The Marvel Cinematic Universe

I've been trying to figure out how the Marvel movies fit together. Some set into a timeline easier than others. There are, of course, bumps and hiccups along the way.

1942 - Captain America: The First Avenger (the exact year has been stated in promotional material)
1962 - X-Men: First Class (no exact year stated yet, but the Cuban Missile Crisis references point here)
1987 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (The main portion of the storyline is set 15 years before X1, as per dialogue -- oddly enough, a character who is supposedly Emma Frost appears here as a teenager [and as the younger sister of Logan's gf, an unrelated character in the comics] despite an adult Emma appearing in First Class)
1998 - Blade (it's set NOW)
2000 - Blade II (two years after Blade 1)
2002 - Spider-Man (per Pete's high school diploma)
2002 - X-Men (in the near future, dated using references from X2)
2003 - X2
2004 - X-Men: The Last Stand (six months after X2)
2004 - Spider-Man 2 (two years after Spidey 1)
2004 - Hulk (five years before Incredible Hulk)
2008 - Iron Man (after Jan 2008, nine-six months before Iron Man 2)
2009 - Iron Man 2 (in May, after the Obama Hope campaign, before/during Incredible Hulk, before/possibly during Thor)
2009 - The Incredible Hulk (before and during Iron Man 2 -- news report from about the middle of the movie appears at the end of Iron Man 2, Tony Stark appears at the end of the movie having gotten on board with the Avengers)

Judging from trailers, Thor appears to take place during or after Iron Man 2, given the cryptic New Mexico references in Iron Man 2 and Agent Coulson's involvement in both movies. The Avengers obviously takes place after everything.

I've fit in everything, including movies that have been retconned or rebooted, for the sake of things. Haven't fit in the Fantastic Four movies yet, or Spider-Man 3 or Blade III. Or the Daredevil movies. I'd have to get the courage to put them in the DVD player. Apparently the Ghost Rider sequel is set eight years after the original.

According to Marvel Studios itself, however, the only movies being labeled as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the Avengers movies.

I love how we're getting 3 movies in 3 completely different time periods with the same internal universe within 3 months of each other.

Overkill is bound to kill one of them. My bet's on First Class purely because of the June timeslot.

Neato.

Still I like WB's approach with the films best keeping the characters pretty much in their own worlds. I think the only actual references they ever made of eachother was Bruce Wayne mentioning Metropolis in BATMAN FOREVER and the city of Gotham being mentioned in SUPERMAN RETURNS. And of course that dreaded "This is why Superman works alone" delivered by a very bored George Clooney.

I like that Marvel wants to bring them altogether, I think there are good intentions behind it. But I think in the end they'll all be very convoluted. Plus Marvel really should have just kept all of the rights under one studio (like DC to WB) instead of several different studios with different intentions (FOX, Paramount, Disney).

Makeshift Python wrote:

But I think in the end they'll all be very convoluted. Plus Marvel really should have just kept all of the rights under one studio (like DC to WB) instead of several different studios with different intentions (FOX, Paramount, Disney).

Yeah, that what has killed it in my opinion. The shotgun approach.

Tubes wrote:

I love how we're getting 3 movies in 3 completely different time periods with the same internal universe within 3 months of each other.

Overkill is bound to kill one of them. My bet's on First Class purely because of the June timeslot.

First Class isn't really in the same universe. It's not even in the same universe as some of the other X-Men films, apparently.

Thor looks like the weakest of the bunch.

http://collider.com/captain-america-first-avenger-trailer/67766/

Looks better than the TV spot, anyway.

Looks EXCELLENT, imo. Could be a little more colourful and a little less Private Ryan washed out, but still looks great.

That trailer definitely makes me want to see Captain America. I wasn't so sure about it before, but I'm always intrigued by "alternate history" type of stuff.

That timeline makes me think of when I watched Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk in succession. They make a nice double bill. I'm thinking I should add Iron Man 2 to it and make it a triple...

Just saw X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.

I have a sinking feeling this is the closest we're ever gonna get to a period James Bond starring Michael Fassbender. He's basically Bond with superpowers in some scenes.

Fassbender and McAvoy are the gems of this picture, in much the same way as Stewart and McKellan were in the originals. The rest of the cast goes from good to mediocre, with a surprisingly bad performance from January Jones -- far from embodying Emma Frost, she's just sorta... there.

The movie has a scope, excitement and drama that was utterly lacking in Wolverine, and it definitely ranks among the first two Singer movies in terms of quality. It attacks themes and ideas that I wish had been more established in the original films. For example, the team here is made up of teenagers, as was the team in the original comics -- and I wish know that the characters in the original films had been teens. The issues of teenhood and mutanthood work so well together -- so well that I kinda stopped caring about X-Men after I got out of high school.

The problem now is that by the fifth movie in a franchise, most of the characters are fifth-tier X-Men who are defined more by their powers than their personalities, so other than Xavier and Magneto I just don't care. Beast is done very well, but Mystique is basically a dumb teenage girl until she suddenly becomes recognizable in the last act.

The movie is well produced, well acted, and has a ton of great cameos -- from the expected like Hugh Jackman, to the unexpected like Ray Wise and Michael Ironside, who pop in for bit parts just for the fun of it, it seems.

I have some nitpicks with the way the movie fits into the chronology of the original three films. It's clearly meant to be in that universe because it references it so often, but it nonetheless goes very much against some things established there. For the most part I liked First Class' interpretation better, but it was still unnesscary and a mistake.

Still, if there's any way to make a prequel -- THIS is it, miles and miles above Wolverine's attempt.

1. X2
2. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
3. X-MEN
4. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
5. X-MEN ORIGNIS: WOLVERINE

I might see this tomorrow, so glad to hear the good word of mouth.

Elektra, Spinoff from Daredevil.

Note from what i wrote is short translation of a Dutch review i made almost 3 years a go i saw Elektra as we know there never made a Daredevil 2 or Elketra 2 and soon there going to make re-make.

Quote :

Alias meet Tomb Raider meet Harry Potter 4.

Elektra only have one litle flashback to daredevil, but in my eyes this can have been also from another situation. Elektra feels more as later time from her side and it have be intresting if there made a Elektra prequel. For a Elektra prequel like as in a Alias prequel explan why some situtations be like there be. Now Elektra feels more like her present situtation with a litle background what taste to more.

The End:

Spoiler:

I haven't seen The Incredible Hulk yet, but i get the feeling from footage of the trailer who focus on the end of Hulk (2003 not 2004) it be sequel. In other words, the movie starts where Hulk end. Spoiler Hulk:

Spoiler:

I think The Incredible Hulk focus on experimental from the fathers girlfriend and not going re-tell how he going to be Hulk.


My problems with the trailer of X-men first class be, some people in in look like on other people. Magneto i first thaught it be Wolvarine (His hair,jacket) and Hank i first thaught it be Cyclobs (because of his younger look and the Glasces) or Alan Cummings chacter (X-men 2). Also another i first thaught it be Cyclobs (powers), but after a long search i discover it be Havock. The actor who the cast for this part look to much on Angel from X-men 3. I hope i like it, i like Layer Cake but i am not realy happy with the choose of actor for Magneto and Cyclobs not be in it. But mabey Cyclobs get his own movie as X-men 4 or like Wolvarine and Magneto.

First i like X-Men a lot more then X-men 2, but before i watch X-men 3 this year i watch both movies again and this be my rank after i have seen part 3:

X-men 2 (8.0 / 7.5 / 8.0)
X-men (8.0 / 8.0 / 7.5)
X-men 3 (8.0)

i hope First Class can help to understand Hank's chacter, because i think it be the weakest chacter of X-men 3.

Good to hear FIRST CLASS was good. Maybe in a couple decades they can just reboot it. Start fresh. But I guess FIRST CLASS is about as good as we can get at this point.

I never got into the X-Men franchise, having seen only Wolverine and parts of the first one. First Class looks like a first-rate popcorn flick, so I'm aiming to see it.

WOLVERINE is the only one you've seen all the way through!? Good Lord, man. See X-MEN and X2!

X2 is actually pretty good.

That's like saying you never got into the Bond films and only saw THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

Looking forward to X-Men First Class. Will probably see it this week. Just finished reviewing all the extras on Ironman 2 blu-ray. Well done and good commentary by Favreau.I do like the way Hulk, Ironman and Thor have so far been weaved together. If you look at the world map in the background at the end of Ironman 2, you can see that Shield has circled in red, various global hotspots. Favreau assures that all of these locations are relevant to the Avengers universe, including references to films that haven't been made yet, which also means then, that these activities are already on the Shield radar.The African circled spot is speculated to be Black Panther related by Favreau, who I think knows more than he lets on in the commentary. ===Saw Thor. Unfortunately only the 3d version was available which as usual was more of an encumbrance than a benefit. I think 3d is going to die. Movie goers are rebelling, not only because they have to pay more but also because the quality of the film becomes an issue.3d films are lit darker because of the glasses or the 3d effect or something.Thor had a darker look than necessary as did Narnia Dawn Treader. 3d IMO is an absolute waste of time unless one is willing to go all out to exploit the tech as Cameron did with Avatar. Otherwise I think it compromises the overall film experience and as an added kick in the teeth you get to pay more and wear dorky glasses.Thank you Hollywood.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

WOLVERINE is the only one you've seen all the way through!? Good Lord, man. See X-MEN and X2!

X2 is actually pretty good.

To be fair, they never interested me. I gave X1 a chance, but the cast annoyed me, and I saw Wolverine only to pass time in flight. It was DAD-level crap. I'll see First Class for Vaughn, the Cold War 1960s setting, the Bond influences, and the interesting leading actors. If that'll boost my interest in the mutant mythology, I'll revisit the Singer ones.

GeneralGogol wrote:

The White Tuxedo wrote:

WOLVERINE is the only one you've seen all the way through!? Good Lord, man. See X-MEN and X2!

X2 is actually pretty good.

To be fair, they never interested me. I gave X1 a chance, but the cast annoyed me

I'm in a similar boat. I thought the first film was okay to a fair degree, as I tend to like the original films in franchises, where we get a fair amount of patient character stuff and things naturally evolve from there, and with a bit less flash and effects everywhere. But X2 was a too-many-cooks borefest to me, even though I appreciate it has it's followers for whatever reasons. What ultimately loses me about the X-Men films is that it's just too many characters. I like being able to latch onto and hopefully identify in some way with a lead character when watching a film (or at the very least be interested in the lead character), but with X-Men and especially X2, it's just one big pile of characters all doing their thing and the fact that all of them have some kind of superpower means that the superpowers themselves don't seem particularly special or standout, just part of a big typical CGI orgy, and at that point I'm just bloody gone, no interest.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS sounds like two things I don't like; X-MEN and Royal Mail, and both these things just don't deliver very well. I hear FIRST CLASS has a few Lucas-esque prequel-to-future "in-jokes" too so, to paraphrase my old reliable Deckard quote: "I was quit when I came in here... I'm quit X2 now".

X2 has my favorite: Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler. I was so pissed when he wasn't in TLS.

FIRST CLASS has a strong focus on the Magneto/Xavier relationship that enables you to essentially ignore the rest of the characters as being simply window dressing. It avoids the copious pointless cameos that ruined X3 and WOLVERINE, and while there are prequel gags, they are much more intelligently handled than in WOLVERINE, which was just pure ass-on-celluloid.

Wolverine was someone attempting to make an 80's action movie, but forgetting the camp that made it all enjoyable. There are only so many times you can watch an overly muscled guy kill people, make serious faces, and shout at the sky.

That's the vibe I got out of what footage I saw when it was playing on HBO. It felt like a really really bad low budget 80s action flick. There's that bit with Wolverine popping out of the tube roaring, someone shoots at his face and he reacts by tardin' out or something. Watching 30 mins I had no freakin' clue where the story was going.

Eventually I'll have to see the whole thing. It's crazy, I grew up watching X-MEN and always considered it third place with Superman and Batman in the top two. Saw the first three in theaters when they opened, and I would have gone to see FIRST CLASS on opening day too however I'm waiting out to see it with a friend. But WOLVERINE I skipped. Just never interested me on any level and that's not because of THE LAST STAND souring things up. It just looked too much like a generic action flick.

Come to think of it I haven't seen THE LAST STAND since its opening day. All I can remember of it was being pissed off in theaters over how the characters acted nothing like the characters I watched in the first two and how it always seemed eager to get into big dumb action movie mode.

I pirated Wolverine like everybody in April 09. Thought it was meh. Paid for it in theaters assuming two things. 1: The workprint was longer/shorter than the theatrical edition and the changes where an improvement. 2: The animatics would be replaced with quality CGI. Neither where correct. The movie was exactly the same as the workprint, had all the same issues, and the special effects sucked. That turned me off to the entire movie and this was before I heard about the massive fuck up with Deadpool.

The only really good thing in Wolverine was Liev Schreiber. I really liked his turn as Sabretooth, even if it screws with continuity. Then again, if what I heard about First Class is true, Fox probably doesn't care anymore.

FIRST CLASS follows movie continuity where it suits it, and goes against it where it doesn't. It's oddly enough a cinematic equivalent of the kind of retconning that happens all the time in comic books, where the story that's written the best or the best recieved often becomes the "official version" of events.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

1. X2
2. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
3. X-MEN
4. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
5. X-MEN ORIGNIS: WOLVERINE

That's pretty much how I'd rank em. Although I hadn't seen WOLVERINE.

FIRST CLASS is what I call a solid superhero blockbuster, perfectly in sync with the quality of Singer's movies, heck I like that it actually ignores the non-Singer films, it's like the SUPERMAN RETURNS of X-Men, except it's actually exciting and colorful.

Overall I really liked it. I do wish they didn't have the breakup between Magneto and the X-Men in this flick, they could have easily done more films together and really hit home with the fact that these two are supposed to be close friends but their whole relationship is pretty much skimmed, there are great moments but I think it's too bad.

McAvoy and Fassbender were good leads, you can totally believe these guys would grow up into the Patrick Stewart/Ian McKellen versions. And I actually liked Hoult and Lawrence (and by the by, I would hit that). Kevin Bacon made a great villain with the right energy and sinister quality. Yeah, January Jones was pretty weak, but she has good tits.