The other day I had a conversation with Chloe (our Business Development Manager) about the Marvel films, online primarily the Avengers universe… and was disappointed to hear that she didn’t see much reason to watch the films of the individual Avengers members. Well, in my opinion, if you don’t watch all the films, how are you suppose to understand fully what’s going on… As in every film there are little hints and messages that link them all together and, to what is coming next in the overall story line. So with that in mind I’m writing this months blog post about the complex web of stories that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe (that’s Marvel, not Sony or Fox, so I won’t be mentioning: Spiderman, X-men or the terrible Fantastic Four).
You may be thinking now, well that’s all very well and good but what has this post got to do with Zephyr? No, we are not undercover vigilantes. But rather if you strip back the Marvel Cinematic Universe to it’s bare basics, it’s all about the connections between the characters and the small details, that makes it so successful. And that is very much how we like to approach our work, finding the key message and making connections throughout the work to ensure the best approach to the projects we undertake.
So lets start, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been set out in different phases, yes that’s right there are phases. It all kicked off way back when in 2008, introducing Tony Stark and telling his origin story of becoming Iron Man, the first self-financed film from Marvel Studios, which was a resounding success.
2008 also saw The Incredible Hulk, not quite as successful as Iron Man, in my opinion however it did give subtle references to the supersoldier program which is an early salute to Captain America.
2010 brought Iron Man 2, not as successful the previous, the storyline was a little ‘iffy’ but it did develop on the existing characters, changing the cast slightly in the case of Rhodey who becomes ‘War Machine’. It also introduces Black Widow who becomes an important member of the team.
In 2011 came potentially the most risky choice of superhero to introduce to the cinematic universe, as he is based on Nordic Mythology. I’m talking about Thor, another origin story of both how Thor became a protector of earth and how the relationship between Loki and Thor changes. Jam packed with cheesy moments. You have to look past that and see the little details (‘easter eggs’) that are hidden within, hinting to what is to come. The main ‘easter egg’ found here is the quick glimpse of the ‘Infinity Gauntlet’ a major clue that the renowned supervillain Thanos could make an appearance in later films.
Also in 2011, we met the incredibly patriotic character that is Captain America. As with the other films, this is another origin story. Based during the second world war showing how the incredibly eager to be a soldier Steven Rogers, becomes the first subject of the ‘supersoldier program’. You may think oh well I can skip through that one, its not going to have anything important… Wrong. It introduces the Tesseract a major artifact and source of unbelievable power used as a weapon by Hydra (a terrorist organisation that is an ongoing threat). It also highlights the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D
Then in 2012, brought together all the individuals to create the Avengers team, in an effort to defeat Loki who has made a deal with ‘the Other’ (also believed to be Thanos) to retrieve the ‘Tesseract’ (used as a weapon by Hydra in the Captain America film) in exchange for an alien army to take over the planet Earth. Loki uses the ‘Tesseract’ to control the minds of individuals and causes havoc. After lots of ‘hissy fits’ between the Avengers team members, they finally get their act together and defeat Loki. Retrieving the ‘Tesseract’ which is taken by Thor to be kept safe in Asgard.
And so now we have met the team, Phase two begins with Iron Man 3 released in 2013. Looked to be a great film, involving one of the main villains of Iron Man, the ‘Mandarin’ from the comics. However this turned into a big joke when the character only turned out to be an actor, and the producers decided to resort to bottom humor for comic effect, what a let down… The film did however show how Tony’s involvement with the Avengers, made him paranoid, and so creating many different variations of his suit which could work independently. This is also a hint to the second Avengers instalment.
In 2013 we also got Thor: The Dark World, which reflects on the actions of Loki from the first Thor and then the havoc he caused in the Avengers. But initially the film starts by showing ‘Bor’ grandfather of Thor, battle with the Dark Elf Malekith, who wants to destroy the universe, using a weapon known as ‘Aether’. Back in present day, shows Thor and his fellow warriors in their final battle to pacify the nine realms. Meanwhile, on earth Jane Foster get transported to another world and infected by the ‘Aether’ (long story… watch the film) and Dark Elf Malekith is awakened by ‘Aether’s’ release and basicly all hell breaks loose… (watch the film). The end scene shows Volstagg and Sif (Thor’s buddies) entrust the ‘Aether’ to the Collector (one of the Elders of the Universe, content on collecting every living species in the universe).
Jumping back to Earth, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, we saw Steve Rogers continue to readjust to living in the 21st century. This particular instalment is a web of storylines that absorb you into the world and is utterly brilliant (watch the film), but in short brings about the realization that Hydra (from the first Captain America film) is still a huge threat and has spent years hiding within the agency S.H.E.I.L.D.
Summer 2014 brought the latest film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy (G.O.T.G). Not a direct link to the Avengers team, in fact there is no mention of them at all, instead we get the confirmation that ‘The Other’ (seen in the Avengers) is in fact Thanos and that he is on the hunt for the infinity stones, (there is a very good chance the Tesseract and Aether are two of the six stones). We also see the Collector (seen in the second Thor instalment) who wished to buy the orb (containing an infinity stone) that the G.O.T.G team retrieved. Here the story of the infinity stones is explained describing the immense power of the stones. Basicly another action packed film based around bringing the G.O.T.G team together, with a brilliant soundtrack this film is well worth watching.
Now we are up to date with the released films, later this year we have the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron which will conclude phase two, and end on a bang, I expect. As you can see (or at least I hope you do) there is a lot more to the franchise than you would first think, (if not I have created a simple infographic to show the connections between the characters) the more you look into the films the more you can find…
Oh and a final note, on the 28th of April it is National Superhero Day, so dust off your capes and wear you undies on the outside…