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[RCU005]

With the new series coming soon, and looking amazing, I started thinking that Marvel Studios have many What Ifs when it comes to their movies that could've gone in a very different directions. Let's look at some of them:

-Recasting War Machine in Iron Man 2
This was the first, I believe. It is not a big one, and it turned out great. However, things could've been different had they kept Howard Terrace.

- Recasting the Hulk
This is a big one. How things would be now if Edward Norton didn't leave?

- Sony and Marvel's deal with Spider-Man
This one is huge because the MCU would be completely different now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Civil War was announced before any deal with Spider-Man was on the table. So they already had a different vision for the movie and was changed because of the deal. Also, Infinity War and Endgame would've been very different (which I believe they were announced at the same time, too.)

- COVID-19
It changed the movie dates and the order of the release date. Right now, we should've have gotten Eternals, Shang Chi, Thor Love and Thunder, etc. Also, maybe the success of the Disney+ shows were mostly due to everyone being confined to their homes. What would it be if COVID-19 didn't exist?

- Chadwick Boseman's passing
This is the biggest of them all. Chad's passing has put a complete turn in MCU's future. One that we will probably never know, but Marvel very likely had to change many things in how the 4th and 5th phase develops. I remember Kevin Feige saying that Black Panther was going to be the most important character moving forward after Endgame.

What other events do you think have changed the MCU for better or for worse? Many events have definitely created what the TVA calls Nexus events and create different timelines and What if moments.

 

[ManaByte]

- COVID-19
It changed the movie dates and the order of the release date. Right now, we should've have gotten Eternals, Shang Chi, Thor Love and Thunder, etc. Also, maybe the success of the Disney+ shows were mostly due to everyone being confined to their homes. What would it be if COVID-19 didn't exist?

The only thing this changed was the order of introduction for the Thunderbolts. Originally Black Widow was first followed by Falcon. That was swapped due to the dates changing.

 

[kunonabi]

Knowing Howard he would have been recast eventually. Maybe he gets his own spinoff earlier but I doubt it.

Norton would have bailed regardless once they started turning the Hulk into useless comic relief.

No Spider-Man would have been a positive. The Stark/Peter relationship doesn't add that much to Stark really and it's completely crippled this iteration of Spider-Man. Yeah, you lose the "death" scene but eh.

Boseman is indeed the big one. BP2 was the one film post-endgame that I would have gone to see but now there just isn't any point.

I'd add the whole Edgar Wright Ant-Man fiasco.

 

[Pagusas]

- Sony and Marvel's deal with Spider-Man
This one is huge because the MCU would be completely different now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Civil War was announced before any deal with Spider-Man was on the table. So they already had a different vision for the movie and was changed because of the deal. Also, Infinity War and Endgame would've been very different (which I believe they were announced at the same time, too.)

Civil War litterally just forced Spiderman into a few shots and gave him a 5 minute "cut to New York randomly" section. It was obviously tacted on. Remove him from Civil War and the movie doesn't change AT ALL. Literally all he does is Distract the B team of Falcon and Winter Solder for a few minutes.

You could replace him in Infinity War with Rhodes or Pepper or someone else Tony cared about, he really didnt contribute anything other than an emotional thread for Tony. In End Game he has 3 scenes, easy to remove him and not change a thing.

So no Spider-man didn't really do anything to change the movies and they'd hardly be any different without him.

 

[evolvaer]

Nothing would have fundamentally changed.

 

[DeafTourette]

Did anyone watch the first episode today?

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

yes, it was trash imo. Bored out of my mind. Captain america is strong, but not strong as captain carter lol, she was stronger than the hulk almost.

 

[ManaByte]

yes, it was trash imo. Bored out of my mind. Captain america is strong, but not strong as captain carter lol, she was stronger than the hulk almost.

 

[Little Mac]

I thought it was fun. It did seem she got like twice the super soldier serum dosage as Capt did cause she was straight up she hulking the !@#$ out of nazis. Regardless, animation was very good and it was entertaining. Looking forward to more. 8/10

 

[Seraphym]

I thought it was fun. It did seem she got like twice the super soldier serum dosage as Capt did cause she was straight up she hulking the !@#$ out of nazis. Regardless, animation was very good and it was entertaining. Looking forward to more. 8/10

Pretty much my thoughts too.

 

[ManaByte]

So was that Shuma Gorath?

 

[DeafTourette]

I thought it was fun. It did seem she got like twice the super soldier serum dosage as Capt did cause she was straight up she hulking the !@#$ out of nazis. Regardless, animation was very good and it was entertaining. Looking forward to more. 8/10

Steve pulls back a lot... Like Superman. He's as strong as Captain Carter. He just doesn't like to show off. Remember the helicopter?

 

[DeafTourette]

So was that Shuma Gorath?

I think so

 

[ManaByte]

I think so

 

[SidViscous]

I'd love to hear Jeffrey Wright ask the question of "What if Brie Larson has an arse?"

 

[sol_bad]

It was a lot of fun seeing Carter kick a lot of arse. It's not anything mind blowing but it has cool animation and it was fun to see the differences that occurred.

Spoiler

Like Red Skull figuring out the Tesseract was a portal device instead of just being a battery. It was a bit sad that Peggy and Steve were destined not to be together again.

No idea if it was Shuman Gorath but I honestly don't think it matters.
My wife said as soon as the episode ended that the anti-woke crowd and women haters are going to hate it. LOL

 

[AJUMP23]

Peggy Carter still hot. I thought the first episode was fine. Fun to explore alternate realities.

 

[intbal]

It's a shame Disney no longer has the rights. I'd have liked to have seen my favorite issue of What If?

Spoiler

Edit: Had to change my image host. They busted me for bare posting, I guess.

 

[ManaByte]

It's a shame Disney no longer has the rights. I'd have liked to have seen my favorite issue of What If?

Spoiler

Marvel actually has the comic rights again. Just not the movies.

 

[Yoboman]

I thought it was fun. It did seem she got like twice the super soldier serum dosage as Capt did cause she was straight up she hulking the !@#$ out of nazis. Regardless, animation was very good and it was entertaining. Looking forward to more. 8/10

I like how the action was presented - that should basically be how Cap should have been kicking ass since the start

Obviously harder in live action than a cartoon though

 

[Neolombax]

I liked the 1st episode. Animation was top tier, actions scenes really flow well. I didn't like the plot that much, I never really found Cap's story to be interesting in the first place but it was cool to see the differences. That Shuma Gorath (?) appearance was a pleasant surprise. The only thing I'm not sure about though is how Red Skull came to be since he didn't actually get the Tessarect early on or the super soldier serum?

 

[DeafTourette]

I liked the 1st episode. Animation was top tier, actions scenes really flow well. I didn't like the plot that much, I never really found Cap's story to be interesting in the first place but it was cool to see the differences. That Shuma Gorath (?) appearance was a pleasant surprise. The only thing I'm not sure about though is how Red Skull came to be since he didn't actually get the Tessarect early on or the super soldier serum?

Red Skull was the first to take the serum. And because he was so twisted, corrupt and evil, it changed his face. He just wore the skin mask most of The First Avenger.

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

I probably missed something, but how did the red skull get the tesseract back after carter took it of them when attacking the convoy?

 

[Mihos]

Have to say, I kind of hated it.... To be fair, I never liked the 'what if' comics either.
I was fine with captain Carter, but tesseract iron Man suit for Steve made no sense. Neither did red skulls 'plan'

 

[sol_bad]

I probably missed something, but how did the red skull get the tesseract back after carter took it of them when attacking the convoy?

Spoiler

The Tesseractpowered Steve's suit, so when they captured him they acquired the Tesseract.

 

[Papacheeks]

I hated how she automatically called herself captain carter in terms of rank.

CAPTAIN AMERICA was the moniker given to steve as a joke because he played captain america on the USO tour. Other than that it was super fun. Actino scenes were great, but peggy seemed way op compared to steve.

 

[Keihart]

Saw the first episode yesterday. The animation was kinda shit in a Max Steel kind of way.
The costume looked kinda awkward and looked ugly when animated, since the costume was new, they should've of known better since they already knew how it was going to be animated.

 

[DeafTourette]

I hated how she automatically called herself captain carter in terms of rank.

CAPTAIN AMERICA was the moniker given to steve as a joke because he played captain america on the USO tour. Other than that it was super fun. Actino scenes were great, but peggy seemed way op compared to steve.

Her and Steve are pretty comparable strength-wise. The difference is, Peggy was a trained soldier already. She was an experienced fighter so it seems she was "OP".

I liked how they made it more explicit that she liked Steve as he was before the super soldier serum. It was more explicit here than in the First Avenger.

 

[ArgleBargleFooferah]

Did anyone watch the first episode today?

I was honestly shocked they kept her straight.

 

[sol_bad]

I was honestly shocked they kept her straight.

Why? She's straight in the movies.

 

[ManaByte]

Ok, the Star-Lord episode is probably going to be the best one. Not sure how you top that one.

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

Second episode much better than last one.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

I'm not really interested in this one. First MCU Disney+ show I haven't watched in the first few days and Loki didn't do much for me.

I like animation, but only when it is full blown, smooth, luscious animation. Old school anime like Akira and Ninja Scroll pretty much ruined Western cartoons for me. The animation often feels like an actual afterthought in cartoons these days. Like studios want to get the story to us through the cheapest possible vessel and are being forced to animate it. Not for me. Attractive animation should be the number one priority for a cartoon. I'm looking at you, DC, with your direct-to-dvd movies that look like they came from the Newgrounds Flash website in 2001.

It looks like they tried to give this a unique look and maybe the animation is top notch, but I didn't gravitate towards it in the previews. What really bummed me out was reading an article the other day, that said the writers proposed a "body horror" story, involving Spider-Man turning into a Spider, but it was turned down for being "too dark." No fun allowed.

 

[ManaByte]

I'm not really interested in this one. First MCU Disney+ show I haven't watched in the first few days and Loki didn't do much for me.

I like animation, but only when it is full blown, smooth, luscious animation. Old school anime like Akira and Ninja Scroll pretty much ruined Western cartoons for me. The animation often feels like an actual afterthought in cartoons these days. Like studios want to get the story to us through the cheapest possible vessel and are being forced to animate it. Not for me. Attractive animation should be the number one priority for a cartoon. I'm looking at you, DC, with your direct-to-dvd movies that look like they came from the Newgrounds Flash website in 2001.

It looks like they tried to give this a unique look and maybe the animation is top notch, but I didn't gravitate towards it in the previews. What really bummed me out was reading an article the other day, that said the writers proposed a "body horror" story, involving Spider-Man turning into a Spider, but it was turned down for being "too dark." No fun allowed.

"I haven't watched this show, but I am going to post and complain about it anyways."

 

[Nobody_Important]

"I haven't watched this show, but I am going to post and complain about it anyways."

How media is discussed on the internet in a nutshell.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

"I haven't watched this show, but I am going to post and complain about it anyways."

The preview footage is enough to give you an idea regarding the animation quality. I even said "It looks like they tried to give this a unique look and maybe the animation is top notch, but I didn't gravitate towards it in the previews".

My complaints were regarding the state of modern animation is most western cartoons. Such as the DC ones I mentioned. As well as the plot they turned down for being "too dark". It's fair to be disappointed by that without watching the cartoon, my friend.

You having a bad day? Feels pretty defensive on your part.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

How media is discussed on the internet in a nutshell.

You're getting yourself worked up for nothing. I specifically referred to "the preview" when discussing my feelings on the animation. I did watch the preview.

I even:

1. gave the show props by calling out the unique look and

2. tempered my comments, by stating the fact that there is a lot I haven't seen.

Some of you guys just seem ready to pounce.

 

[TDiddyLive]

You having a bad day? Feels pretty defensive on your part.

Says the guy that posted twice back to back to defend his comment.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Says the guy that posted twice back to back to defend his comment.

When someone attacks you for your comments, in the way that misinterprets what you said, it's not quite the same thing as coming back and defending what you actually said. Not sure whether you get that.

You're not really adding anything meaningful to the discussion though, if that's all you have to say. Maybe add something besides the little jab.

 

[sol_bad]

Second episode was better. Wasn't expecting to see Thanos in that manner!
It did feel a bit more cartoony in a few scenes compared to the first episode though.

 

[Little Mac]

Just watch it and thought it was a lot of fun. Had a lot of cameos and nostalgia from the movies. 8.25/10.

 

[Filth]

personally not feeling these shows at all. :/

 

[ManaByte]

 

[jason10mm]

That is a TERRIBLE choice of perspective.

What if..... Ant-man gave Thanos a colonoscopy??

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Watched the first two episodes. Still don't like the animation, but there were some cool surprises that I appreciated.

It seems like they're putting a good effort into this but I don't love it. I'm checking out for now. I'll tune in for the Spider-Man episode.

 

[ManaByte]

I'll tune in for the Spider-Man episode.

Too bad Sony wouldn't let Holland voice Spider-Man in that one.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Too bad Sony wouldn't let Holland voice Spider-Man in that one.

Yeah, it's too bad.
I also wish they could have done the body horror plot.

I'm still wondering what Tom Holland's second appearance, from the contract re-up, will be.

 

[ManaByte]

Yeah, it's too bad.
I also wish they could have done the body horror plot.

I'm still wondering what Tom Holland's second appearance, from the contract re-up, will be.

I wouldn't put too much stock in there just being one more. As long as Sony is allowed to use the MCU characters (like Vulture) in their shitty spin off movies and use Spider-Man he'll continue to be in MCU movies. Feige already confirmed Spider-Man will jump over to the Sony universe when the new deal was announced:

”[Spider-Man] also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”

 

[SafeOrAlone]

I wouldn't put too much stock in there just being one more. As long as Sony is allowed to use the MCU characters (like Vulture) in their shitty spin off movies and use Spider-Man he'll continue to be in MCU movies. Feige already confirmed Spider-Man will jump over to the Sony universe when the new deal was announced:

I think they’ll renew the contract, but for now there is just one on the plate so I assumed that they already know what it is.
Plans could be up in the air, knowing the way they work though.

 

[jason10mm]

I liked ep 2 quite a bit. It was fun, lots of character cameos, and my kid just loved the crap out of it. The wakandan accent is REALLY hard to hear without live action though, we had to use subtitles.

Gonna spool Howard the Duck up this weekend. If it is on a streaming platform at least.