WandaVision (2021, Disney+) • Page 21

I often wonder what I would do if I was a kid 20 years from now. I'd probably start with Iron Man, but jeez, soon enough it will take weeks for someone to bringe the MCU (including D+ shows). As a teenager, I used to think rewatching SW episodes 1 - 6 was a struggle.

 

The only good thing is that it's all in one place. You subscribe to Disney+ and you don't have to spend anything else, you can get caught up at your own pace just with that one app. Removes what would otherwise be a major barrier to entry.

 

Perhaps D+ shows will eventually do that. Characters will have individual stories that you can keep up with season after season while they also appear in crossover films that don't require you to watch the D+ shows and vice versa.

 

Yeah, rewatching some of the MCU films before Infinity War was a chore because I had to look half of them up on a "watch for free online" Google search.

 

I was hoping that would be the case with Shang Chi and The Eternals. I was looking forward to them.

 

I’m happy with the interconnected MCU and everything tying together. It’s what I enjoy most about it. The fact they’ve done it with so few misfires is really impressive too.

 

I don't think there's any chance a theatrical film will be individual. It's odd, too, because a lot of the Master of Kung Fu comics didn't have Shang-Chi interacting with big-name Avengers. The Mandarin, of course, has a history with a few of them.

I see Eternals in a similar Guardians situation where their first two films are as individual as it can get before they crossover with others.

 

I mean, I 100% disagree, but ok.

There's a vast difference between "Ok, there's 25+ movies to watch if you want to catch up" and "Ok - so, legally, Fox Studios owned Quiksilver, but Marvel had Wanda and Pietro, so long as they didn't use their comics names or reference X-Men. So now, this X-Man... that X-Man... and Deadpool? They're all from the old Fox universe. The rest aren't. But some of them remember the old universe - others don't. It's weird. Just roll with it. Oh yeah, there's some stuff happening with Sony and Spider-Man. Oh! and Captain America was the Human Torch, but not that Human Torch. Or the other one. Ok! You're caught up!"

Like... maybe it's just me - but I can see her eyes glaze over when I start talking about studio shit or about meta actor references and stuff, it's much easier to just be able to say "she has magic powers and he's a robot" and let the rest be filled in.

I'm happy for anyone who's happy with the other direction though.

 

Yup. My gf hasn't seen Age of Ultron, she's never seen OG Pietro, so the whole thing just confused her. "So that's her brother? What do they mean recast?" "Oh! So, yeah, that's not her brother. That's another version of her brother from a different universe. Maybe. He may have been an X-Man."

:blank stare:

 

I mean, Disney/Marvel have a track record in making complicated things simple so far. I’m a dumb POS and I’ve never got confused at anything that wasn’t explained at some point.

 

You...disagree that it's only going to get more complicated from here on out? I don't understand what you're disagreeing with here. It sounds like you agree with me that things are getting extremely complicated.

 

I disagree that a large back catalog of movies to watch is the same as trying to explain studio dealings & contract law and that merging the studio/contract nonsense with "the multiverse" is going to potentially turn off people who aren't that invested.

 

But I'm not saying it's just a large back catalog of movies, I'm saying it's a large back catalog of movies and TV shows, plus it's looking like stuff from other studios like Fox and Sony are going to be relevant going forward as well. It's only getting more complicated from here, not less.

 

I'm saying that bringing in the Fox and Sony Universes is going to complicate things for a new viewer much, much more than a back catalog of movies and (entirely non-essential) TV shows will. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't disagree that things are about to get more complicated, the next big movie is about the Multiverse - I'm saying they're overcomplicating an already complicated idea for a new viewer. I'm literally watching it happen in real time with my gf.

 

Both of those things are happening though, is what I'm saying. We are both getting a bunch more movies and TV shows, plus the Fox X-Men movies could become relevant, plus the Sony Spider-Verse movies could become relevant, plus the Netflix Defenders shows could become relevant. So, again, like I said originally, expecting this all to become less complicated at this point is not realistic.

 

Cool?

I'm saying they could pull off all that in a much more straightforward manner that wouldn't turn off new viewers.

Maybe they'll stick the landing. Maybe they won't. Maybe it won't even go this way. My literal only point was that, as I watch WandaVision with a new audience member, they've gone from 100% into it, to "uh what?" levels of confusion from just the Pietro reveal. Maybe they'll stick that landing and she'll love it too. I don't know. My only point was this all seems *needlessly* overcomplicated.

 

And my point is that of course they could do it in a less complicated way but everything we know about their plans for the future indicates they clearly aren't going to so you shouldn't hold your breath expecting them to do so.

 

Cool.

 

lmao this is honestly funny as hell to me so thanks

 

Even if they do incorporate Sony/Fox actors, there’s no way they’re gonna make it some convoluted storyline. One thing MCU properties definitely isn’t is complex.

 

The complexity comes from the fact that there are a bunch of outside-the-movies events that happened that led to things like, for example, Evan Peters showing up in Wandavision or the multiple different Spider-Men showing up in the next Spider-Man movie. It's not that the stories themselves are complicated individually, it's that all the movies, Disney+ shows, movies from other studios, and TV shows that weren't previously connected but could become connected in the future, added together with all the Hollywood studio drama in the real world, is complicated to explain to someone who hasn't been following along since day 1.

 

I’m talking storyline wise. Time travel is one of the most complex things to write about and they made it seem straightforward in Endgame.

As for explaining the real world situation... I dunno. I’m not gonna lose any sleep over. But I enjoy talking about the complexities of it all, so it doesn’t bother me haha

 

...this is literally what I was saying.

 

I know, which is why I found your posts saying you disagreed with me so funny

 

Then we must be misunderstanding each other here. I disagreed with you on the idea that the MCU was going to be complicated because it has a lot of backstory - that to me isn't complication, it's...backstory.

My point was that adding in real world studio/contractual stuff makes it confusing, *specifically* for new viewers or those not well-versed in that stuff, which apparently you agree with.