Superheroes!

[Sommerswerd]

It seems like every attempt to do Fantastic 4 is an unmitigated flop...

Marvel should stop trying to make Fantastic 4 happen... its not gonna happen.

 

[Patine]

It seems like every attempt to do Fantastic 4 is an unmitigated flop...

Marvel should stop trying to make Fantastic 4 happen... its not gonna happen.

I didn't actually mind the one with Jessica Alba. It wasn't stellar, but it was entertaining, at least. I wouldn't call that one, "an unmitigated flop."

 

[Cutlass]

I thought they were OK. But I can see them not working for deeper fans of those comics.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I was never a big Fantastic 4 fan and I thought the movies were pretty meh, fine, mediocre, OK, mid, etc.

 

[Patine]

I was never a big Fantastic 4 fan and I thought the movies were pretty meh, fine, mediocre, OK, mid, etc.

Your view of the subject matter may tinge your view of the movies.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Captain Falcoln -

‘Another woke disaster from Hollywood!’ How Captain America joined the culture wars​

In the latest film from the Marvel franchise, Captain America: Brave New World, a Black hero squares up to a raging red baddie trashing the White House. Cue the conservative outrage …

Of all the times to recast the most iconically American comic-book character with a Black actor and then pit him against a violently angry supervillain with an unnaturally reddish skin tone, who also happens to be the new US president … Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but it is in the trailer for the new Captain America: Brave New World, just released into a tumultuous Trump-run America that’s itching for another culture war.

If Marvel was looking for some attention to reignite its beleaguered movie franchise, it seems to have found it – but not necessarily the good kind. If nothing else, the image of a raging red superbeing rising up from behind the presidential podium and then trashing the White House is sure to provoke a reaction. As Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson takes up the star-spangled shield passed on to him by Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, his casting has already incensed a certain bracket of social media: “The new Captain America! DEI hire!”; “Sounds like another woke disaster from Hollywood”; “Boy, did you not get the memo? America just voted for Trump – your film is dead on arrival.” It’s a wonder Trump hasn’t signed an executive order banning the film yet.

Mackie gave his adversaries even more ammunition a couple of weeks ago when he told the Italian press: “To me Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations.” Again, you can imagine the reactions – even if, as fans pointed out, Mackie’s predecessor in the role, Chris Evans, made very similar comments when he was promoting Captain America: “I’m not trying to get too lost in the American side of it. This isn’t a flag-waving movie,” Evans said in 2011. Mackie had to walk back his comments the next day on Instagram: “Let me be clear about this: I’m a proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like Cap is the honour of a lifetime.”

These are not the only battles the new Captain America finds itself caught up in. Attention has also focused on Ruth Bat-Seraph, aka Sabra, a minor character in the movie played by Israeli actor Shira Haas. In the original comics, Sabra was “the first Israeli superhero”; a mutant with superpowers who was formerly a Mossad agent. She’s had a bit of a makeover for the movie: no longer a mutant or a Mossad agent but very much a combat-ready operative. In a joint letter, some Palestinian cultural groups complained: “By reviving this racist character in any form, Marvel is promoting Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians.” They have called for a boycott of the movie, and pro-Palestinian protesters picketed the Hollywood premiere this Tuesday, holding up signs saying things such as “Disney supports genocide” – again, necessarily not the good kind of attention.

As if that weren’t enough, Brave New World has been plagued by reports of rewrites and reshoots, as well as recastings. William Hurt, who was set to play the US president, Thaddeus Ross, died in 2022 and had to be replaced by Harrison Ford. It was originally slated for release in May 2024. According to one insider, late last year it had gone through three rounds of test screenings and was still getting negative feedback. The film-makers have denied this, although director Julius Onah acknowledged: “Every movie of this scale has additional photography baked into the creative process. There are things you’re going to refine and the story is going to evolve.”

Without those delays, the movie might well have come out in the late Biden era, rather than the febrile first few weeks of Trump 2.0. At least they changed the title – the original, Captain America: New World Order might have been too much for the conspiracy theorists to handle.

It was somehow inevitable that all this would befall Captain America, rather than any other superhero. He’s always been the moral conscience of the Marvel universe, and by extension, the nation. The character was created by Jewish writers Jack Kirby and Joe Simon in 1940, primarily as a wartime propaganda tool – the US actually entered the war a year later, so perhaps it worked. The cover of issue #1, showing Captain America socking Adolf Hitler on the jaw, told you exactly where his loyalties lay. Now, 85 years later, we find him socking the fictional US president in the jaw instead. And this at a time when the real-life president is happily dining with white supremacists and Nazi sympathisers such as Nick Fuentes and Kanye West (whose recent X post declaring “I’m a Nazi” ought to clear up any ambiguity). Not to mention Trump’s ubiquitous righthand troll Elon Musk, who has done nothing at all to correct impressions that he gave a Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration a few weeks ago. It leaves you wondering who the real good guys are.

Time and again, it’s been down to Captain America to figure that out. While other Marvel movies have gadded about in weightless fantasy realms (Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool), the Captain America movies have often reflected off-screen political reality – and despite his ludicrously patriotic get-up (often worn by Trump supporters, or Photoshopped on to Trump himself), Cap has never been afraid to turn against his own government.

It’s worth recapping the saga so far. Origin movie Captain America: The First Avenger, released in 2011, explained how weedy army recruit Steve Rogers (Evans) was given an experimental superhero-creating serum in the 1940s, and riffed on his deployment as a wartime propaganda mascot. Things got interesting with 2014’s The Winter Soldier, in which Rogers is thawed out in the present day and finds the US about to instate a global surveillance regime that would predict and preemptively eliminate threats. This was the era of the Edward Snowden leaks, so the paranoid conspiracy element was not too difficult to swallow. But good old Cap wasn’t having it: “This isn’t freedom – it’s fear,” he said, stepping away from his quasi-military role. He was right: it later transpired that the US government had been infiltrated by the neo-Nazi organisation Hydra – again, a concept that’s no longer too difficult to swallow.

And by his side in his fight to de-Nazify the government was Mackie’s character, Sam Jackson, aka Falcon, a modern-day Iraq war veteran who befriended Rogers. In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Rogers and Jackson again fell out with the authorities, refusing to agree to UN oversight of “enhanced individuals” – those with superpowers. They trusted their own judgment above that of the politicians.

2019’s all-conquering Avengers: Endgame culminated with Evans’ Captain America retiring, and passing on his shield to Mackie’s Falcon. After that the saga headed into race politics and Black history – possibly blown in that direction by the cultural winds post-Black Lives Matter. In his small-screen spin-off Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Falcon hands the shield back to the government – “It feels like it belongs to someone else,” he says. Not only does he deem himself unworthy, his patriotism to a country that enslaved and discriminated against his forebears is understandably conflicted. Another Black character tells him: “They will never let a Black man be Captain America, and even if they did, no self-respecting Black man would ever want to be.” Sure enough, a new, white Captain America is anointed: John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell. But to cut a long story short, it turns out he’s unworthy, and Jackson ultimately winds up with the shield again.

Politics were very much in the minds of the Russo brothers, who jointly directed Winter Soldier, Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. “Those movies are very much about what went on in this country over the past four years,” Joe Russo told me in 2021. “Some of the worst people were being attracted to politics and were representing us collectively … We believed strongly that the reach in those movies was so significant that they could be influential in helping people potentially make better decisions. We thought that they were a really powerful tool, at exactly the right time.”

Brave New World should at least satisfy fans who wanted a political action thriller along the lines of Winter Soldier, with no space people turning up from parallel universes. Mackie’s fledgling Cap initially agrees to work with Ford’s new president, but before long, he’s disobeying orders and going rogue once again to investigate a conspiracy. Despite the raging Hulk “reveal”, and the president surviving an assassination attempt, Ford’s character is not all that Trump-like: he cares about international cooperation, he has a Black female head of security, and he even gets on an exercise bike on Air Force One. Depending on how you see it, this is either a bullet dodged or a punch pulled. This president does, however, outsource tech and military innovation to a shifty, unbiddable genius scientist who’s described as “his own personal thinktank” – remind you of anyone?

There’s no telling how any of this will play in today’s movie landscape. Marvel movies have been at the vanguard of Hollywood representation in recent years but this has not translated into box-office success lately. Recent movie outings such as The Eternals and The Marvels – neither of which were directed by or centred on white men – were met with opposition by some fans (especially the vehement “Everything is woke” brigade), but also by some critics (for not being very good). Meanwhile, Marvel’s franchise-milking small-screen offshoots (Loki, Wandavision, Ms Marvel, She-Hulk, etc) and confusing “multiverse” storylines have turned off even more viewers. It’s telling that Marvel’s only recent box-office success was the more flip and irreverent Deadpool & Wolverine (led by two white guys).

So perhaps the message is: nobody’s in the mood for superheroes getting too real and political any more, and the era of applauding movies for representation has been killed by Trump’s anti-DEI edicts. Marvel seems to be hedging its bets: next up, in April, is Thunderbolts – the first outing for a new bunch of (overwhelmingly white) superhero misfits, including Florence Pugh and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker.

But ultimately, Mackie was right when he said Captain America was not really about “America”. Unlike the cosplaying Trump supporters, he’s more loyal to American values than to the flag, and over his long history, he’s often had to remind the nation what those values are. In one comic-book story (What If … #44), 1940s Captain America wakes up in 1984, where he finds a fascist “America first” president who is persecuting minorities and promising to make America great again. Cap lays it down in no uncertain terms: “Without its ideals – its commitment to the freedom of all men, America is a piece of trash! I fought Adolf Hitler not because America was great, but because it was fragile! I knew that liberty could as easily be snuffed out here as in Nazi Germany!” Maybe they can use that storyline for the next movie, if there is one.

‘Captain America’ Becomes One Of Marvel’s Worst-Reviewed Films Amid Protests From Progressives And Conservatives​

Topline​

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest installment, “Captain America: Brave New World,” opens Friday fresh off the heels of some of the superhero franchise’s worst-ever reviews as well as several controversies, including protests over an Israeli superhero character and anti-“woke” conservative backlash.


Key Facts

“Captain America: Brave New World” has just a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes, one of only three movies in MCU’s catalog—which now spans 35 films—to receive a “rotten” score, a designation given to movies that have a score under 60%.




The newest installment only ranks above “Eternals” (2021) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023), two recent MCU films that failed to impress critics.




The movie’s poor reviews come on the heels of Disney CEO Bob Iger stating on an earnings call last year that Disney, particularly the MCU, would “reduce output and focus more on quality” after several films, including “The Marvels,” failed to make a dent at the box office and received middling reviews.




Marvel previously released about three to four films per year, but only one MCU installment hit theaters in 2024: “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which fared much better with a 78% critics score and more than $1.3 billion in box office gross.

In “Captain America: Brave New World,” actor Anthony Mackie makes his film debut as the titular superhero, taking over the role from Chris Evans, who starred in multiple MCU films.

Chief Critics​

Many critics considered the film one of Marvel’s worst outputs. Rotten Tomatoes top critic A. A. Dowd wrote for Digital Trends the film is a new “rock bottom” for the franchise with a “mess” of a plot, stating “no blockbuster that cost this much money should look this shoddy.” Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri slammed Marvel as becoming a “giant slop machine,” accusing the franchise of spinning “out of control into the confused and shallow mess that we have before us.” In a 1.5-star review, Washington Post critic Ty Burr called the film “humorless” and a “pixel-pounding mishmash” that is “more interested in fan service and protecting corporate IP” than in telling a coherent story. The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck blamed the film’s writers for letting Mackie and his co-stars down with poor material.

Why Is “captain America” Sparking Controversy For An Israeli Superhero?​

The film stirred some controversy by including what seemed to be an Israeli superhero when it was announced in September 2022 Israeli actress Shira Haas would play Ruth Bat-Seraph, also known by her alter-ego Sabra, a character who appears in the Marvel comics. The character is a member of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, in the Marvel comics, but Marvel clarified in 2022 that the character would be reimagined for the film. After the trailer was released last summer, an updated description for the film described Haas’ character as a U.S. government official, not a member of the Mossad, and The Hollywood Reporter reported the film would not use her alter-ego name Sabra, which some critics pointed out is the same name as a refugee camp in Lebanon where Palestinians were massacred in 1982. But the decision to change Bat-Seraph’s backstory angered Israeli critics, and the Israeli news outlet Haaretz published a story claiming she was “stripped” of her “Israeliness.” Pro-Palestinian activists, meanwhile, have protested the character’s inclusion. Organizations supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement called for boycotts of the film, while dozens of protesters gathered at the film’s Hollywood premiere Tuesday.

Why Did “captain America” Spark Anti-”woke” Backlash?​

“Captain America” has been caught in the crosshairs of the anti-“woke” and anti-diversity, equity and inclusion culture wars over the past several weeks, particularly since Mackie made controversial comments about his character at a question-and-answer session. “For me, Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations,” Mackie said, stating he believes the character is a “man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity and integrity.” The comments received immediate blowback from conservatives online, who considered his statement anti-American, and some slammed Mackie as “woke” or a “DEI” Captain America. Mackie clarified his comments on Instagram, stating he is a “proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like [Captain America] is the honor of a lifetime,” adding he has “utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country.” Director Julius Onah defended Mackie in an interview with Vanity Fair, stating “things at times get misinterpreted.” Disney has long been a target by anti-“woke” activists, who have slammed several of its films, including “The Marvels” and “The Little Mermaid,” for centering LGBTQ themes, women and people of color.

Contra​

The film’s box office outlook is promising, according to projections from multiple outlets, including Variety and Deadline, both of whom predict the film will gross about $80 million over the weekend and $90 million to $95 million over the extended President’s Day weekend. That would mark the biggest opening weekend of the year by far, and the biggest since “Moana 2” debuted over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tangent​

Some of the most recent notorious superhero flops—“Kraven the Hunter” and “Madame Web,” which earned scores of 16% and 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively—were also box office bombs, but they’re not considered part of Disney’s MCU. These movies were produced and distributed by Sony as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, based on characters from Marvel’s Spider-Man comics, though Spider-Man himself is not a main character in these films. The Sony Spider-Man Universe, which also includes “Morbius” and the “Venom” series, consistently struggled with critics while most of the series flopped at the box office, and The Wrap reported in December the franchise appears to be on hold.

What To Watch For​

Whether Marvel’s focus on “quality” over “quantity” will pay off later in the year. Two more MCU films are planned to release in 2025: “Thunderbolts*,” which hits theaters in May, and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which opens in July and is intended to reboot the “Fantastic Four” franchise.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Next X-Men ?

Who will play the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?​

With Denzel Washington, Sadie Sink and Harris Dickinson rumoured for the likes of Cyclops and Magneto, here are GQ's picks for who should lead Marvel's mutants into the MCU era

Rumour has it that Marvel is finally getting ready to bring the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe — a move that they'll hope, no doubt, will give the floundering franchise the shot in the arm it has sorely needed for a good couple of years. Speculation first arose in early 2024, with reports out of industry magazine Production Weekly placing the X-Men MCU reboot to film in late 2025. And now, with those shooting dates coming ever closer, the internet is ablaze with casting rumours.


At least one insider, entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider, has said that he is “hearing” the X-Men reboot will release as soon as 2027 — with an announcement of the cast and director to come “in the next few months.” Take any rumours with a pinch of salt, of course. But it does raise the question: who will be the next Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, and more? And are we really ready to part with the actors who made Marvel's mutants so beloved in the first place?



Here, GQ runs down the list of the most viable candidates to take on the capes and claws left by Ian McKellen and Hugh Jackman — that's if they don't stick around for another X-era.


Wolverine

Does anyone expect Marvel to move on from Hugh Jackman so soon after his return in Deadpool & Wolverine? As Ryan Reynold's Merc with a Mouth taunted Jackman with one of his signature fourth-wall-breaking quips: “Until you're 90.” After all, why go through the rigmarole of recasting the X-Men's most popular member when fans will probably be disappointed regardless? It's nothing against anyone else, but Jackman and Wolverine are fused at the adamantium hip in the eyes of comic-book movie fans — and, well, pop culture writ large.



Perhaps it is inevitable, nevertheless, that someone will eventually be given the Sisyphean task of slipping on Jackman's tank-top, and best of luck to them. If and when that happens, we wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the popular fan-castings that often makes the rounds online: Daniel Radcliffe, Taron Egerton, et al. But maybe they'll be too old by the time Jackman is in his 90s.

Professor X & Magneto

The big three X-Men parts are unenviable acts to follow, but at least there are successful precedents for recasting Professor X and Magneto. The majority of fans look fondly on James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's time as the warring mutant frenemies, just as there remains appetite for Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen to inhabit their most famous roles one last time in a Secret Wars swan-song.

But when the time comes for a full-on MCU cast reboot, we'd love to see a slightly different take on Charles — perhaps a casting that emphasises his gravelly side and, at risk of pissing off the comic-book purists, has hair. To both ends, Jurassic Park veteran Sam Neill would fit the bill, though at 77 might not want to commit to the four-or-five film deal required of the role. A younger pick would be Daniel Craig, if he's willing to step out of the arthouse and back into a big franchise.


As for Magneto, rumours abound that Denzel Washington has been approached to play him in both the new X-Men films and Black Panther 3, as first reported by Sneider (via World of Reel). Take such industry hearsay with a pinch of salt, but if true, Washington would be an inspired choice: he's an out-and-out Thespian who the New York Times declared in 2020 the greatest actor of the 21st century. And Gladiator II served as a timely reminder that he can really bring the menace when he wants.

Cyclops

• 
  

Most famously played by James Marsden in the original X-Men trilogy, where he was depicted as the de facto leader of the X-Men — although he was killed in the third film, in part because the character had been overshadowed by the popularity of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. (A younger version of Cyclops appeared in prequels X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, played by Tye Sheridan.)

For Cyclops, you basically want a hot-jock figure who you could buy as the most popular kid in school and, crucially, wouldn't look stupid wearing sunglasses all the time. Babygirl's Harris Dickinson would have been one of our top picks regardless, but he has emerged as a leading candidate apropos of rumours seeded by Sneider on his Hot Mic podcast (via Hypebeast). Per Hypebeast, Sneider cautions that “these are rumours for now,” but we'll see whose name pops up when there's official confirmation.

Some other picks? David Corenswet would've been a good shout, but now he's Superman. And he might need to pack on a few pounds of muscle, but Harry Lawtey could look alright with lasers shooting out of his eyes.

Storm

Another claim, stemming from industry insider MyTimeToShineHello, suggests that DeWanda Wise is being eyed to take on the X-Men's weather-wielder Storm, played by Halle Berry in the original X-Men trilogy. Breaking through in She's Gotta Have It, the TV adaptation of Spike Lee's 1986 comedy film, she's no stranger to billion-dollar mega-franchises, having been a part of Jurassic World Dominion's stacked ensemble in 2022. A major comic-book instalment feels like it would be an appropriate next step. Another stellar pick would be Andra Day, the R&B singer who was Oscar-nominated for her acting debut in 2021's The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Jean Grey

Suggesting that the casting team are aiming a little younger for this X-Men era, Sneider has also touted Sadie Sink as a leading candidate for a part among the MCU's generation of mutants (via ScreenRant). She has been reportedly eyed to play Jean Grey, the fiery mentalist played by Famke Janssen in the original X-Men trilogy — in which Grey was portrayed as the love interest of both Wolverine and Cyclops, causing a lot of friction between them.

Who would win in a fight between Hugh Jackman and Harris Dickinson, then? Suppose we'll find out in 2027. But if an older Wolverine does end up being her significant other… well, we wouldn't touch the inevitable age-gap discourse with a 12-foot barge pole.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere March 4, 2025 with a nine-episode first season, with the remaining nine being saved for a season 2.

 

[Patine]

Captain Falcoln -

So, what are the reviews on the movie outside the modern cartoon that passes for a political divide these days? Bad movie-making in general - which is the REAL problem in Hollywood - is often being obscured by the smoke-and-mirrors of the screaming socio-political zeitgeist.

Next X-Men ?

The original movies, with Stewart, McKellan, Marsdon, Janssen, Jackman, Romijn-Stamos, Barry, Grammar, etc. were awesome, and X-Men First Class was one of the four best movie prequels I've watched, along with Star Wars Episodes 1-3. I can't see any good of the MCU remaking them, all things considered.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Captain America: Brave New World in 5-D -

Captain America: Brave New World is a mess — but the ‘5D’ version I saw was even messier​

What happened at a ‘Collateral Stains Screening’ of Marvel’s latest
by Michael McWhertor

Marvel’s new MCU installment Captain America: Brave New World was beset by production delays and big, story-shifting reshoots. The end result is kind of a mess. That mess was compounded during a “5D” screening of the movie I saw on Thursday night, which turned the traditional theatergoing experience into an event where I was caked with mud and nasally assaulted with perfume that would make Tom Haverford weep. It also may have permanently ruined a Uniqlo hoodie I kind of liked.

Never heard of a 5D screening? The label is pure marketing. While 3D movies offer an immersive stereoscopic illusion of depth, and 4D(X) movies toss viewers around in sync with on-screen action, 5D amplifies the theater experience by adding falling leaves and confetti, strobing lights, and sprays of mud and water that require wearing face shields during viewings. (One does not need to understand five-dimensional superstring theory to experience 5D cinema.)

I can thank the people at Tide — yes, the laundry detergent people — for my promotional 5D “Collateral Stains Screening” of Captain America: Brave New World, which took place at an event venue (not a traditional movie theater) in Brooklyn. I was warned ahead of time that things would get messy, and that I should maybe wear something I was “OK with getting dirty.” I was promised restorative Tide Pods on my way out.

I was also given a Tide-branded face shield to prevent eye injury or blindness. Noting the multiple stain-launching cannons aimed at the audience, I was happy to wear it.

The extra-immersive Captain America: Brave New World screening started out tame. When Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) took the stage at an election event in the film’s opening moments, paper confetti rained down from the ceiling, matching the storm of paper on screen. Later, during a scene where falling cherry blossoms become important to the story, paper flowers would be dropped on us.

The first real assault came when Captain America touched down on the grounds of a church in Mexico, where terrorists were holding a group of hostages. As he landed, sprays of dirt pellets were shot at the audience. This isn’t so bad, I thought. My off-white hoodie and weatherproof Solotex pants can handle this, no problem.

Later, when Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) were traveling to the White House by limo, and someone commented on Bradley’s cologne, the room became thick with an eye-watering perfume. During a big action set piece in the Indian Ocean, the room was splashed with spritzes of water. Things got really bad during the third-act battle between Cap and Red Hulk, when attendees were viciously, repeatedly sprayed with what appeared to be mud (or wet potting soil).

I’m not gonna front: This was fun. I would even call this an improvement on the standard Captain America: Brave New World viewing experience. It was not unlike going to a Gwar show, where regardless of whether you appreciate the artistic merits of what’s in front of you, the camaraderie and novelty of being part of a consensually stained audience is enjoyable.


My wife, who attended the screening with me in a disposable cardigan and black leggings, similarly enjoyed the experience, despite coming home with mud-caked hair. Other plusses: We both got comped prescreening hot dogs, and we got to refund our existing Captain America: Brave New World tickets purchased for an Alamo Drafthouse screening. That’s $40.98 back in my pocket.

However, I am now down one wearable-in-public Uniqlo hoodie. Try as it might, the juicy Tide Pod that bravely tried to clean my clothes of wet Miracle-Gro potting mix came up short — it could not save the hoodie, which is now speckled with forever-stains. (It is currently sitting in a six-hour soak of OxiClean, awaiting a second Tide Pod attempt.)

I knew I was probably likely to sacrifice some clothing going in. As did other attendees, clearly, many of whom wore all white (or all light colors) to make the 5D screening more memorable. I was thinking of a hoodie upgrade anyway, and this was the perfect excuse to say goodbye to the old one. Frankly, this Gallagher-esque 5D screening silliness should be more commonplace. I wish I’d seen Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that way — Marvel Studios’ recent output of meandering, politically toothless stories at least have a little more punch when something tangible is hitting you in the face.

 

[lymond]

If anyone who frequents this thread even occasionally hasn't yet watched Daredevil (2015), I will be heading up a new government agency tasked with rounding you all up shortly.

Seriously, though. No more waiting. Daredevil is probably my #1 MCU project/product, and one of my favorite tv series of all time, regardless of genre. I think Vincent D'Onofrio is the best performance as a villain in the entire MCU, and one of the best supervillains in all of live-action superhero film & television. I might rank him 2nd, behind Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Speaking of The Dark Knight, Daredevil wouldn't exist without it. If you liked or loved The Dark Knight, Daredevil is practically a sequel, but longer and with better character-development. Also, the fight scenes are [flipping] unhinged, some of the best in all of action-movie history. There's one fight in particular in the first season that I think literally deserves to be in the movie-making textbooks. People tend to over-use the term "instant classic", but this one really deserved to be called that.

Just watching the 1st-season trailer again is literally giving me goosebumps. I suspect Daredevil: Born Again will be written as a jumping-on point for people who never watched the first 3 seasons, as it should be, but I do think season 1 will give you the background for that series, in addition to just being amazing in its own right.

One caveat: This show is mega-[freaking]-violent. Not "comic book"-violent, either. Not Sam Raimi-style funny-violent. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and trips to the emergency room. It's like a UFC fight, with no referee. Daredevil [screws] people up. (And then Frank "The Punisher" Castle shows up in season 2, and folks are lucky to only end up in the hospital.)

speak it, brotha!!! That fight seen was amazing and I know exactly the one you refer to. 2nd season was also really good, but the 3rd season almost equaled the first in quality. (Also, good to see you)

 

[Clubber Lang]

Dare-Devil to be joined by Da Defenders (maybe) -

Marvel Studios “Exploring” Bringing Back Jessica Jones, Luke Cage & Iron Fist​

With the return of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios‘ Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum shared an update on the rest of The Defenders.

In a new interview, Winderbaum said Marvel is “exploring” bringing back Krysten Ritter‘s Jessica Jones, Mike Colter‘s Luke Cage, and Finn Jones‘ Iron Fist.

“I can’t say much, but I’ll tell you that it’s so exciting to be able to play in that sandbox,” Winderbaum told Entertainment Weekly. “Obviously we don’t have the unlimited storytelling resources like a comic book. If you can draw it, you can do it.”


He continued, “It’s dealing with actors and time and the massive scale of production in order to build a cinematic universe, especially on television. But I can just say that all those variables taken into account, it is certainly something that is creatively extremely exciting and that we are very much exploring.”

Before launching Disney+, Marvel Studios partnered with Netflix to develop several series based on these comic book characters. Cox starred in Daredevil for three seasons between 2015 and 2018, Jessica Jones ran for three seasons between 2015 and 2019, Luke Cage ran for two seasons between 2016 and 2018, and Iron Fist ran for two seasons between 2017 and 2018. All of the characters assembled in the 2017 miniseries The Defenders.

The shows did not continue as Marvel prioritized producing shows directly for Disney+.

In 2024, Ritter said she was down to reprise her Jessica Jones role after Winderbaum said at the D23 Brazil Expo he was open to having the character return.

“Brad Winderbaum said that? That’s really exciting to hear. Isn’t that the guy who makes the call?” she told ComicBook during an interview for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. “Come on, Brad! Let’s get it going. Let’s do it. I’ll be ready.”

Jessica Jones was a series created by Melissa Rosenberg that ran for three seasons on Netflix and was set within the Marcel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The series follows Ritter as the titled character, an ex-superhero who opens her detective agency. Jessica Jones was part of a larger storyline that led to the limited series The Defenders, which included characters like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron First.

 

[Synobun]

I didn't mind Iron Fist for what it was. Completely unmemorable, but perfectly digestible. Jones and Cage, though, desperately need some kind of narrative focus. I think I'm harsher on them because I know they're capable of more, with the right direction. Kilgrave was a wonderful villain, but he was only so wonderful because of how he played off of Jones. And the same applies to Cage and his early villains.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Most entertaining baddie outta them Defender shows -

(Cotton-Mouth)
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Take a look at the latest 'Demons' Teaser Trailer for Daredevil: Born Again, the latest installment in the MCU and Daredevil's continuation from the Netflix series distributed by Marvel Studios. Matt Murdock returns to balance the scales of grace and retribution.Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities as Daredevil is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm. Meanwhile, former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York by day still holds on to his dark and troubled side as the Kingpin. Both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course once their past identities begin to emerge once more into the spotlight setting the stage for their first encounter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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DD/Avengers -

How Daredevil rescued Charlie Cox

A decade after the Marvel series changed the actor’s life, the show is back (or as Disney+ has it, Born Again) prompting fans to once again ask: why isn’t Cox far more famous?

www.gq-magazine.co.uk

 

[Clubber Lang]

My first introduction to Dare-Devil/Matt Murdock was him reppin as Spidey's blind lawyer :

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DD:BA -

Daredevil: Born Again Review
After an unthinkable tragedy, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) ceases his Daredevil activities. A year later, the return of longtime adversary and soon-to-be newly elected Mayor of New York City Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) threatens to coax him out of vigilante retirement.

****
4/5

Episodes Viewed: 9 of 9
Streaming On: Disney+

It’s been a decade since we were first introduced to Charlie Cox’s Daredevil on Netflix. With its gripping hero/villain dynamic, note-perfect performances, and intense, ambitious action, it was a superhero series which quickly put itself on the map. Though it was abruptly cancelled after three seasons in 2018, that show still has a great deal of fans. So it makes a kind of muddled sense that Daredevil: Born Again — which began life as an 18-episode season, unconnected to the earlier iteration — did an about-face midway through production, undergoing a complete creative overhaul that replaced its showrunners and brought back Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). This latest incarnation retains much of what was great about that Netflix run — now confirmed to be part of the wider MCU canon — and adds in just enough fresh elements to keep things interesting.




For those who haven’t been initiated in that earlier show, Born Again just about gives newcomers a jumping-on point, with dialogue solidly recapping past events when necessary. Those already in the know, meanwhile, may initially find the storytelling a bit too broadly familiar at times: the season’s core strand — drawing on the parallels between Daredevil and Kingpin, as they both desperately try to rise above their dark, violent natures — has already been well-mined. But digging deeper, there are more complexities and contradictions to both men that yield rich fruit. This is especially true with Fisk; a plotline dealing with marital issues is excellent, and not the kind of approach you would expect in a show like this.


Just as bone-breakingly brutal and bloody as we’ve come to expect.


That it’s all still compelling is also down to Cox and D’Onofrio. An early scene between Murdock and Fisk as they trade thinly veiled warnings and establish the status quo over coffee is tense, riveting TV, and they constantly prove why they are two of the best casting decisions in Marvel history. You wish they were on screen together more often than the story allows.

New showrunner Dario Scardapane and directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have injected some fresh ideas that feel right at home in Daredevil’s world. For one thing, it takes the people of New York into account more so than any MCU film or show has done in a long while, as various citizens debate the pros and cons of vigilantism, whether or not Fisk can be trusted as Mayor, and much more besides. We get much of that exploration through Matt’s perspective; the season zeroes in on his heightened senses every chance it gets through simple auditory and visual techniques, and it’s incredibly effective.


Born Again also remembers that Matt Murdock is a damn good lawyer. The strongest subplot of the season focuses on Hector Ayala, aka White Tiger (the late Kamar de los Reyes, in a soulful final performance), and it leads to several very strong courtroom sequences, stretching across multiple episodes.



Still, the bread and butter of Daredevil is its action sequences. Any worries that the move from Netflix to Disney+ would mean the show is less violent quickly prove unfounded. The fights are just as bone-breakingly brutal and bloody as we’ve come to expect, with choreography that incorporates Daredevil’s signature billy club in creative ways. The season’s opening skirmish is a thrilling tone-setter that other bouts don’t quite reach, but the standard remains high throughout. That’s true of the show as a whole: it’s a strong overall return to the fold for Nelson and Murdock, Attorneys at Law.

What a relief to have Hell's Kitchen’s finest back. Cox and D’Onofrio power a strong season that feels — more or less — like the Daredevil we know and love.