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Marvels Phase 4 Flaw: the multiverse MUST be comedic or contained
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<blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 9039220" data-attributes="member: 7035894"><p>I think the problem with Marvel's phase 4 can be summarized with one question: what is the heart of the story?</p><p></p><p>The heart of Phase 1 was a literal heart. Two of them, actually: Tony Stark's, and Steve Roger's. When we first meet Tony he is both figuratively and, soon, almost literally heartless, and his arc is all about learning to care for others more than himself. Steve Rogers has the opposite problem: he is all heart, but doesn't care enough about his own needs. Tony begins as the ultimate egomaniac, Steve as the ultimate team player. So the entire 21 movie arc is built around the character growth of two protagonists whose personal narratives will inevitably lead to conflict.</p><p></p><p>That central, intertwined character-driven narrative provides a solid core that anchors the rest of the films - the other major characters can in a sense be seen in terms of where they fall on the Steve/Tony dynamic, and this allows other films to explore related themes (family and responsibility for Thor, found family for Peter Quill, etc.) while the whole thing still feels cohesive. Thus, when taken as a whole, the Infinity Saga is really about growing up, self-actualizing. That's why <em>End Game</em> works so beautifully, because we finally see the two central protagonists get what they really needed, reflecting that vital growth they've been working on all along. Tony finally really, truly puts others first, and is memorialized via his mechanical heart, the last part of him that we see on screen. And Steve does his duty, because of course he does, but then realizes that he's finally earned just a little bit for himself, and so our last shot is him dancing heart to heart with Peggy.</p><p></p><p>This is fantastic. The selfless man becomes a little bit selfish, when it is appropriate, and the selfish man becomes truly selfless when it matters. It gives shape to the whole story. Consider, for example, how perfectly Civil War embodies their intersecting character arcs, fracturing the core of the MCU.</p><p></p><p>Alright, what is Phase 4 about, really? The Multiverse? Nobody cares about that, not really. Not for itself. For us to care about such an abstract concept, it has to be anchored in human stories and relatable conflicts. The Infinity Stones were just a MacGuffin, after all, a means to an end, not an end (game) in themselves. They helped keep the plot on track and anchored around what really mattered: the core character conflicts. But I have no idea what Phase 4 is <em>actually</em> about. I haven't been given anyone to root for beyond individual films - it's a bunch of individual stories that keep telling me I should care about the multiverse without actually making me care. It's fragmented.</p><p></p><p>And this is exacerbated by the explosion of MCU content on Disney+, of various quality. There's a ton of stuff, it's starting to feel like a chore, and it doesn't fit together.</p><p></p><p>Edit: I honestly think the MCU would really benefit from a 10 year hiatus and then a reboot, starting with X-Men and the Fantastic 4. Not that there is a snowball's chance of that happening.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Clint_L, post: 9039220, member: 7035894"] I think the problem with Marvel's phase 4 can be summarized with one question: what is the heart of the story? The heart of Phase 1 was a literal heart. Two of them, actually: Tony Stark's, and Steve Roger's. When we first meet Tony he is both figuratively and, soon, almost literally heartless, and his arc is all about learning to care for others more than himself. Steve Rogers has the opposite problem: he is all heart, but doesn't care enough about his own needs. Tony begins as the ultimate egomaniac, Steve as the ultimate team player. So the entire 21 movie arc is built around the character growth of two protagonists whose personal narratives will inevitably lead to conflict. That central, intertwined character-driven narrative provides a solid core that anchors the rest of the films - the other major characters can in a sense be seen in terms of where they fall on the Steve/Tony dynamic, and this allows other films to explore related themes (family and responsibility for Thor, found family for Peter Quill, etc.) while the whole thing still feels cohesive. Thus, when taken as a whole, the Infinity Saga is really about growing up, self-actualizing. That's why [I]End Game[/I] works so beautifully, because we finally see the two central protagonists get what they really needed, reflecting that vital growth they've been working on all along. Tony finally really, truly puts others first, and is memorialized via his mechanical heart, the last part of him that we see on screen. And Steve does his duty, because of course he does, but then realizes that he's finally earned just a little bit for himself, and so our last shot is him dancing heart to heart with Peggy. This is fantastic. The selfless man becomes a little bit selfish, when it is appropriate, and the selfish man becomes truly selfless when it matters. It gives shape to the whole story. Consider, for example, how perfectly Civil War embodies their intersecting character arcs, fracturing the core of the MCU. Alright, what is Phase 4 about, really? The Multiverse? Nobody cares about that, not really. Not for itself. For us to care about such an abstract concept, it has to be anchored in human stories and relatable conflicts. The Infinity Stones were just a MacGuffin, after all, a means to an end, not an end (game) in themselves. They helped keep the plot on track and anchored around what really mattered: the core character conflicts. But I have no idea what Phase 4 is [I]actually[/I] about. I haven't been given anyone to root for beyond individual films - it's a bunch of individual stories that keep telling me I should care about the multiverse without actually making me care. It's fragmented. And this is exacerbated by the explosion of MCU content on Disney+, of various quality. There's a ton of stuff, it's starting to feel like a chore, and it doesn't fit together. Edit: I honestly think the MCU would really benefit from a 10 year hiatus and then a reboot, starting with X-Men and the Fantastic 4. Not that there is a snowball's chance of that happening. [/QUOTE]
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