Another panic move...

The other thing about the new AVENGERS is that the other movies were the result of building up to those films taking place. You had story strands from different movies congregating (sometimes too many of them) at once and the result was having to see the Avengers for the payoff.

But there's nothing -- nothing at all -- happening leading into these Avengers movies that makes them a must-see even for casual nerds. None of the recent Marvel movies have gained any traction, nobody cares about Captain Marvel or Thunderbolts. The attempt to create some "Kang universe" or whatever it was died because of the actor's issues. Fantastic Four is undoubtedly going to underperform based on Disney's expectations. I don't even see a lot of fanboys even getting excited about the 3rd revival of the X-People (or whatever Disney is going to call them now).

It's like this AVENGERS movie is taking place because Disney needs it more than anything else. "Let's just get everybody willing to come back and pay them a fortune" is so transparent and yet that's what the plan apparently is. I'll be looking forward to not paying to watch it!

AndyDursin wrote: ↑Fri May 23, 2025 10:46 am The other thing about the new AVENGERS is that the other movies were the result of building up to those films taking place. You had story strands from different movies congregating (sometimes too many of them) at once and the result was having to see the Avengers for the payoff.

But there's nothing -- nothing at all -- happening leading into these Avengers movies that makes them a must-see even for casual nerds. None of the recent Marvel movies have gained any traction, nobody cares about Captain Marvel or Thunderbolts. The attempt to create some "Kang universe" or whatever it was died because of the actor's issues.

They were teasing Thanos as far back as the mid-credits sequence of the original Avengers in 2012, and they didn't officially face off with him until Infinity War in 2018, and almost every movie had a little Easter egg putting another piece of the puzzle into place. Meanwhile the FIRST time we see RDJ as Doctor Doom will likely be in a mid-credits sequence in Fantastic Four, only a year (well, year-and-a-half now ) before the next Avengers movie. It's so blatantly obvious Kang was supposed to be the new Big Bad of the MCU, but when Jonathan Majors turned out to be an IRL sh!tbag and Disney kicked him to the curb, they were left scrambling for a replacement, and Doc Doom was the biggest Marvel Comics villain they hadn't utilized yet. Which would have been fine...had they bothered to actually cast the role, instead of throwing RDJ in there in a baffling gambit to get Geek juices flowing, but the only feeling the news engendered in me was confusion, and mild anger that Tony Stark's great sacrifice in Endgame was going to be almost immediately ruined in the next Avengers movie in the pipeline. Yeah, yeah, "It's not really Tony Stark...!", but imagine if they cast Hugh Jackman as Magneto in an X-Men movie only a few years after Logan. It reeks of the kind of last-ditch desperation a long-running sitcom goes through when they add an obnoxiously cute kid character in the last season or two, trying to bolster sagging ratings right before the cancellation ax falls.

What's also weird is -- and Doomcock mentioned this -- are audiences going to love Downey in this role if he actually does Doctor Doom properly? People love RDJ because he's got his quippy one-liners. That sure isn't Doctor Doom if the character is played straight! It'd be like Darth Vader cracking wise after every stormtrooper goes down.

AndyDursin wrote: ↑Fri May 23, 2025 6:03 pm What's also weird is -- and Doomcock mentioned this -- are audiences going to love Downey in this role if he actually does Doctor Doom properly? People love RDJ because he's got his quippy one-liners. That sure isn't Doctor Doom if the character is played straight! It'd be like Darth Vader cracking wise after every stormtrooper goes down.

It makes ZERO SENSE. They probably wanted RDJ back as a Tony Stark variant from another universe, but thought that'd "taint" his heroic sacrifice In Endgame (the way the small-screen DC comics shows on the CW kept killing off characters, only to introduce their alt. doppelgangers a season or two later), yet...how is this any different, turning the MCU's biggest hero into a villain?

And people wonder why the MCU is cratering...