‘What If…?’ Reminds Us That Vision Was Always One of the Strongest Avengers

One thing about the What If…? series that has been really interesting (and I’m sure a little controversial for some) is the use of the characters. Some characters have been utilized in ways very similar to their inclusions in the MCU from a power level while other characters have either been made much weaker for comic relief (like Thanos) or given overdue chances to shine (like Captain Marvel.)

But Ultron. Oh-ho, Ultron is on a whole other level of scary in this series. In this series, the writer A.C Bradley imagines a universe where Ultron had actually won. Ultron ends up easily obtaining the rest of the Infinity Stones by merely cutting Thanos in half with a nanosecond Mind Stone blast. It was shocking to many and more than a little bit unbelievable but it’s honestly not as far-fetched as it seems.

Think about Vision and the few instances where we actually got to see the potential of the heroic synthezoid.

When he first appears in Age of Ultron he’s so powerful he picks up Mjolnir as if it were nothing, shocking the Avengers as they suddenly realized just how incredible the Vision was.

My Personal Marvel Marathon Cast a New Light on Black Widow

It’s three days until I will get the chance to see Black Widow, the first Marvel movie I will have seen in theaters since Endgame over two years ago, and I am ecstatic.

In preparation for the movie I did a Marvel movie marathon where I watched every film that featured Black Widow. It took two days to complete and it was pretty fun but what was most fascinating is watching the writers evolve Natasha Romanoff from this flirty eye-candy broad in a tight black suit to a bad*** leader and a true hero.

In Iron Man 2 she, of course, was sexualized the most as Tony ogled at her and she flirted with him in turn. In The Avengers while she thankfully wasn’t forced to have a romance with anyone, namely Hawkeye, she was still forced to be sexualized at the beginning of the movie. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier she’s practically flirting with Steve Rogers the whole movie, even kissing him when they have to evade HYDRA which is warranted but wasn’t totally necessary. And in Avengers: Age of Ultron Whedon came out of left field and bombarded Black Widow with this romance with Bruce Banner that nobody saw coming but kind of made sense? The movie gives us the best idea of her haunting past in the Red Room, including letting us know that she was sterilized. It’s a terrible piece of information that gives her character so much more depth but Whedon ruins the moment by comparing her sterilization to being a monster. Ugh.

And so, that’s her story in those four films. Then she returns in Captain America: Civil War and suddenly she’s a totally different person.

The Genius of the Russo Brothers’ Marvel Movies

Throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s eleven year run there have been several directors and writers who have brought these movies and characters to life. The Russo Brothers first Marvel movie debut was Captain America: The Winter Soldier where they displayed a great sense of understanding the character of Captain America and creating a superhero movie on a lesser scale than some of the other Marvel films that had been made at the time.

Only until recently The Winter Soldier was my favorite film because of its more personal storyline and its impactful significance to the overall plot of the MCU. Since The Winter Soldier, however, they have made three other films (Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame) that are clearly some of the greatest superhero movies ever made. (I will only be talking about Civil War, Infinity War considering that Endgame ends with a profound conclusion.) But what makes these three movies so perfectly composed and entertaining? Well, it’s simple. The Russo Brothers like cliffhangers.

For example; let’s look at the endings of these three movies.

The Top Ten Most Memorable Moments in the MCU

Why is the MCU so beloved? Because we have been given 23 movies and two amazing series over thirteen years…and the ride isn’t ending anytime soon. I’ve been enthralled in this world since I was eleven-years-old, gazing wide-eyed at the screen as my parents would show me some scenes from Iron Man. At the time, he was my favorite superhero.

Now, all these years later, Doctor Strange is my favorite Marvel superhero and the MCU pretty much dominates my every day.

This franchise is wonderful for so many reasons but it also has some of the most memorable moments in recent blockbuster history. So today, I wanted to share what I think are the top ten most memorable moments in the MCU (and this includes even the Disney+ series.) Enjoy!

Spoilers Ahead!

10. Wanda’s Iconic Credits Roll

WandaVision was filled with a bunch of interesting and memorable moments but the moment that stuck out to me in the entire series was when Wanda, during a tense moment with her husband Vision, began to roll the credits of her show on him as if to say goodnight.

It is so diva and I have loved it ever since I first saw it.

‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Is the Proof That the ‘Captain America’ Movies Are the Best

I’ve seen the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier four times now and each viewing has been so rewarding. The tone, the directing, the cinematography, everything about this show so far has got me buzzing.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier were characters that I always loved and wanted to know more about but we weren’t afforded that chance of exploration for these characters because Captain America was the star.

Captain America always had the best trilogy in the MCU with stories that both impacted the MCU in powerful ways while also delivering us some of the greatest moments in the franchise. These films also gave us Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, two characters who are Steve Rogers’ best friends and so, so very fascinating.

Now The Falcon and the Winter Soldier seems to be using the same template as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and already it’s better than most MCU installments. And we’re only one episode in!

Not only are we getting Sam and Bucky’s stories expanded upon, but we’re also getting Sharon Carter and Zemo, two returning characters from the Captain America trilogy who should get some much needed upgrades in story development this time around.

This story is undoubtedly going to be revolve around the primary villains of this show, the Flag Smashers, for a while but what is this story leading to? I’m not going to delve into any outlandish theories like I did with WandaVision but I am expecting a surprise here and there through the series because all Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War were filled with plenty of plot-twisting moments.

So yeah, even though Doctor Strange is my favorite MCU hero, Captain America has definitely got the best story and it looks like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is continuing that legacy.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.

My Top 20 Scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Part 3

Oh man, this is exciting. We’ve reached my top ten favorite scenes in the MCU and so, with no further delay, let’s countdown to the top five.

10. Captain America vs. Iron Man

Captain America: Civil War is filled with twists and turns. At times, you think the story is going one way when in actuality it builds to a climactic duel between Captain America and Iron Man that is 100% epic. I mean, this picture alone details this scene as one of the most striking moments in the MCU.