Does anyone remember Armor Wars, where Stark went into a frenzy after finding out about his stolen tech? How about Demon in a Bottle, when Stark struggled with his alcoholic addiction? Or how about Thor, Beta-Ray Bill and The Surtur Saga? Wouldn't it have been cool if Thor: The Dark World, which also features Surtur's Malekith, had turned out to be anything like one of Simonson's many works?
Captain America seems to be the only current Avenger member that's been spared from inferior writing, much thanks to the Russo Brothers. Don't get me wrong, The Incredible Hulk is (almost) the kind of character writing I want from the characters I love, but after Edward Norton left, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk rendition seems to try his best to discard many things featured in Norton's movie, such as the implication of his ability to control his inner-beast and wield it as he wish. Also, we have almost no news of the second Hulk movie, despite having all prominent Avenger members already having their own second arc sequel movie (Ant-Man and Wasp were understandably pushed back, but Marvel's probably gonna turn them into B-Movies like Thor too).
Look, I thank you for your patience, if you've read this far. My point is... it seems like my beloved characters are not being taken seriously. Tony Stark ended up a comic relief, Thor has nothing in his movies that could be described as "epic", and Bruce Banner isn't doing so hot either. And let's not forget that Captain America 3 is going to be interrupted by Tony Stark's appearance ala Civil War style, much like DC's rushed Batman vs. Superman movie where Kal El doesn't get his own sequel.
And yet, everyone is standing for ovation for Marvel, ignoring the elephant in the room. Sure, there have been fair criticisms of Marvel movies, but we're still throwing money at them, telling them that they are going the right direction. They are not. Not from what I've seen of their past few movies, minus one Winter Soldier.
Guardians of the Galaxy is... a special case. It's fun, but so was Iron Man 2 and 3, so was The Avengers and the first Thor movie, but it seems to me that Marvel's having a little too much fun. All fun and no work makes Marvel a dumb company. Ronan the Destroyer was another Malekith whose motivation I could care less about. Gamora was okay, but her sister might as well have the label "plot-device" on her head. And Peter Quill's "lost father" sub-plot takes a backseat as comedy becomes the priority.
Look, I'm not expecting every movie to be The Dark Knight. Man of Steel proved that such a mentality can be a bad idea. But remember that the first Iron Man movie was a great character piece for Marvel, and it was hardly a Dark Knight movie. Tony struggled with his identity as a merchant of death, which was a perfect set-up to a potential Armor Wars movie. He felt guilt, he tried to redeem himself like the child he is, which is perfectly fine because that's who he is. But now, Iron Man 2 and 3 have came and gone, and RDJ, a wasted opportunity at a good story, is now walking out pretty soon after two more Avengers movie and a Captain America movie. I love Shane Black's Iron Man 3 btw, but it was hardly a character exploration story the likes of Armor Wars or Demon in a Bottle.
So please, Marvel, please for the love of god, wake up. Make Age of Ultron more than just "a good time at the movies." Make me love comic books and superheroes again.
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