The Tragedy and Triumph of MCU
A recap of our little family's excursion into 50+ hours of superhero epics.
Last Sunday, before we pressed play on Avengers: End Game, I took time to explain to Lana that we were about to witness the crowning achievement of 23+ blockbusters, a thread of films beginning with Iron Man in 2008 and spanning 50 hours of riveting run time. No other franchise in any other form of entertainment comes close to this feat. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, James Bond…these are epics. They’re nothing next to the MCU, though.
Just watch this closing credits sequence for a quick sec. (Technically, 3:08 of runtime.)
A big chunk of this list could easily headline a movie, and have. There are seven Oscar winners and eleven nominees. The only film to rival this level of cast prestige was Robert Altman’s The Player, which most non-Hollywoodians have never seen. Did I mention End Game had the highest grossing box office of all-time or that record may stand forever considering theater devastation over the last 12 months?
If you haven’t seen the MCU films over the last 13 years, it’s time to stop being a contrarian tool. I recommend beginning with Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) for chronological order or diving in with Iron Man (2008), which is a blast of an introduction to the Marvel universe. You’re alright to skip the first two Thor movies and the Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton, though you’ll lose a little bit of character investment. You could jump right in with Infinity War, but time with each of these characters is a lot of what makes the overarching story so compelling. Even at their worst, the MCU stories are still satisfying and fun to an extent most films could only aspire. At their best, they’re the peak of the Action/Adventure genre. Let’s talk about some standouts:
Iron Man (2008) - When I was little, Iron Man seemed like a goober with his red and yellow suit and Howard Hughes persona but this movie relieved me of my anti-Iron Man notions. The sequels are a mixed bag, but appreciating this universe requires knowing Tony Stark, and director John Favreau nails the introduction.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - This and the first Avengers were the only ones I got to see with Mindy and she was way more into Cap than I expected and I think that was likely because of Chris Evans. I get it.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 1 (2014) - Bright and rollicking and also ends with one of the MCU’s most beautifully sacrificial scenes.
Doctor Strange (2016) - The weirdest and most underrated.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - My personal favorite of the individual character arcs. There’s so much to love: Taika Waititi’s clockwork direction and van-mural art design; Cate Blanchett’s exceptional villainy as Hela, Goddess of Death; Jeff Goldblum as the bizarre leader of a world built on gladiatorial combat; Thor v. Hulk; Tessa Thompson stealing scenes as Valkyrie; and Chris Hemsworth’s comedic timing…I’m not even listing all the stuff that makes this film great.
Black Panther (2018) - The most critically-acclaimed of all the lead-up films, Black Panther has a perfect pace, a lovingly intricate world-build in Wakanda, and a melancholy resonance knowing Chadwick Boseman’s acting was gift run out much too soon.
Lana and I talked a lot about the merits and downfalls of all the films, and one thing I told her was that Infinity War and End Game would be on a whole new level.
I know from reading and watching stories with Lana that she feels them intently. This exhibited as fidgeting and nausea leading up to the final battle in Infinity War. Right as the Avengers were making one last run for the Infinity Gauntlet, she started digging through a bag of pretzels (crackle crackle crackle) and I was tense, too, so I snapped at her to WATCH THE MOVIE. Then I felt bad.
We went on a walk before starting End Game the next day and Lana told me how nervous she gets in stories and I loved that she knew herself so well and I told her I also could see that and apologized for snapping. Then I told her I still want her to witness the tragic moments, because they add depth to the triumph. This is a lesson that’s easier to impart than follow, but we need the lows to set off the highs, and almost no scene in film history is more triumphant than the resolution of End Game. That is the last I’ll say about this. Just go watch them already!