I read on io9 that Marvel's capstone movie, Avengers: Infinity War, is due to be released in late 2018. It seems like a long time away, but it really isn't for us older peeps. I (for one) feel like I take a nap and my rent's due again. That aside, in the new Avengers movie we finally get to see a lot of Thanos on screen...a bad guy that's been hinted at (and plugged) in almost every single movie featuring an Infinity Gem. It all started with Iron Man in 2008...that's ten years...and one hell of a project. I've got to hand it to Disney to have kept it all together through three different phases. And between now and then we still have a Doctor Strange movie, a second Guardians of the Galaxy, another Spider-Man movie (starring the incredibly cute Tom Holland), Thor: Ragnarok, and Black Panther. It blows my mind at the amount of maneuvering (and money) that all of this took in order to bring a dream of an entire superhero universe into reality.
When I think about the ultimate villain, Thanos, I also realize that (despite the copious quantities of action) the build-up of every single character thread ends with a powerful love story: that between Thanos and Lady Death (whom we have not seen). Here's a panel from the comic that explains what I'm talking about:
Or maybe (and more appropriately) Thanos is just an angry schmuck who ignores a woman's rejection of him to the point where he kills half the universe in a futile attempt to impress her. Just think about that for a moment. Thanos' story is the ultimate example of male frustration at having been "friend-zoned" by a woman he obviously wants to shag badly. I think it's a good story, but I'm sure social justice warriors on Facebook will point out the obvious in that "Thanos" (being a stand-in for the modern man) is owed nothing by "Lady Death" (a stand-in for the modern woman). They might also point out that the film is the ultimate testament to male violence, which we really can't argue with since Thanos does end up killing half the universe. Pretty terrible, right? But it makes for a good fiction.
All of this also makes me ask where Marvel (and Disney by extension) can possibly go after Thanos? How do you top saving an entire universe? The escalation seems a bit "problematic." I sure hope they don't decide to reboot everything, but then again, look at how many times Spider-Man got rebooted already. What was once old is new again and so on and so forth. Whatever happens, I'm sure that it will be entertaining. Disney rarely disappoints.
When I think about the ultimate villain, Thanos, I also realize that (despite the copious quantities of action) the build-up of every single character thread ends with a powerful love story: that between Thanos and Lady Death (whom we have not seen). Here's a panel from the comic that explains what I'm talking about:
All of this also makes me ask where Marvel (and Disney by extension) can possibly go after Thanos? How do you top saving an entire universe? The escalation seems a bit "problematic." I sure hope they don't decide to reboot everything, but then again, look at how many times Spider-Man got rebooted already. What was once old is new again and so on and so forth. Whatever happens, I'm sure that it will be entertaining. Disney rarely disappoints.
It seems like the motivation might be different this time. There's always Galactus provided Marvel has the rights.
ReplyDeleteThe sheer number of Spiderman reboots always boggles my mind. But I did like Tom Holland in Civil War, so I can probably make it through another one.
ReplyDeleteNot familiar with this story.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we owe Disney any thanks other than that they stayed out of it. Marvel began this journey, the journey to Thanos, without Disney's input.
ReplyDeleteI guess I need to find my extra copies, though, of the Infinity stories.
Amazing to think that they've spent 10 years foreshadowing one villain. That takes ambition. And planning. And a whole lot of people falling in line.
ReplyDeleteI really hope they don't reboot the franchise immediately. Of course it will happen eventually but I'd love to see a focus on Captain Marvel or better yet Kamela Khan. I imagine with the star power that Black Panther has gathered, it will be good for a couple of movies too.
ReplyDeleteI hope before rebooting they go small scale for a while like they have with the Defenders neighborhoods on Netflix. If they are worried these might not make as much money then just release something in the Star Wars universe. The worst thing they could do is go back to the Avengers while memories of the current slate is fresh.
With the seeming permanent delay of the Inhumans movie, is it possible they are saving an Inhumans/Kree/Skrull storyline for the next wave of movies with all new actors? I'm sure the next couple of movies will involve the Kree but I'd bet they will give it as much focus as they did the first Guardians movie.
The superhero franchise is truly amazing. I am getting bored with all the revamping of Spiderman though. It would be great if Disney, or Marvel, could develop new hero's though.
ReplyDeleteI'm very intrigued to see the aftermath of Infinity War. I guess love is interwoven into just about everything in fiction. This insight has given me new light on this movie. I knew about pieces of the Lady Death connection but your post has given me a whole new perspective. Interesting. SJW will do what SJW does. Indeed Mike in a blink of an eye it will be 2018. Hell it's almost time for Dr. Strange already!
ReplyDelete