Black Widow (2021)

This may be controversial… but The Marvels is actually one of the best movies in the MCU.

There was a time when comic books were not only geeky, but a total "guy thing." Whenever I hear conversations about superheroes, it would be two guys arguing about whether Batman can take down Superman. I will admit my love of comics did come from watching comic-book film adaptations, but once I realized there weren't enough superheroes being represented on the big screen, particularly super heroines, I decided to do a little research of my own. It turns out that all the superhero films I grew up watching were directed by men, and the comic book nerds were mostly young boys and older men. Of course, there are young girls and women who are into comics, but it would make sense for them to feel overshadowed by the overbearing masculinity in the comic book industry, and by Marvel Studios. But, all that has changed. As many of us know, Marvel Studios has taken an interest in women-led superhero films, but some of us are oblivious to the women behind the camera and the pen. In this article, we'll be discussing women in Marvel, including women directors of Marvel films, women show runners, and writers of Marvel series. [Texts bolded in red are links to Marvel.com]

Before Captain Marvel was adapted in to a film, I remember seeing a comic book of a superhero with blonde, short hair, labeled Captain Marvel, and my first thought was, she must be the most powerful superhero if she's named after Marvel Comics. The point is I didn’t know much about her, and sometimes, when I see a superhero onscreen that I’m not familiar with, my expectations aren’t that high. But, there was no disappointment in watching Captain Marvel. My only disappointment is that not enough people are talking about this Superhero film. Not like the recent Marvel superhero films. This film has been directed by the filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. This means, technically, Captain Marvel is the first Marvel superhero film to be directed by a woman.

That quote by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) in her first scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the center of my argument against the MCU’s latest feature film. Directed by Sam Raimi, it follows Maximoff’s efforts to return to the life we saw her living in the second half of WandaVision with her kids and her conflict with Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for said efforts. So it's essentially a film about how Wanda process grief. And yet, the film is set in Dr. Strange's universe, with him in the pivotal role. Yet, his role is pivotal only in the sense of somewhat being the protagonist and having his name in the film. The central character who goes through the most changes and puts things into motion is Wanda. So the name of the film itself is an example of how the woman's story is for some reason being told from another man's perspective. It’s like saying Wanda does warrant a series on Disney+ but as far as theatrical releases go, even if it’s about her and Dr. Strange just happens to be there, he deserves to serve as the agency for her development and deserves to be the protagonist of her story. I’m terribly disappointed in MCU for the direction of the narrative in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

For anyone yet to see the film, what follows contains MAJOR SPOILERS for both WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

To start off, Wanda’s first contact with any of her co-Avengers since Avengers: Endgame is with Dr. Strange now, after the whole affair at Westview. And that too just because Dr. Strange needs her help. And he does the most man thing to do - reminds her that her children weren't real and she should stop her crusade to replace a Wanda from another universe so she can spend time with that Wanda's children. Now, Wanda’s jibe at Strange, which is quoted at the beginning of the article can be interpreted as a critique of the way toxic masculinity always turns the narrative on its head when a woman is involved. However, there is no question about morality presented. It’s through Wanda that we’re given an in-depth look at how a mother grieves the loss of her children, but its expression isn’t seen as grey. It’s clear that her modus operandi of dealing with losing her children must be condemned. Her actions could have apocalyptic consequences and we shouldn’t be seeing her as a grieving mother but as a possessed villainess or Witch to play along with her alter-ego name. So while the quote from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with which I started the article acknowledges the double standards set by the patriarchy, the film itself has double standards.

Why I say it has double standards is because Dr. Strange wasn’t seen as the villain and neither was Spider-man in Spider-man: No Way Home. While your best friends not getting into their dream college for no fault of theirs is heartbreaking for a career-focused student, using forbidden sorcery to deal with that is treated as a desperate measure but not a villainous act. After the spell is messed up and multiversal consequences happen, it’s seen as an unfortunate fallout of an honest but misdirected attempt but Peter is clearly not treated as an antagonist. And yet, Wanda’s use of forbidden magic to deal with the loss of her children is not to be condoned. The opening quote of this article is essentially self-explanatory but I want to argue that this obvious lack of consideration for Wanda insinuates it’s not just her co-Avengers, but her writers who aren’t really concerned about her and dehumanize her for having magical powers. She’s supposed to be in control as an adult with powers that can have catastrophic effects, even in a period of extreme emotional turmoil for her, and especially without any genuine support, which I might add Peter Parker had a lot of. She clearly needs a rest from the world but no one's offering her an alternative to the desperate efforts she's making to deal with her grief while blaming her for not being dysfunctional.

In fact, this isn’t just a sexist matter. Stress leaves are a real thing. And for good reason. Expecting and demanding full functionality during a time when someone is emotionally or physically compromised is a consequence of Capitalism. There are also mental health resources available to anyone who feels unable to function at their usual level on a daily basis. And despite featuring a therapy arc on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, MCU decided not to give Wanda an arc about that. It’s like everything learned during sensitivity training shouldn’t apply to one of the few meaningful female characters in the universe. She is extremely traumatized, with each new traumatizing event piling on the other with barely any time between them, which is universal to almost every MCU character at this point. It feels regressive that Wanda isn't given any means to properly heal from her trauma and develop as a character. What’s worse, as if to give her a feminist narrative, her hunt is just for her kids and no longer for Vision even if keeping Vision alive had been the reason behind everything that happened in WandaVision, since that would apparently imply that Wanda doesn’t need a man in her life to make her feel fulfilled.

The Hawkeye season finale wraps everything up in a neat bow just in time for Christmas, though somewhat disappointingly. Spoilers ahead!

Episode six begins with a meeting between Eleanor Bishop and Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin. Fisk plays a huge role in this episode in person. I’m so happy to see Vincent D’Onofrio back in this role; he is the perfect Kingpin. During the meeting, Eleanor lays out rather obviously for the audience all that she’s done and why: she’s killed Armand, framed Jack, and laundered money all to repay a debt owed by her late husband to Fisk. Now Kate has come too close to finding out the truth, which puts her in danger. That’s where Eleanor draws the line, and she tells Fisk she’s leaving the business. Fisk tries to get her to stay, but Eleanor reveals she has backups of his files as leverage, and she exits. 

Maya later comes to Fisk. Fisk is dressed in a horrendous outfit consisting of an aloha shirt ripped straight out of the comics. This is one case in which I have to go against comic book accuracy. This outfit does not match with this character, or at least with the one we know from Daredevil. He looks tacky, cheap, and silly—three things Wilson Fisk never should be. In Daredevil, Fisk’s style is sleek, modern, and minimalistic. 

Maya communicates with Fisk with Kazi as an interpreter, using her best poker face to tell him she’s given up on hunting the Ronin. Fisk responds to her verbally and uses some basic ASL as well, which is a nice touch to establish their relationship. They exchange signed “I love you”’s, giving us a little glimpse into their supposed father-daughter bond, leaving me more curious about their relationship. But Maya knows that Fisk had her father killed. After she leaves, Fisk complains about all his problems, Maya now being one of them. Thankfully, the show makes him smart enough to see Maya’s turned on him. He plans to hurt Eleanor Bishop and Maya for what they’ve done to him. 

Back to the Hawkeyes: Clint and Kate make a ton of trick arrows in preparation for their confrontation. At the holiday party, everyone is in attendance. Clint and Kate come dressed immaculately. Eleanor arrives and Kate tries to keep her out of trouble. Jack appears, fresh out of jail and now wielding a sword. I guess he’s not a villain after all; he’s just a guy with a weird love of swords. The LARPers come as backup disguised as waitstaff. Kazi stands outside as a sniper. Finally, Yelena Belova arrives in a striking green coat on her mission to kill Clint Barton. 

In the penultimate episode of Hawkeye, Clint faces his sins, Kate has dinner with an assassin, and "the big guy" is finally revealed. Spoilers ahead!

This episode begins with another strong cold open. Some time after the events of Black Widow, Yelena is on a mission to give the antidote to brainwashed Black Widows. She finds a Widow who isn’t brainwashed—in fact, she’s rich from working as a mercenary. After Natasha is brought up, Yelena excuses herself to the bathroom where she is snapped to dust, then almost instantaneously blipped back to life. Here, everything is shown from the snapped person’s perspective. Yelena witnesses the room changing around her, the paint peeling away as she reappears. Yelena comes out from the bathroom, learns she’s lost five years, and immediately thinks of Natasha. But she’s returned to a world where her sister is gone.

Returning to our present story, Kate comes home with her tail between her legs, having been rejected by her hero. Her mother patches her up and tries to get her mind off it. Every moment Eleanor Bishop is onscreen it feels like she’s planning something nefarious, especially when speaking to her daughter. What is she planning?

Kate also tells her mother she and Clint discovered Jack owns a suspicious shell company. Eleanor doesn’t look the least bit surprised or concerned, but promises her daughter she’ll look into it. I’m surprised Kate wasn’t more curious about her mother’s nonreaction. 

Meanwhile, Kazi patches Maya up and promises to help her kill the Ronin. There almost seems to be an unnecessary hint of romance between the two of them, probably inserted into the story to make Kazi’s betrayal all the more upsetting for Maya. 

Author: Nathanael Molnár, originally published [4/26/2020]

It was Friday, April 26th, 2019. I was sitting in the AMC Dolby Theater, my friends on either side of me. Everyone in the theater was buzzing, excited. A couple of people walked in with light-up arc reactors pinned to their chests. The lights came down, and the iconic Marvel Studios theme blasted through the theater. The audience cheered; everyone was giddy and ready for what we had all been patiently waiting for since May 2nd, 2008. Avengers: Endgame, the fulfillment of the promise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s strange to think that Endgame came out a full year ago. I’ve been a fan of the MCU from the very beginning. As a life-long comic book fan, following the unfolding and the blossoming of this entire cinematic universe has been truly magical. It’s something that I’m still surprised we get to see and enjoy. I believe the MCU redefined the comic book movie genre. Comic book movies existed before the MCU and were successful before it. However, under the meticulous leadership of Kevin Feige, the MCU gave us something radically different (current list of all MCU films 2021).

It brought to life the long-form storytelling of comic books, the character arcs that span years, and the meshing of different worlds. In the medium of film, the MCU captured the feeling of reading comic books spanning decades, following characters in their own stories, and then following them into their larger team-ups. Sure, there were the X-Men movies that revitalized the genre when Batman & Robin had essentially killed it. Spider-Man brought whimsy back into the genre, and Batman Begins established realism. It was the MCU that brought consistent continuity, long-form story arcs, and a balance of bombastic spectacle action and genuine character growth and development.

As successful as the MCU became, as popular as The Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy or Black Panther became, the entirety of this 22 movie experiment hinged on its conclusion. If the MCU didn’t deliver a satisfying conclusion to what this entire thing had been building towards, everyone would have walked away disappointed. Sure, we would still revere the individual films we loved, but the MCU as a whole would have far less significance if Endgame had dropped the ball. On April 26th, 2019, Endgame not only did not drop the ball, but it delivered for fans so much that it went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time!

There are so many interwoven stories, themes, character arcs, timelines, and dimensions! In order to keep track of the MCU films and figure out what to watch when, here’s a list of those that have come out – 29 as of now — as well as what's coming up in the next few years. Included are related articles and Incluvie score (and a fun 1.5 minute TikTok).

First is the release order of the MCU films. This is the way Marvel intended the audience to take in the characters and story arcs. After the release list is Incluvie’s own note and style on how to watch!

1. Iron Man (2008)

2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, hit theatres this labor day weekend and has been a box office success so far. Deserving of high praise, this film balances epic superhero action, a heartfelt family-centric plot, and prioritizes positive Asian representation. Spoilers ahead! 

The cast for this film are all extremely talented. Simu Liu’s superhero debut is nothing short of marvelous (pun-intended). Liu has been advocating so much for this film across social media, and it’s been worth it. He is a strong lead in the film, delivering fast and complicated martial arts moves and making it look easy. He’s also solidified his place in many viewers hearts (including this one) as a brand new hero heartthrob after not only his shirtless scene in the fight ring, but also his delivery of little lines throughout the film in which he cares for those around him, particularly Katy (Awkwafina.) 

Liu and Awkwafina have amazing chemistry that make them a fun pair to watch. Whether or not they will become a romantic couple remains to be seen, but their friendship is one of the most believable and realistic ones portrayed in the MCU so far. Awkwafina has perfect comedic timing throughout the film. While it’s wonderful to see a female partner stick along for the entire movie (Katy has lots of screentime), it is somewhat disappointing given the controversy surrounding Awkwafina’s “blaccent.” 

However, there are other amazing actresses in this film, too. Meng’er Zhang as Xialing is a standout. It’s almost unbelievable that this is her first acting credit! She steals every scene she’s in, holding her own against Shang-Chi both as a fighter and as a presence onscreen. And Michelle Yeoh appears as Ying Nan, Shang-Chi’s aunt. Unfortunately, Yeoh is given little to do, but she shines in her few scenes when she’s giving Shang-Chi advice.