MCU: The Marvel Cinematic Universe Official Discussion

[Blader5489]

Originally Posted by Iron Fist

Splendid thread. Anyone think Marvel will release two movies in the same year like they did this year?

Not in 2012 (they delayed Runaways because they simply had too much on their plate) but 2013 should have both Iron Man 3 and Runaways.

[flickchick85]

I'm guessing for every non-Avengers year, they'll be wanting to have 2 heroes representing in summer. 2013 will probably be Iron Man 3 and Cap 2 (if the first one meets/exceeds expectations), and 2014 will be Thor 2 (again, assuming the 1st one does well enough) and [New Solo Hero: Ant-Man? Hawkeye?], followed by The Avengers 2 in 2015, and so on.

Note - I'm only predicting the Cap sequel coming before Thor's just because it was announced first. They could very likely be switched.

EDIT: I didn't know Marvel Studios was doing the Runaways. So maybe the Cap or Thor sequels will come later.

[Spider-Fan]

I think Cap 2 and Thor 2 happen regardless of BO really. However, GA reception and BO returns prob effect who gets a sequel first. I think sequels to Thor and Cap are prob further along than anything else Marvel has going (maybe except for Ant-Man). But, Marvel has few franchise options and Hemms and Evans under contract for a long time. They'll get at least 1 solo sequel each.

I think Cap 2 prob comes first, but Thor will make more BO money. I just see more of a push for Cap coming off Avengers by Marvel.

[CoulsonFan]

Until you hear otherwise, assume there's a second movie coming Summer 2012. Since they put Runaways on ice, Ant-Man sounds like the next closest to going ahead.
If you really want to figure out what the Marvel slate for the next several years will look like, think of it this way: two Summer slots per year:

2012 [] []
2013 [] []
2014 [] []
2015 [] []
2016 [] []
2017 [] []

Two films have dates officially announced:

2012 [Avengers] []
2013 [Iron Man 3] []
2014 [] []
2015 [] []
2016 [] []
2017 [] []

Here are the films that are most likely to happen in that time frame, either because they are sequels to existing films, already have screenplays in development, or have been mentioned (repeatedly) by Kevin Feige:
Captain America 2, Thor 2, Avengers 2, S.H.I.E.L.D., Ant-Man Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Inhumans, Guardians of the Galaxy.
Ant-Man is very likely the second film in 2012.
I'm guessing Inumans would be a cosmic, spacefaring series, in which case you'd probably flip a coin to decide whether it or Guardians of the Galaxy happens. Feige's emphasis on the cosmic stuff indicates they definitely want to do at least one of these.
From this point, they almost assuredly will continue to lead the summer in May with a highly recognizable film (a sequel) and follow it up with a new character or group concept. That means Thor 2, Cap 2, the SHIELD movie would take those May dates over stuff like Dr. Strange. Remember that Thor was originally intended to come out in the same summer as Iron Man 2.
So, dropping the sequels into May slots on the calendar (and assuming a 2012 release for Ant-Man,) you could get something like this:

2012 [Avengers] [Ant-man]
2013 [Iron Man 3] []
2014 [SHIELD] []
2015 [Thor 2] []
2016 [Captain America 2] []
2017 [Avengers 2] []

Assuming anything Marvel's talking about right now is part of the leadup to Avengers 2, it doesn't make sense to speculate about the second movie in the second Avengers summer. Excluding that slot, you could fill all the other new characters who have been recently announced or otherwise hinted at like this:

2012 [Avengers] [Ant-man]
2013 [Iron Man 3] [Dr. Strange]
2014 [SHIELD] [Iron Fist]
2015 [Thor 2] [Guardians of the Galaxy]
2016 [Captain America 2] [Black Panther]
2017 [Avengers 2] [?]

I think that's it, more or less. You can shuffle the dates around, but these sound like the movies they're making. As much of an undertaking as this is, they have the potential to do more. You can see why they have to start doing more than two movies a year, dropping the others in spring, in fall, or maybe even during the holidays.

[Wolvieboy17]

Well Feige has said they eventually want to have 3 movies a year, 2 established franchise films and one new one

[Alientraveller]

I think Evans and Hemsworth deserve a break, don't you? I think sequels to Thor and Cap should come in 2014, a couple of years after their back-to-back adventures.

I reckon Ant-Man will come out in 2013, judging from Edgar Wright's working rate:

2001: Spaced series 2.
2004: Shaun of the Dead.
2007: Hot Fuzz.
2010: Scott Pilgrim.

I'll reckon we'll hear more about Ant-Man from Wright and Joe Cornish when they promote Tintin later this year (which they co-wrote with Steven Moffat). Someone should ask if they've seen EMH and how it portrays Pym as both Ant-Man and Giant Man, he's so cool there.

[Wolvieboy17]

I don't know if they're even doing the Pym Ant Man. I remember someone official saying that a while back.

[Alientraveller]

Just dragged out my November 2006 issue of Empire (with the Bryan Hitch cover). Wright said it would portray Scott Lang faithfully as a burglar that steals from Pym, and that Lang and Pym would team up (against Ultron? Maybe.)

[CoulsonFan]

Originally Posted by Alientraveller

Just dragged out my November 2006 issue of Empire (with the Bryan Hitch cover). Wright said it would portray Scott Lang faithfully as a burglar that steals from Pym, and that Lang and Pym would team up (against Ultron? Maybe.)

That's what he wanted to do, but Wright and Cornish just did a big rewrite, probably to accommodate studio notes. I think Marvel would probably be far more interested in doing a movie about Hank Pym than Scott Lang, but we'll see.

[Endeavor]

I hope it's about Hank.

All the other Ant-men are wannabes

[Tony Stark]

I think Marvel is being smart in establishing themselves like fellow Disney company Pixar, as being the quality brand in comic book films. This will allow them to develop the lesser known heroes like Ant Man without having to promote much. When people see a Pixar film is coming out, you'll go see it wheather it's a known entity like Toy Story, or an original attempt like Up or WALL-E.

I think between the Iron Man films and TIH, and with Thor getting very positive reviews, as well as getting credit for film efforts from other studios like the Spider-man movies, people know when they see the Marvel Logo what they are going to get.

They should get the rights back to Fantastic Four next year, as Fox has no intentions on doing anything more with the franchise. They faked a script and listed actors being attached who weren't contacted, just to try and retain the rights, but their bluff was called. So there's even more they can do to expand the Marvel brand.

[CoulsonFan]

Originally Posted by Tony Stark

I think Marvel is being smart in establishing themselves like fellow Disney company Pixar, as being the quality brand in comic book films. This will allow them to develop the lesser known heroes like Ant Man without having to promote much. When people see a Pixar film is coming out, you'll go see it wheather it's a known entity like Toy Story, or an original attempt like Up or WALL-E.

I think between the Iron Man films and TIH, and with Thor getting very positive reviews, as well as getting credit for film efforts from other studios like the Spider-man movies, people know when they see the Marvel Logo what they are going to get.

They should get the rights back to Fantastic Four next year, as Fox has no intentions on doing anything more with the franchise. They faked a script and listed actors being attached who weren't contacted, just to try and retain the rights, but their bluff was called. So there's even more they can do to expand the Marvel brand.

I think they'll always have a hard time getting the general audience to tell the difference between a Marvel Studios film and a film from Fox that has a Marvel logo on it.

After Avengers, though, people will start picking up on the connections between these films and the shared universe that they're constructing. I sometimes see people misunderstand the interconnectedness as decadent fanservice; it's an emulation of the marketing genius that made 60s Marvel as huge as it was: the stories all touch each other, regardless of genre. It doesn't matter if you never pick up a MOON KNIGHT book in your life, you'll eventually see MOON KNIGHT when they drop him into a story with a character you're already reading. Maybe you'll then be curious enough to check out what's going on in his title.
Crossover stories get exhausting when they sprawl out of control in comics. In these films, they're far more compressed and manageable. Going to see Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers feels the same to me as going to see Harry Potter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Marvel Studios' challenge right now is making the general audience see this the way I do.

Unfortunately, the transfer of the Fantastic Four rights happened a very long time ago and I have no idea the terms of that deal allow them to revert to Marvel in the way Luke Cage and The Punisher did. Marvel don't need Fantastic Four now, they needed Fantastic Four when they were putting their movie studio together. FF are so foundational to Marvel storytelling that it's hard to start without them, hard to integrate them once you've started. The bright side: Fox apparently only control a selection of specific characters from FF comics and no others. Marvel Studios is free to develop Black Panther and Inhumans films, even though those characters first appeared in FF. In contrast, even if they never show up in the X-Men movies, Marvel can't put Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in the Avengers because Fox apparently got the rights to every single character who's a mutant.

That Avengers cartoon running right now seems like a prototype for the FF- and X-less "MCU" they're building. It's a bit like watching a dog learn to walk with three legs. (It happens to be a dog who's consistently producing better summer tentpole films than anyone else in the industry.)

[Wolvieboy17]

I think it would work having both Scott Land and Hank Pym, because then you can let Lang be Ant Man and Pym be Giant Man.

[Wolvieboy17]

Originally Posted by CoulsonFan

I think they'll always have a hard time getting the general audience to tell the difference between a Marvel Studios film and a film from Fox that has a Marvel logo on it.

You know, I think people are already starting to recognise. Having two films come out in one year is a great way of letting people know, and I think post Avengers, things will definitely be all about Marvel.

When I saw Thor, and the Captain America trailer came up, everyone was silently watching it, but when the 'Marvel Studios' thing came up, in the transformation scene, I heard several audible "Awwww, it's MARVEL!" and you could suddenly feel the energy in the whole room raise. It was really, really exciting to be in a room full of non-comic fans (because they would have KNOWN it was Cap instantly if they were) get just as excited as me.

[Whiskey Tango]

Originally Posted by Tony Stark

They should get the rights back to Fantastic Four next year, as Fox has no intentions on doing anything more with the franchise. They faked a script and listed actors being attached who weren't contacted, just to try and retain the rights, but their bluff was called. So there's even more they can do to expand the Marvel brand.

Getting Spidey and X-Men back has to be on their minds, at least in the long term. Those are big important franchises for Marvel. Surely those licenses won't last forever, even if Fox or Sony keeps cranking out sequels I would think there would have been some sort of clause allowing the properties to revert after a specified period of time.

Here's hoping, anyway. Probably won't matter for another 5-10 years, if that. I know I'd kill for an X-men movie with the same respect given to Iron Man and Thor.

[Endeavor]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Tango

I know I'd kill for an X-men movie with the same respect given to Iron Man and Thor.

Me too

[CoulsonFan]

Regarding the cosmic stuff:

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/01/28...ios-wish-list/

"I'd love to break into the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe even more — it's kind of there in 'Thor,'" [Feige] said. "J.J. Abrams' 'Star Trek' got me jonesing to do that. It's what I grew up on — 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars.' I want to do a big space epic. And we've got them in Marvel."

http://movies.ign.com/articles/116/1162772p1.html

Feige said that following Avengers, "Thor will go off into a new adventure, and Captain America will continue to explore the modern world in another film of his own. We hope that holds true for the characters appearing in that film — Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the spy organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. —all of whom are more than worthy and capable of carrying their own films. And, we've got a lot of other characters we're prepping and getting ready for film debuts: the world of martial arts, these great cosmic space fantasies, Dr. Strange, and the magic side of the Marvel Universe. There are many, many stories to be mined.

When they showed the Infinity Gauntlet at Comic-Con, I don't think they were pulling our legs. In a chat session last year, Kevin Feige said they try plan out where they're going with these films five years in advance. It's worked out that five years will have passed between the production of Iron Man in 2007 and the release of Avengers in 2012. If "Avengers Assemble" was the "arc" uniting their first batch of films, what's next?

In case you didn't see it in person or it's not clear from the photos, I'll remind you: that gauntlet was the size of Thanos' giant hand.

Let's make some connections:
http://www.movieline.com/2009/07/why...perheroine.php
It happened a while ago that Scarlett Johansson was namedropping other Marvel characters she was in talks to play and one of them was "Moon____;" something she couldn't quite remember. Since we're obviously not talking Moon Knight, that pretty much leaves Moondragon. The question that follows is: why on earth would a character like Moondragon even come up in a conversation with Marvel at this point?

http://www.**************.com/fansit.../news/?a=20758
The "Poni" dude who writes for **************.com posted this some time ago: slivers of info from, he claims, an anonymous source at Marvel:

The characters being considered for inclusion are: Captain Marvel (an amalgam of Mar-Vell and Noh-Varr), Adam Worlock, Black Bolt and Nova. Several of these roles are already being written into the current film treatment, and actors are already being pursued to portray them.

Other characters that may find a way into the film(s): Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon and Eternity. The Guardians of the Galaxy may have their own team film in the works.

It initially sounds like a random assortment, and I'd guess this was a guy who got to flip through a big pile of pictures and notes that only vaguely suggested where the movies might be going.
Moondragon's mentioned in the same breath as Drax the Destroyer. Higher up, Adam Warlock. These are all members of the Infinity Watch, a group that was formed after the first Infinity Gauntlet story, dedicated to preventing the reassembly of the Infinity Gems. If you're going into Jim Starlin/Thanos territory, it completely makes sense that you would think about using these characters. What's more, all three of these characters have been part of the recent Guardians of the Galaxy relaunch. Kevin Feige hasn't just mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy, he specifically said:
http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/08/06...of-the-galaxy/

"I think what Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have done with 'Iron Fist' lately is exciting," Feige told MTV News. "I think 'Black Panther' and Wakanda has some amazing potential to be a feature film. 'Doctor Strange,' as you've mentioned. There are some obscure titles, too, like 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the book."

Nova's not just a character who could possibly show up in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, he's been recently written by the same guys responsible for the recent GoG comics: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

If they're making a Doctor Strange movie, it makes perfect sense to include Eternity--there's no element more iconic in the original Lee/Ditko stories.

That leaves Captain Marvel and Black Bolt. Both play huge roles in the Kree-Skrull War, which we're pretty dang sure plays into the upcoming Avengers film in some form. We learned just over a month ago that Marvel's looking for writers for an Inhumans film. Again, there's Black Bolt.


Just putting this post together has helped me better see how these pieces potentially fit; the Guardians of the Galaxy film sounds like it's being conceived as a Star Wars-type adventure following a group of space heroes fighting to oppose a tyrannical Darth Vader/Darkseid figure in the person of Thanos. You could crash that into an Avengers sequel and have all of these characters get into a big cosmic wrestling match, just like in the comics.

[CoulsonFan]

As an aside, I love seeing Feige namedrop the old Star Trek films. The way Star Trek II-IV and VI all flow together as one story feels like a precedent for what Marvel Studios are doing now. Compare the Genesis Device carrying over as a plot element from Wrath of Khan to Search for Spock to the Cosmic Cube carrying over from Captain America to The Avengers.

[Son of Coul]

I'm unfamiliar with Guardians of the Galaxy but just glancing over the Wiki article it seems like an awesome concept and if they were to introduce Thanos and cosmic aspects of the MCU that could eventually end up in the Avengers sequel about the Infinity Gauntlet that would just be... incredible. Acting on an idea like that would leave me speechless.

by the way, that's an awesome username CoulsonFan

[Endeavor]

Coulson I gotta say man, I love how much thought you put into your posts. Keep it up

[Son of Coul]

agreed, kickass new user

[Wolvieboy17]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Tango

I know I'd kill for an X-men movie with the same respect given to Iron Man and Thor.

Dude, don't even say that. The thought that we will probably never get that is so damn heartbreaking. God damn Fox!

[Lord]

This marvel cinematic universe is here to last but i fear we may have a reboot in 20 years from now.

[Lord]

Originally Posted by Wolvieboy17

Dude, don't even say that. The thought that we will probably never get that is so damn heartbreaking. God damn Fox!

First class will be better than thor.

[Wolvieboy17]

No Lord, and I'll tell you why? No matter how good the film itself is, it's part of a franchise that will ultimately go nowhere, as long as it's with Fox. The Marvel Studios films are being built to last, creating characters that can keep existing. The MCU is greater than anyone one film.

First Class looks great, sure, but what happens as soon as Vaughn doesn't want to do the sequel? Or when Donner starts organising X4? It will dip back down straight away because Fox's priorities aren't in the right place.