Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 15741241)

they can do anything now. Bring back Steve Rodgers, anyone who died etc. obviously the first is all the actors who played Spider-Man’s.

If Loki can be a gator and female, let your imagination run wild on other variants. You can have famous people guest appear as a variant. Take any avenger and make them any possible animal. Doesn’t have to be an earth animal or being. There are no limits anymore. They’d better be good variants because the expectations bar has been set.

Originally Posted by Jamie (Post 15741217)

The cliffhanger didn't bother me, there was enough smoke around a season 2 that I was expecting a season finale rather than a series finale. And in that context I think it was well done. It wasn't a bullshit bait and switch cliffhanger, all the plot threads and character arcs we had been following through the season were paid off. It's just that the pay off set up more questions.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 15741244)

Well, I have to say, I didn't really like the opinions of that writer, and especially the Michael Waldron quotes. He seems to be saying the exact opposite of how Time Travel worked in Endgame, so if he's going to rewrite those rules, I just hope that it doesn't cheapen Tony Stark or Natasha's sacrifice or ruin Cap's chance at happiness with Peggy.

That's also the first time that I've heard that What If...could actually be part of the MCU and not just a fun side project.

The Infinity Saga wasn't like Star Wars Episodes 7-9, in which the overwhelming majority of fans would love to see them wiped from canon. Endgame was beloved by most people, including me, which is why it's the largest grossing movie of all time.

And while the writer thought that all of the exposition by Jonathan Majors worked, I felt the opposite. It was a plot device that was necessary because at the time of filming, Season 2 was a pipedream, so the only way to make the series work in 6 episodes was to have all of that exposition so that the viewers would know what's happening. To me, that's really, really poor planning on Marvel's part and a bit of a shock because everything else to date has been so meticulously planned.

It's weird because the entire series seemed to be moving at a snail's pace, then all of the sudden, BOOM!, we find out what's really going on in less than 20 minutes yet we won't won't find out how it concludes for quite some time. The more I think about it, the less I trust these Marvel TV series to do anything other than bridge the gaps between the movies to keep the "consumer" interested.

This is actually beginning to bum me out so I'll stop now. Ugh.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 15741245)

But that also means that what came before is mostly meaningless or could be rendered meaningless.

Originally Posted by KC_Connection (Post 15741255)

I’m not exactly expecting the height of television when I’m watching a MCU series, though, and partially because of exactly what you describe. If it is interesting and entertaining, though, that’s enough for me. I think Loki more than accomplished that as a show in itself while also paving the way for Stage 4 of the MCU.

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 15741258)

that’s what they are doing. There is not a single MCU. There are just not one but many multi-verse’s.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 15741259)

My expectations come from several factors including Kevin Feige, the directors hired, the producers, screenwriters, showrunners, cast, composers and maybe most importantly, the budget.

If these shows were given typical network budgets, like those of Agent Carter and Agents of Shield, my expectations would be on par with those programs. But when Marvel is shelling out $150 million or more (not including marketing) for around 5 hours of screen time, my expectations rise accordingly.

And sure, Loki "paved the way" for entry into Phase 4 and Kang, it did so in the most awkward and strange way possible for a production with a $125+ million budget: 20 minutes of exposition by the bad guy.

I'll shut up now. :D

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 15741264)

Well, if they end up ****ing over the original Avengers and the Infinity Saga the way Lucasfilm ****ed over Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, stockholders should expect to see Disney's numbers plummet.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 15741245)

But that also means that what came before is mostly meaningless or could be rendered meaningless.

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare (Post 15741059)

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well…time to prepare for the Multiversal War! 🤗</p>&mdash; Miss Minutes (@MissMinutesTVA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissMinutesTVA/status/1415346903286419460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>