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"I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being."

Martin Scorsese, on Marvel/superhero movies

It seems we are again debating what qualifies as film.  This time, Martin Scorsese has offered his opinion on what qualifies as worthy of being dubbed cinema, determining that the Marvel movies are not worthy of that distinction.

It echoes sentiments made by Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and William Friedkin.  Funny how the comments all seem to be coming from the same generation of filmmaker regarding the current state of film.  Never thought these mavericks would be the ones to get to the yelling at clouds state.

There is no doubt, the Marvel movies, and a lot of modern cinema are heavy on spectacle and the worst examples can be heavy on plot, light on character and emotion.  But to paint them all with the same brush would be just as ill-informed as to paint all of their movies with the same brush.  To dismiss them all as plotless, esoteric exercises.

There has always been a backlash against popular entertainment.  That it's not real art.  That it is just a crass commercial product.  That it's soulless.

That its's a sellout.

It's a tired argument.

In a way,  I understand it.  We live in an age when the types of films that Scorsese is championing are not being made for the theater anymore.  Where you have to be a Scorsese, a Spielberg, a Tarantino, a Coppola to even get attention for such a film.

But I would argue that focusing on such an issue is putting form over function.  There is a great new opportunity for such character focused pieces to be made in streaming and in television.  We are in a golden age of television right now.  And thanks to all the various streaming platforms, there is a great demand for new content.  Maybe that means the project you thought would be a feature is now a 6 hour serial instead of a 2 hour movie.  But that also means you can make the mega 4, 6, or 8+ hour project.  You can really dig into character development and plot.  You can truly dig into those and explore them to your hearts content.  The format can be adjusted to fit the needs of the story, not the other way around.

Budgets aren't even an issue, because some of the Netflix budgets that I've heard are outrageous.   The only thing you have to let go of is the attachment to actual celluloid.  To the theater experience.

So again, what matters more, the story or how it is presented?

Scorsese has to understand this; he's making a film for Netflix now.  Rumor is he was even considering helming the current Joker film, producing and directing.

But for this argument to keep coming up, makes these contemporaries look like snobs at best and grumpy old-timers at worst.  Making them appear out of touch with their audiences.

So, from this, perhaps we can all learn the best response to such a question - "It's not my cup of tea."  We can stay out of trying to define what is and what is not art, and can just be honest and voice what we are qualified to raise, our opinions.  Recognizing, not everything is meant for us.

Art doesn't have to be for all people.  But sometimes it can be for the masses.

MCU Phase 4

Marvel won San Diego Comic Con.  All of the major coverage of Comic Con seems to center around Marvel's Hall H presentation for the reveal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4, aka how to we follow Avengers: Endgame.  With Spider-man: Far From Home out now and putting a bow on that story, it was time for Marvel to reveal what's next.

Boy did they.

Marvel revealed their film slate for 2020 and 2021, listing six film titles that will take them into 2022.  The list included expected films and a couple of surprises.

• Black Widow (May 1, 2020) - It's great to have this finally confirmed and for us to find out a bit more about it.  David Harbour as the Red Guardian, Russia's Captain America.  Yelena Belova, the other Black Widow.  Rachel Weisz as another Red Room spy.  The Taskmaster as the villain.  And a surprise role by Ray Winstone.  This should be good.  
• Eternals (November 6, 2020) - This is the one that has Guardians potential.  A race of alien gods essentially, played by a very diverse and interesting cast.  Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek.  It will have one of the first LGBT leads in the MCU, the first deaf character, etc.  This is one to watch. 
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (February 12, 2021) - Master of Kung Fu.  Marvel's first Asian lead, with a Hong Kong cinema legend as its villain.  Marvel has solved two of its problems in this film - how to present the Mandarin in a way that won't reek of Orientalism and how to avoid Fu Manchu as Shang-Chi's father.  By casting the Mandarin as the primary antagonist, I assume he will be Shang-Chi's father.  This will also help Marvel fulfill the promise of the All Hail the King short.
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021) - Marvel's foray into horror.  Perhaps this will help premier a hero a couple of bullets down.  Promises to have a big part for the Scarlet Witch carrying over from her show.  This helps show how much faith they are putting in Disney+.
• Thor Love and Thunder (November 5, 2021) - Taika Waititi is back!  And Jane Foster will be Thor!  Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Chris Hemsworth. If this continues the feel of Ragnarok, it will be awesome.
• Blade (TBA) - for the "oh and one more thing" announcement - Mahershala Ali as Blade.  A reboot to bring the character into the Marvel universe.  If the main villain is Marvel's Dracula, I'm all in.  And it better be the original Dracula from Tomb of Dracula, not the new redesign.  Hopefully this could open up the Marvel Horror line.

Marvel also revealed how much Disney+ will play into their future plans, including their five named series for the platform in their presentation here.  A couple of surprise announcements were included here.

• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Fall 2020) - with Daniel Bruhl back as Baron Zemo with the purple mask!
• WandaVision (Spring 2021) - a lead up into Doctor Strange, building up Scarlet Witch.  If Vision comes back in the stark white design, this could be very interesting.  And it's going to introduce Monica Rambeau all grown up from Captain Marvel!
• Loki (Spring 2021) - Time traveling adventures of the Avengers era Loki.  Hiddleston is great in this role, so this will be fun.
• What If…? (Summer 2021) - An animated series exploring left turns in the MCU, with the first one being Peggy Carter as Captain America.  With the original actors as the voice cast!  And it will have the Watcher?!?  I always loved What If...? as a comic series and this should be just as fun if done well.
• Hawkeye (Fall 2021) - This will introduce the Kate Bishop character to take up Hawkeye and have Clint Barton still in Ronin.  If this borrows from the Fraction run, it could be great.  I would love to see a version of Rio Bravo at the Barton farm, with Clint's screw up brother and the rest of the family.  If we learned that Clint's wife was also a SHIELD agent and was a better marksman than he, all the better.

What's interesting is how this does not even include the real expected sequels on the slate, including ones with some form of announcement already.  Could these be held for D23?  Or will they reveal Phase 5 a little later?  We know it's planned out that far at least but there are still so many factors to consider.

• Black Panther 2 - We know this is already in production,  and I would think has to be the first film lined up for Phase 5.  With the gross that Black Panther brought in, it is a forgone conclusion.  I know they are trying to explore potential villains, Kraven the Hunter being one mentioned.  
• Captain Marvel 2 - Another forgone conclusion given the success of the first film this year.  It would be nice to see Captain Marvel truly fully integrated into the modern MCU age in something more than an extended cameo.  Perhaps this could be a backdoor for A-Force, or at least bring in the Carol Corps.
• Ant-Man and the Wasp 3 - This one has been mentioned as a potential new offering.  I like the Ant-Man films and would like to see them get their set of three.  Plus, the need to play with Cassie being aged five years since Scott last saw her and to potentially prepare her for Stature/Stinger.
• Spider-Man 3 - We know this is planned, with it potentially taking place in Peter's senior year.  This one also has Kraven as a potential villain.
• Guardians of the Galaxy 3 - We know this is coming as well, as James Gunn has been rehired to complete his trilogy.  Filming will start after Gunn completes The Suicide Squad.  This one should introduce Adam Warlock and really dive into Rocket's story.

Phase 4 looks great and beyond is so exciting.  The integration with Disney+ and how those will intersect is truly going to bring new meaning to the idea that it is all connected.  I know they want to bring back the one shots as well.  They continue to innovate ways to explore the story further and to expand this world.  

The future truly looks Marvellous!

Marvel Phase 4 - Updated

A first for the blog - an updated post from a year ago to reflect new information.  A lot of the material below was posted a year ago after Avengers: Infinity War, and I thought it would be interesting to share and update as needed with some thoughts following Avengers: Endgame.  Original text will be below in italics and blue.

First things first, slight spoilers, but nothing that can't be gleamed from trailers/promotional materials - #ThanosStillDemandsYourSilence - it is really worth it to go in knowing as little as possible

The review was handled in Wednesday's blog.  For today, I'd like to focus on my thoughts phase 4 Phase 4, i.e. what Marvel does now after Endgame.  Some of this fits in with the If I Were Disney CEO blog series for Marvel Studios, but this is a little more granular.

Here is what I would like to see in Phase 4:

New Heroes:  While there are definitely sequels in the works (Guardians 3, Spider-man 2, Black Panther 2, and maybe Doctor Strange 2), there is a great opportunity to add new heroes to the film schedule.  Make a Black Widow movie.  Make a Hawkeye movie.  Add Nova, Adam Warlock, She-Hulk, Captain Britain, Star Brand, Thunderstrike, and Ms. Marvel.  These do not have to be in individual movies, but can be added as supporting cast where appropriate.  Ms. Marvel in the Captain Marvel movie for that introduction.

I'm still in total agreement with the above.  There are great opportunities to keep expanding.  We know a bit of what is in production now - the sequels for Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Dr. Strange.  Captain Marvel 2 is certainly guaranteed with as much money as it first film made.  We also know Black Widow is finally getting her movie, as well as new entries for The Eternals and Shang Chi.  The interesting addition to this is the series for Disney+ streaming including The Falcon and Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Hawkeye, and Loki.  With further expansions on Hulu for Ghost Rider, Helstrom, The Offenders (M.O.D.O.K., Howard the Duck, Tigra, and Hit Monkey), things are looking bright for Marvel content.  I am still waiting for a Captain Britain movie.

New Imprints:  Marvel has published a lot of comics in its history and has covered a lot of different genres.  I would love to see a Marvel Edge line, maybe with a black background/red text logo, to cover the 1970s Marvel Monsters.  Give me a connected Blade, Tomb of Dracula, Castle Frankenstein, and Werewolf by Night movie series, that can occur in a side pocket of the cinematic universe.  It would be ironic if Marvel could beat Universal at its Dark Universe game.

Again, 100% behind this and would love to see a Marvel Edge line.

#ItsReallyAllConnected:  The early promise of the Marvel movies and television shows was that they were all connected.  And there have been small links, some more effective than others. The connection between Captain America: Winter Soldier and the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. really turned that series around.  The links have grown smaller and smaller over the years, with the suits declaring it to be a little too cumbersome.  The sad part of this is that it really just needs someone helping coordinate.  The ties do not have to be strangling, but a little can go a long way to make it all feel connected.  For example, if someone could have just suggested a throwaway line for Thunderbolt Ross to say that people are getting powers from fish oil in Avengers: Age of Ultron as a reason for the Sokovia accords, that would have made a great impact.

We've seen our first link (finally).  Hopefully, this can just get stronger.  Especially with the streaming options.  I think with Disney+ we truly are going to see this idea live to the fullest, exploring the stories in the format that serves them best.

Secret Invasion:  I know this will be the start of phase 4, but you can really look at it as the start of the third arc for the Marvel story.  Arc 1 runs from Iron Man to the Avengers.  It really reflects the founding of the Avengers.  Arc 2 runs from the Avengers through Avengers 4.  It's the build up of the Infinity Stones leading to Thanos in Infinity War.  There needs to be a shift in this upcoming phase/arc to have a different kind of approach.  A new macguffin and a singular new bad guy would just feel repetitive.  I would go with Secret Invasion.  This would allow for a completely different style of subplot that allows for a freer exploration in each individual movie, while still providing some great HOLY S^&*!!!!! moments and reveals.  Plus, the closing Avengers movie for it would be fantastic.

I still want Secret Invasion for the overarching theme for the next big chapter of the MCU, just because it would be a different macguffin from Thanos (a single big bad building toward) and could lead to a series of intriguing reveals.  I have heard other ideas about Kang given Act 2 of Endgame and that could be very interesting.

Fantastic Four: What better way to celebrate MCU Phase 4 and the integration of Fox into the Disney studios, than by adding Marvel's First Family to the film slate. I really want to seen the FF finally done well on the big screen and really need to have Dr. Doom presented as intended.  The best Marvel villain finally in the MCU - it's a no brainer.

Keep the X-men out: This will be an unpopular opinion, but I'm completely okay with keeping the X-men in their own sandbox.  The X-Universe and the metaphors it explores are a little hard to square with full integration into the Marvel Universe.  Why do mutants get mistreated when others who get their powers through accidents are celebrated, etc.?  I'd rather see a reinvigorated X-Universe and a thriving MCU, than needlessly trying to integrate them clumsily now.

I still do not know what is coming, and Marvel is being very tight lipped after what follows Spider-man: Far From Home.  I am definitely still there for the ride.  I'm all in.

Excelsior!

Avengers: Endgame - The Review

Well, when they said Endgame they meant it.

I have to say the film is amazing.  Especially as an encapsulation of 11 years worth of storytelling.  The gamble of putting a cameo at the end of the credits in Iron Man back in 2008 to say the words "Avengers Initiative" worked and worked spectacularly.  This film is a love letter to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe that has been created and to the fans that have supported it.

It's beautiful to see how it pays off moments in the comics and where it diverges from them.  The strength of the MCU has always been in taking the best of what works in the comics and staying true to it, but not being afraid to make their own twists and turns along the way.

I cried two and a half times.  I audibly cheered and punched the air for at least one moment.  In short, this was exactly the movie that I was waiting for.

Is it the greatest movie ever put to film?  No.  But that is not what it is striving to be.  This is the bookend to the first chapter of the Marvel Universe.  And it ends with a bang.

A few scattered thoughts:

• This is definitely not a place to start watching Marvel movies.  If you have never seen another Marvel movie, you will be very lost.
• There is one moment that fans have been waiting for since 2012.  This was the fist pump moment.
• There is another moment that is a payoff for a bit from 2015.
• There are so many nods to everything throughout the MCU.
• These actors are on the top of their game.  There are so many nuanced emotions displayed on the screen.  There are a couple that are masterclass moments in how to display emotion.  In particular Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Favreau.
• There is finally a cameo from the television series and its quite unexpected and perfect.
• The best things about this film is that every development is driven by character.  The moments that pay off are defined by character development.
• This film is chock full of cameos and many surprising cameos.
• Stan Lee's final cameo is great.
• It's a great decision not to have a stinger in the credits.  It means this is a closing of a chapter.
• The new status quo is interesting.  And in the grand Marvel tradition, they've given themselves enough wiggle-room for everything to stick or to change depending on where they want to go.
• The movie is long, but doesn't feel it.  There is so much packed in this movie, that it keeps moving and shifting at a brisk pace.
• The payoff is incredible.  It moves from one of my favorite shots in the MCU ever, to an epic battle on a scale that has not been shown before.

I still can't believe they did it.  

I'm glad they did.  And I'm ready to see it again.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 28 - Marvel Studios

"DC was the equivalent of the big Hollywood studios: After the brilliance of DC's reinvention of the superhero ... in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it had run into a creative drought by the decade's end.  There was a new audience for comics now, and it wasn't just the little kids that traditionally had read the books.  The Marvel of the 1960s was in its own way the counterpart of the French New Wave ... Marvel was pioneering new methods of comics storytelling and characterization, addressing more serious themes, and in the processs keeping and attracting readers in their teens and beyond.  Moreover, among this new generation of readers were people who wanted to write and draw comics themselves, within the new style that Marvel had pioneered, and push the creative envelope still further."
Peter Sanderson, comics historian

"Marvel's brand and its treasure trove of content will now benefit from our extraordinary reach.  We paid a price that reflects the value they've created and the value we can create as one company.  It's a full price, but a fair price."
Robert A. Iger, Disney CEO on the Marvel purchase

"It's different incarnations of the script, the different incarnations of the cut of the film.  We test; there are earlier versions of 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' that you would not be saying nice things about, as is true for all our films.  You cut together what you have and watch it, you see what you have and how you want to adapt it, you go and shoot additional materials (which we do on all our movies) and we begin to shape it.  I don't think people realize what a collaborative, living sort of piece of art a film is.  Four weeks ago, this movie was different."
Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios Chair on the success of Marvel Studios

What we know today as Marvel Comics started in 1939 as Timely Publications.  After a stint as Atlas Comics in the 1950s, the name Marvel took hold in the 1960s with the publication of the Fantastic Four.  Through the 1960s, so many of our favorite characters were introduced: Spider-man, The Incredible Hulk, the X-men, the Avengers, Iron Man, Ant-man and the Wasp, The Mighty Thor, Dr. Strange, and Black Panther, as well as many others.  Through the years, Marvel has diversified their publication line and has expanded into other offerings.

Marvel had varying levels of involvement with motion pictures since the beginning.  Even as early as the 1940s, Marvel licensed a Captain America serial to Republic Pictures just for the free advertising.  There were several television programs with the characters and some television and low budget movies, but they never caught on in the big screen like Superman or Batman.

After a near disastrous Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996, Marvel began aggressively licensing their characters for film and television productions to a variety of studios.  Founding Marvel Studios in August 1996, Marvel looked for any and every studio it could license from, placing though particular requirements on Marvel's involvement.  Specifically, Marvel was looking to package the development of a film and present it to a major studio partner for filming and distribution.  This led to their characters being split between several of the different production houses, with the Spider-man characters primarily at Sony, the X-men and the Fantastic Four at 20th Century Fox, and the Incredible Hulk and Namor at Universal.

In 2004, Marvel Studios tried something radical and developed a plan to self-finance their own movies.  Marvel collateralized the movie rights to a total of 10 characters from the vast character vault and got $525 million to make a maximum of ten movies based on the company's properties over an eight year period.  From there, Marvel lined up a marketing and distribution deal with Paramount for their new film series.  And with the premier of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel Studios was off to the races.

Then the game changer - on December 31, 2009, Disney bought Marvel Entertainment, comics and all, for $4 billion.  And while Disney could not directly capitalize on Marvel Studios productions initially, by the release of The Avengers, Disney had the full distribution rights to Marvel Studios films.  The films in this Marvel Cinematic Universe have grossed over $17 billion at the global box-office making it the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.  With the acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the ability to bring the X-men and Fantastic Four characters under the Marvel Studios umbrella, the future is looking bright.

Accordingly, the goals for Marvel align with PIXAR, in keeping a company that is working on the right track.

Primary Goals for the Division:

• Bring back the one-shots and make them theatrical shorts - Marvel used to offer what they called One-Shots on the DVDs as extras.  Short films that expanded the universe and showed us what various characters were doing.  These short films showed us what Agent Coulson and Agent Carter did before their respective television shows.  To show the fate of the Mandarin and hint at the real Mandarin.  These were great short stories and great opportunities for new directors, new cinematographers, new crews, etc. to hone their craft.  I would love to see the One-Shots brought back as a part of the cinematic experience.  To me, every film under a Disney banner should have a short and these would be the Marvel ones.  These could be animated, they can remain live action, but they would be fun additions to the Marvel cinema experience.
• Explore the depth of the library - Marvel has thousands of characters at its disposal, many of which have proven stories that connect with large audiences.  Let's expand and diversify the film offering as well.  Ms. Marvel, Marvelman, Captain Britain, The Invaders, Moon Knight, Nova, and Squirrel Girl all have potential for great movies.  Beyond the superheroes, Marvel has an excellent back catalog of romance, Western, kaiju, and gothic horror comics.  While people always worry about super-hero fatigue, there is a lot of variety that can keep Marvel Studios productions interesting for the foreseeable future.
• Keep it all connected - The greatest strength of the Marvel Studios films has been the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  It's the same thing that made the comics great - the idea that all these films are happening in the same place, so it would not be surprising to see Spider-man in a Thor story or Dr. Strange in a SHIELD story, etc.  The idea of the cross-over made the comics and films exciting.  This has been a big selling point of the movies and related television and streaming products.  And it should continue to work.  The films should inform the television and related properties.  And while the tail should not wag the dog, the films should make winks to the television and related properties.  I'll always use the example of how a simple line in Avengers: Age of Ultron regarding people getting powers from fish oil as a reason for the Sokovia Accords would have gone tremendous lengths in strengthening this celebrated bond.
• But don't be afraid of an evergreen standalone - At the same time, there is a danger of the connection being overused and there being an accusation of a formulaic approach to the films to keep it going.  Just as the comics have the main ongoing series and stand-alone mini-series and one-shots featuring the characters, Marvel Studios should not be afraid to have a disconnected, standalone film as part of its release schedule.   A Black Panther film completely disconnected from the broader universe focusing solely on character development and issues internal to Wakanda.  A stand-alone Captain America film telling a great story on a historical backdrop like Captain America: Truth.  These are the films for great character development and unique directorial visions.  They are the evergreens, seemingly timeless in their place in the overall film universe.  A breath of fresh air as needed.
• Create a couple of new imprints for new film series - As stated regarding the depth of the library, there are opportunities for other Marvel film series, which could be distantly related to the ongoing Cinematic Universe, but could be their own little worlds.  In other words, there would be no reason to say they are not connected, but likewise no reason to play up that they are.  Perhaps, most pressing, I would like to see Marvel create a Marvel Chillers line, featuring its gothic horror characters.  These are the characters that lead Marvel in the 1970s and could be a very interesting little spin off.  Essentially Marvel creating its own "Dark Universe" of character while Universal still tries to get it right.  Tomb of Dracula with Blade and the Nightstalkers, Werewolf by Night, The Monster of Frankenstein, and Bloodstone, leading to the Legion of Monsters.  All with a reversed Marvel logo with red text on a black background.  This would make for a great October release every year.
• Fight to bring Spider-man wholly under the Marvel banner when the time is right - The current relationship with Sony is working regarding Spider-man and the broader Marvel Universe.  And with the success of Venom, it looks like Sony will be in no hurry to offload Spider-man to Disney any time soon.  Disney and Marvel Studios should play the long game here regarding bringing the character back in house.  There is no need to rush and do something crazy like acquiring Sony or paying exorbitantly for the character group.  Let the relationship play out and when it is advantageous, bring it back in the fold.
• Integrate the Fantastic Four right away and the X-men slowly - Conversely, with 20th Century Fox under the Disney banner, a first priority for Phase 4 will be to get the Fox characters integrated into the Marvel Universe.  Fantastic Four should be the first priority, as they are the flagship properties.  The X-men can then follow more slowly, befitting a hidden group of outcasts.  I would reboot these franchises to allow for a more seamless integration with the broader MCU.  Plus, with comics, the benefit of a reboot is that the previous work can always be established as Earth #XXXXXX, making travel back to that version something completely in the realm of possibility.  Think of the benefits of a movie with two Wolverines.
• Honor the Man, and men/women who made the comics great - Stan is the Man and he should continue to have cameos for as long as possible.  We have to recognize, though, that he is getting up in years and may not be able to keep it up as long as we would like.  The films should continue to have these great cameos with a broad spectrum of comic creators and should continue to honor and recognize those creators that have so greatly impacted the characters seen on screen. 

With that, I want to now turn to a small specific film slate I envision for Marvel Studios.

For Phase 4:

• Spider-man: Far From Home - already in production featuring Spider-man in London.  While I understand they are going with the "Home" phrasing carrying over from Homecoming, I wish they would have gone with Spider-man: Field Trip, playing up a different school connection in each film.  That way, you could have had Homecoming, Field Trip, Finals, and Graduation or the like for the four film titles.  Still, I'm truly excited to see this new film.
• The Eternals - another film in production featuring Marvels answer to the New Gods at DC.  A race of perfected Eternals versus the problematic and monstrous Deviants and the explorations of the creation of the Marvel Universe.  Could be a very interesting film.
• Black Panther 2 - We know this one is coming given the success of the first film.  With the first film focusing on the Killmonger battle, I would love to see this film closer to The Client by Christopher Priest.  Panther in America as the crazy Reverend Achebe plans a coup in Wakanda.
• Fantastic Four - The fourth film in Phase four.  A perfect spot for the introduction of Marvel's first family.  I would have this be partly a period piece, with the initial rocket launch in the 1960s, sending the family through time and space to return today, leading them to become super-heroes and celebrities now thanks to their inventions and exploits.  Plus Marvel needs Doctor Doom and a good version of him on screen soon, though I would only tease him in this film.  Would love someone like Nikolax Coster-Waldau to play him.  
• Black Widow - Black Widow needs her own film.  Should be a straight up Cold War spy movie, with very light superhero touches, perhaps like Russia's super-soldier Red Guardian.  The clear storyline is Black Widow cleaning up the "red on her ledger."
• Captain Marvel 2 - The inevitable sequel to February's Captain Marvel.  This would be a film set in modern day with Carol re-establishing herself on Earth.  Captain Marvel versus the Super-Skrull and introducing Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel and the Carol Corps.
• Nova - Marvel's space movie for this set with Guardians future up in the air.  This film would focus on the re-building of the Nova Corps, the selection of Richard Rider, and the wielding of the Worldmind and the Nova force.  An opportunity to bring back the previous Novas from Guardians like Peter Serafinowicz, Glenn Close, and John C. Reilly.
• Secret Invasion -  This would be the event movie this phase would be building to.  All out war with the Skrull empire.  A perfect and easy plot to seed through the various movies.  And all of these films in Phase 4 have had good connections to the Skrulls or Secret Invasion.  Plus it presents a great opportunity to have Black Panther 3 be See Wakanda and Die.  Bringing back all characters on the table, crazy reveals.  This film could have it all.

For Beyond:

• Hercules - The Incredible Hercules.  Thor's more comedic counterpart.  Hercules trying to regain his place on Olympus would be excellent.  And a great place to introduce Amadeus Cho.
• Ms. Marvel - Once Kamala Khan is introduced in Captain Marvel 2, it's time for her own film.  She's this generations Spider-man.  A Muslim teen super-heroine with an undying optimism.  
• Thunderbolts - I want this film to happen.  I won't spoil the initial concept, but the eventual concept of Marvel's Suicide Squad is a good one too.
• Captain Britain - Brian Braddock must make a choice to guard England, will he choose the Sword of Might or the Amulet of Right.  This films should be exceedingly British.
• The Invaders - A period piece featuring Captain America, Namor, the Winter Soldier, and the Torch fighting in World War II.  Can have far reaching connections.
• X-men - A reboot and re-introduction of the Xmen, now bringing them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  With the Marvel heroes already established, the outcast component of the X-men should be played up.
• Deadpool - He'll be back.  And even with a reboot it would be foolish to recast Ryan Reynolds.  The fourth wall breaking aspect will allow a little hand-waving to keep everything the same (with perhaps a few humorous changes).
• Further Sequels - Dr. Strange 2, Black Panther 3, Captain Marvel 3, The Eternals 2 (and 3?), Spider-man 3 and 4, Ant-man and the Wasp 2 (or 3 depending on how you count). The list goes on.

For Marvel Chillers:

• Tomb of Dracula - Blade and the Nightstalkers versus Dracula, Prince of Darkness.
• The Monster of Frankenstein - Following Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the Monster is frozen and wakes in modern day.
• The Curse of Bloodstone - Marvel's British Buffy.  Daughter of renowned monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Elsa Bloodstone receives the family heirloom, the Bloodgem, and learns of the responsibilities and curse it brings.
• Werewolf by Night - Jack Russell must fight his lupine instincts when the curse of his family line becomes revealed.
• The Legion of Monsters - Monster and monster hunters alike must join forces to prevent the rise of Chton.

Standalone Movies:

• Killraven - A sequel to the War of the Worlds with a band of rebels fighting the Martians in a dystopian future.
• Weirdworld -  A sword and sorcery hidden world.
• 2099 - A look at a future Marvel universe ruled by corporations.

Make Mine Marvel!

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As always, thank you for reading.  Next up in the series - Lucasfilm.

Marvel Phase 4

First things first, no spoilers - #ThanosDemandsYourSilence - it is really worth it to go in knowing as little as possible

I got to watch Avengers: Infinity War over the weekend and I am still amazed by what they have accomplished.  It was a ridiculously great experience in the cinema.  You can ask Jamie, I had at least one audible "YESSSSSSSSS" moment.  And while long time comic fans knew THAT moment was possible, I do not think anyone imagined they way it was implemented.  I cannot wait for next year to get here.

A few warnings about the film.  Despite Marvel's change of title, this is most definitely a Part I film with Part II not coming until this time next year.  Additionally, this is not a good film to jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time.  This is most definitely a culmination of the past ten years and eighteen films, even more so than Avengers (1) was.  In the first Avengers film, the previous solo films introduced you to the characters and one artifact, but did not dictate the story-line.  Infinity War pulls together characters and subplots to deliver one big payoff.  You are going to want some background coming into this.

With that addressed, my thoughts start going to Phase 4, i.e. what Marvel does after Avengers 4.  This is kind of what will be addressed in the If I Were Disney CEO blog series for Marvel Studios, but this is a little more granular.

Here is what I would like to see in Phase 4:

New Heroes:  While there are definitely sequels in the works (Guardians 3, Spider-man 2, Black Panther 2, and maybe Doctor Strange 2), there is a great opportunity to add new heroes to the film schedule.  Make a Black Widow movie.  Make a Hawkeye movie.  Add Nova, Adam Warlock, She-Hulk, Captain Britain, Star Brand, Thunderstrike, and Ms. Marvel.  These do not have to be in individual movies, but can be added as supporting cast where appropriate.  Ms. Marvel in the Captain Marvel movie for that introduction.

New Imprints:  Marvel has published a lot of comics in its history and has covered a lot of different genres.  I would love to see a Marvel Edge line, maybe with a black background/red text logo, to cover the 1970s Marvel Monsters.  Give me a connected Blade, Tomb of Dracula, Castle Frankenstein, and Werewolf by Night movie series, that can occur in a side pocket of the cinematic universe.  It would be ironic if Marvel could beat Universal at its Dark Universe game.

#ItsReallyAllConnected:  The early promise of the Marvel movies and television shows was that they were all connected.  And there have been small links, some more effective than others. The connection between Captain America: Winter Soldier and the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. really turned that series around.  The links have grown smaller and smaller over the years, with the suits declaring it to be a little too cumbersome.  The sad part of this is that it really just needs someone helping coordinate.  The ties do not have to be strangling, but a little can go a long way to make it all feel connected.  For example, if someone could have just suggested a throwaway line for Thunderbolt Ross to say that people are getting powers from fish oil in Avengers: Age of Ultron as a reason for the Sokovia accords, that would have made a great impact.

Secret Invasion:  I know this will be the start of phase 4, but you can really look at it as the start of the third arc for the Marvel story.  Arc 1 runs from Iron Man to the Avengers.  It really reflects the founding of the Avengers.  Arc 2 runs from the Avengers through Avengers 4.  It's the build up of the Infinity Stones leading to Thanos in Infinity War.  There needs to be a shift in this upcoming phase/arc to have a different kind of approach.  A new macguffin and a singular new bad guy would just feel repetitive.  I would go with Secret Invasion.  This would allow for a completely different style of subplot that allows for a freer exploration in each individual movie, while still providing some great HOLY S^&*!!!!! moments and reveals.  Plus, the closing Avengers movie for it would be fantastic.

I do not know what is coming, but I am definitely excited for the ride.  I'll be there opening weekend next year to see whatever Avengers 4 is called (No Surrender? Heroes Reborn? Avengers Forever?).  I'm all in.

Excelsior!