ side stuff, but I think I'll just skip it. It doesn't seem as important as the current series.

@Zuljaras Cap Marvel was okay from what I remember.

I fell asleep during both Spider-Man films lol! They don't hold up compared to the Raimi films IMO.

@Octane Raimi's trilogy was good indeed. Especially 2 with Molina playing Doc Ock! But Marvel's Spider-Man (boy) is very good! It sits next to the other Avengers cast very well!

Garfield's Spider-Man was an abomination and it was good move to NOT make it a trilogy!

I've watched everything up to Guardians of the Galaxy, which I hadn't seen before, but it was quite enjoyable. The Avengers was also better than I expected. Iron Man 3 was definitely an improvement over Iron Man 1 and 2.

The Dark World was kinda forgettable like Iron Man 2, though it had some plot points that were quite important to the entire MCU story arc.