A bunch of useless people keep trying to petition Marvel as if they will somehow subvert Marvel's status to promote their cause to replace people or push agendas. So, I decided to create a petition to stop petitions as a joke.
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/967/687/102/
I find it funny.
Showing posts with label Marvel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel. Show all posts
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Bringing Blade into the MCU
Blade holds a unique place in the modern Super Hero genre. Blade, as a character, was not overly popular in the comics. As such, he seemed like a was a strange choice to put into the movie universe. However, from Marvel's point of view, he was a relative unknown quantity that wouldn't hurt the company if the movie failed, unlike a flag ship character like Spiderman or Captain America. David S. Goyer and Stephen Norrington's revisioning of Blade updated the character, bringing him into the 90s modern culture where Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, The Crow and other pop culture influences drove it's visual aesthetic. A year later, The Matrix would come out, putting all the same visual queues into play with trench coats, black leather, unnecessary sunglasses at all times of the day making Corey Hart proud.
Blade received generally bad reviews from critics at the time of it's release, which isn't all that surprising since critics are almost never on the same page as movie-goers. It was a solid success with viewers because it tapped several genres: Super Hero, Anti-Hero, Martial Arts, Horror, Action. It kept the plot simple, the fights sharp, the violence hard. Generally, that's a good recipe to make back the money they spent on the film with some excess, especially when you include a known action star like Wesley Snipes; who was a safe bet in the 90s and had a good track record. Blade's success spawned a few sequels, a TV show and an anime, but eventually fell off the map as the market was saturated with comic movies that were more family friendly and accessible. Blade effectively ushered in the modern super-hero movie by showing that they don't have to be campy or childish, or even made for kids.
Blade succeeded where Dolph Lundgren's Punisher failed as a solid R comic book movie, well before Deadpool hit the screens. In fact, Blade Trinity introduced Ryan Reynolds to the character of Deadpool, allowing him to kick off a more than decade long campaign to get Deadpool made. Blade showed that you can make a serious Super Hero film, paving the way for Spiderman and The Dark Knight. Blade introduced the concept of blending over-the-top action and the supernatural, paving the way for film franchises like The Mummy, Underworld and Resident Evil. (although, to be fair, Buffy the Vampire Slayer did this before Blade. Blade introduced bullet time to popular movie culture for movies like the Matrix, and was adopted by a ridiculous number of movies afterwards. Blade had an incredible impact on movie culture, and will likely never truly be recognized for it.
That said, since the movie's release, conversation resurfaces constantly over whether or not he will be brought back into the MCU now that the rights have reverted back to Marvel. Wesley Snipes has claimed to have conversations with Kevin Feige. 2018 marks the 20 year anniversary of the movie that launched the modern comic movie revolution. Marvel being owned by Disney however, it seems unlikely we'll see Blade in a direct MCU adaptation. Not too mention, it's hard to imagine a character as dark as Blade interacting with the main MCU characters as they are currently known on screen. So, that begs the question: where would Blade fit in?
Netflix has a reputation as the hard outlet for Marvel's darker brands with Daredevil, Jessica Jones and The Punisher. ABC did a great job delivering a dark Ghost Rider, and there are rumors that Gabriel Luna will see a series on Netflix thanks to his impressive outing as the Spirit of Vengeance. In fact, Ghost Rider was passed to Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) by the Good Samaritan, who looked suspiciously like the Johnny Blaze iteration of the Rider. Agents of SHIELD brought Ghost Rider on and also introduced the Darkhold, or the Book of Sins. These pieces put together allow Netflix, should the MCU agree, to put to screen a comic run called the Spirits of Vengeance; a 90s run that crossed paths with a litany of Marvel's darkest characters like Morbius, The Night Stalkers, Midnight Sons, Venom... and Doctor Strange? There's also a 2017 run that includes Blade, along with Satana and Hellstorm. It's almost like Marvel was setting the frame work to use Ghost Rider as a vehicle to introduce Blade. However, with Disney trying to launch it's own streaming service, I question whether they would be willing to extend more deals to Netflix.
Sony's Spiderman-less Venom-based universe in a lot of ways mirrors the original Blade movie. Largely ridiculed by critics, widely embraced by viewers. It's dark, violent and will shortly see Morbius the living vampire sharing their fledgling universe by way of Jared Leto. In one version of Blade's mythology, he and Spiderman go after Morbius and he became the day walker after being bitten by Morbius. It's unclear at this point if Marvel will include Venom into their overall universe because it would relinquish the creative control they've spent years re-acquiring. But, also, where the hell would Marvel use a character like Blade? He's not exactly kid friendly, nor would I want him to be. But, he would fit into a universe like the one recently set up with Tom Hardy's Venom-verse, which is going to be expanded with Silver & Black, Nightwatch and the more relevant Morbius, The Living Vampire.
With Disney's recent acquisition of Fox and it's properties; specifically the R-rated Deadpool, should Disney decide to use the Fox brand as an outlet for the adult related content, it's possible for Blade to show up to play in that sand box. Although, the typical characters he plays with aren't currently owned by Fox. Not to say that they can't make a good film without those play mates, he did fine on his own. It's just if Marvel plans to use him in the larger connected universe somehow, his main play mates are in other places. Although, if paired with Deadpool, the 4th wall jokes alone might be worth it. Especially if Wesley Snipes came back to play the character across from 'that cracker' Ryan Reynolds. Unfortunately, Ryan Reynolds stated he wouldn't work with Wesley Snipes again, so probably no dice there. And, more complicated, that would also retroactively bring in the New Line movies and create a dilemma since Ryan Reynolds also played Hannibal King. Not that Fox has ever given a shit about continuity before.
Less likely, is introducing a season or half-season arc on Agents of SHIELD through ABC. While I'm more inclined to believe that Blade's world works best in a solid R format, ABC's shown via the Ghost Rider arc that they can deliver an effective, brooding, dark story line. However, with the popularity of vampires dying off in recent years following the market OD via Twilight, True Blood, Penny Dreadful, The Vampire Diaries, and more recently The Originals, it might not make the most sense for a TV Show that still needs to worry about ratings. On the other side of the equation, Agents of SHIELD has dealt with aliens, Hydra, LMDs, the Darkhold, time travel, Inhumans, magic, so dipping into the paranormal for 6 to 7 episodes might be exactly what they need to keep things new for Coulson's team. Plus, it won't hurt ratings to have a reason to place a call to their only other known supernatural comrade, Robbie Reyes.
That begs the other question: Who would play Blade? Wesley Snipes continues to be his own press in this regard. If he is actually in talks, I don't necessarily have a problem with seeing Snipes dawn the shades again. The problem with that is, in Blade Trinity, they killed all of the vampires. So, what has Blade been doing? Would they follow the alternate ending with Werewolves? Or maybe he's succumbing to the vampire side of himself, making Blade the main antagonist for a movie or show? All seem unlikely to me. And with Marvel's track record recasting the Punisher and Spiderman for example, it seems more likely that they would have to reboot. Snipes himself points out the obvious issues with this, "There's a lot of pieces that have to come together. I mean wow. Who's that guy? And one that can overcome everybody's preconceived idea of who Blade is supposed to be. Skill wise, there's not a lot of guys out there that dance, that do martial arts, that act well and can have that Blade flavor." All true. Even the part about dancing for the more intricate footwork like we saw in Blade II. In fact, I can really only think of one name. Michael Jae White. Frankly, I think he would make an outstanding Blade. And, unlike Snipes, White has not shown any reservations about doing internet (Mortal Kombat) or television (Arrow), should the move get made to Netflix or even possibly ABC through the vehicle of Agents of SHIELD.
Regardless, I don't think the MCU is suffering without Blade's active presence in the universe. Marvel has the luxury of time to get his story right. He's not a pivotal character to the main universe, but if the MCU wants to expand their darker universe, he will be a strong addition in fleshing that out. As long as he's done correctly.
Blade received generally bad reviews from critics at the time of it's release, which isn't all that surprising since critics are almost never on the same page as movie-goers. It was a solid success with viewers because it tapped several genres: Super Hero, Anti-Hero, Martial Arts, Horror, Action. It kept the plot simple, the fights sharp, the violence hard. Generally, that's a good recipe to make back the money they spent on the film with some excess, especially when you include a known action star like Wesley Snipes; who was a safe bet in the 90s and had a good track record. Blade's success spawned a few sequels, a TV show and an anime, but eventually fell off the map as the market was saturated with comic movies that were more family friendly and accessible. Blade effectively ushered in the modern super-hero movie by showing that they don't have to be campy or childish, or even made for kids.
Blade succeeded where Dolph Lundgren's Punisher failed as a solid R comic book movie, well before Deadpool hit the screens. In fact, Blade Trinity introduced Ryan Reynolds to the character of Deadpool, allowing him to kick off a more than decade long campaign to get Deadpool made. Blade showed that you can make a serious Super Hero film, paving the way for Spiderman and The Dark Knight. Blade introduced the concept of blending over-the-top action and the supernatural, paving the way for film franchises like The Mummy, Underworld and Resident Evil. (although, to be fair, Buffy the Vampire Slayer did this before Blade. Blade introduced bullet time to popular movie culture for movies like the Matrix, and was adopted by a ridiculous number of movies afterwards. Blade had an incredible impact on movie culture, and will likely never truly be recognized for it.
That said, since the movie's release, conversation resurfaces constantly over whether or not he will be brought back into the MCU now that the rights have reverted back to Marvel. Wesley Snipes has claimed to have conversations with Kevin Feige. 2018 marks the 20 year anniversary of the movie that launched the modern comic movie revolution. Marvel being owned by Disney however, it seems unlikely we'll see Blade in a direct MCU adaptation. Not too mention, it's hard to imagine a character as dark as Blade interacting with the main MCU characters as they are currently known on screen. So, that begs the question: where would Blade fit in?
Netflix has a reputation as the hard outlet for Marvel's darker brands with Daredevil, Jessica Jones and The Punisher. ABC did a great job delivering a dark Ghost Rider, and there are rumors that Gabriel Luna will see a series on Netflix thanks to his impressive outing as the Spirit of Vengeance. In fact, Ghost Rider was passed to Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) by the Good Samaritan, who looked suspiciously like the Johnny Blaze iteration of the Rider. Agents of SHIELD brought Ghost Rider on and also introduced the Darkhold, or the Book of Sins. These pieces put together allow Netflix, should the MCU agree, to put to screen a comic run called the Spirits of Vengeance; a 90s run that crossed paths with a litany of Marvel's darkest characters like Morbius, The Night Stalkers, Midnight Sons, Venom... and Doctor Strange? There's also a 2017 run that includes Blade, along with Satana and Hellstorm. It's almost like Marvel was setting the frame work to use Ghost Rider as a vehicle to introduce Blade. However, with Disney trying to launch it's own streaming service, I question whether they would be willing to extend more deals to Netflix.
Sony's Spiderman-less Venom-based universe in a lot of ways mirrors the original Blade movie. Largely ridiculed by critics, widely embraced by viewers. It's dark, violent and will shortly see Morbius the living vampire sharing their fledgling universe by way of Jared Leto. In one version of Blade's mythology, he and Spiderman go after Morbius and he became the day walker after being bitten by Morbius. It's unclear at this point if Marvel will include Venom into their overall universe because it would relinquish the creative control they've spent years re-acquiring. But, also, where the hell would Marvel use a character like Blade? He's not exactly kid friendly, nor would I want him to be. But, he would fit into a universe like the one recently set up with Tom Hardy's Venom-verse, which is going to be expanded with Silver & Black, Nightwatch and the more relevant Morbius, The Living Vampire.
With Disney's recent acquisition of Fox and it's properties; specifically the R-rated Deadpool, should Disney decide to use the Fox brand as an outlet for the adult related content, it's possible for Blade to show up to play in that sand box. Although, the typical characters he plays with aren't currently owned by Fox. Not to say that they can't make a good film without those play mates, he did fine on his own. It's just if Marvel plans to use him in the larger connected universe somehow, his main play mates are in other places. Although, if paired with Deadpool, the 4th wall jokes alone might be worth it. Especially if Wesley Snipes came back to play the character across from 'that cracker' Ryan Reynolds. Unfortunately, Ryan Reynolds stated he wouldn't work with Wesley Snipes again, so probably no dice there. And, more complicated, that would also retroactively bring in the New Line movies and create a dilemma since Ryan Reynolds also played Hannibal King. Not that Fox has ever given a shit about continuity before.
Less likely, is introducing a season or half-season arc on Agents of SHIELD through ABC. While I'm more inclined to believe that Blade's world works best in a solid R format, ABC's shown via the Ghost Rider arc that they can deliver an effective, brooding, dark story line. However, with the popularity of vampires dying off in recent years following the market OD via Twilight, True Blood, Penny Dreadful, The Vampire Diaries, and more recently The Originals, it might not make the most sense for a TV Show that still needs to worry about ratings. On the other side of the equation, Agents of SHIELD has dealt with aliens, Hydra, LMDs, the Darkhold, time travel, Inhumans, magic, so dipping into the paranormal for 6 to 7 episodes might be exactly what they need to keep things new for Coulson's team. Plus, it won't hurt ratings to have a reason to place a call to their only other known supernatural comrade, Robbie Reyes.
That begs the other question: Who would play Blade? Wesley Snipes continues to be his own press in this regard. If he is actually in talks, I don't necessarily have a problem with seeing Snipes dawn the shades again. The problem with that is, in Blade Trinity, they killed all of the vampires. So, what has Blade been doing? Would they follow the alternate ending with Werewolves? Or maybe he's succumbing to the vampire side of himself, making Blade the main antagonist for a movie or show? All seem unlikely to me. And with Marvel's track record recasting the Punisher and Spiderman for example, it seems more likely that they would have to reboot. Snipes himself points out the obvious issues with this, "There's a lot of pieces that have to come together. I mean wow. Who's that guy? And one that can overcome everybody's preconceived idea of who Blade is supposed to be. Skill wise, there's not a lot of guys out there that dance, that do martial arts, that act well and can have that Blade flavor." All true. Even the part about dancing for the more intricate footwork like we saw in Blade II. In fact, I can really only think of one name. Michael Jae White. Frankly, I think he would make an outstanding Blade. And, unlike Snipes, White has not shown any reservations about doing internet (Mortal Kombat) or television (Arrow), should the move get made to Netflix or even possibly ABC through the vehicle of Agents of SHIELD.
Regardless, I don't think the MCU is suffering without Blade's active presence in the universe. Marvel has the luxury of time to get his story right. He's not a pivotal character to the main universe, but if the MCU wants to expand their darker universe, he will be a strong addition in fleshing that out. As long as he's done correctly.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Dawn of Justice Vs Civil War
I'm not really a proponent of comparing Marvel and DC. It implies that there is a competition there and that both movie series should be judged on the same criteria, and by association, this leads to compare the two rather than just enjoy them. If anything, DC will be benefiting from Marvel in the same way Marvel benefit from DC's Dark Knight trilogy, in the same way the Dark Knight Trilogy benefit from Spiderman (in particular, Spiderman 2) bringing a new perspective in what super hero movies could be. Neither would be where they are now without the efforts of the other.
But, people are going to do it anyway.
So, yeah, Dawn of Justice (DoJ) and Civil War both feature two of our favorite heroes squaring off against each other and they both happen in 2016 within about a month and half of each other. That's basically where the similarities end though. And, as side note, if we're being honest, doesn't Iron Man fight everyone, all the time? Iron Man 2, he fights War Machine. Avengers, he fights Thor and almost picks a fight with Cap. Avengers 2, he fights Hulk. It basically comes with the territory with Iron Man. If you're in a movie with him, he will probably pick a fight with you. I personally love it. I hope he picks a fight with everyone. He should start an Iron Man fight club.
I'm going to point out first, this is petty. I'm going to be petty. Extremely. I just feel like, if comparisons are going to be drawn, they should at least be done in a way that makes sense. A person can prefer DC or Marvel, or prefer Iron Man or Batman, and as a result, the movies themselves can't really be judged based on whatever formulaic rendering the directors have chosen. Critics seem to thrive in this arena of personal preference, proclaiming DC a failure and Marvel a success.
To be objective, it seems like it makes more sense to use box office earnings. Critics are applauding the drop off in successive weekend earnings for DoJ, heralding the end of the DC universe before it gets going. So, it's clearly something that people who don't like what DC is doing will use when they think it benefits that argument at that moment. Box office earnings aren't an opinion of a fanboy or critic, it's just raw earnings. It seems like that would be a valid way to gauge franchise performance. The box office draw of the movies as the respective franchises move forward should, hypothetically, reflect the health of the franchise as a whole.
Dawn of Justice isn't a full franchise movie like the Avengers or even Civil War despite it being a 'Captain America' movie. DoJ is a set up movie, introducing additional characters to launch their larger, extended universe. Dawn of Justice is the 2nd movie of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), whereas Civil War represents the 13th movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). There's a good character pool to reach back on after 13 movies, as well as character development and story telling.
I think it's safe to say that the MCU is considered a success. Critics seem to think so. It's hard to argue. You don't make 13 movies and 7 spin off TV shows if it's not. So, if all that makes sense and is an acceptable bar in gauging how a comic franchise performs and is considered successful, then comparable box office earnings should reflect a similar level of success or failure for DC. Savvy?
Man of Steel being the first DC outing for their extended universe, functions the same way Marvel's Iron Man did. It was the first film, and the announcement that they were "part of a bigger universe" as Nick Fury explained in the first Marvel easter egg.
As the opening volley of their particular franchises, Iron Man and Man of Steel performed relative to each other. If the MCU is considered a success and this was the performance of it's first outing, and Man of Steel performed similarly, then DC at this point should be on the path to similar results.
Marvel's 2nd movie was The Incredible Hulk, which didn't do so great. Generally disliked by critics, which I suppose isn't all that different from Dawn of Justice. I liked Incredible Hulk, and I loved Dawn of Justice, so I guess I don't agree with the critics on either movie. But, the movie was tarnished before release by some bad media in regards to Marvel and Edward Norton not seeing eye-to-eye. For arguments sake, it seems like Iron Man 2 had more in common with Dawn of Justice in that it introduced additional characters to the world (War Machine, Black Widow, Nick Fury) that had important roles in the story line. It also didn't suffer from the bad press before release that hindered The Incredible Hulk. I'll include all 3 just to provide perspective though.
Right now, Dawn of Justice seems to be tracking for a similar performance as Iron Man 2. If this constitutes a success in the MCU, then it seems pretty fair to say it's a success by the same standards for the DCEU.
Apparently WB agrees, Suicide Squad is coming. Wonder Woman is in post production, Justice League Part 1 just started production. WB is moving the ball down the court. I think it's a good play for them. DC has an all together different tone from Marvel, which I'm enjoying. I love what Marvel is doing, I love what DC is doing. And it looks like DC is on track to enjoy the same level of success as Marvel for right now. That's lead to some amazing stories from Marvel, and I hope it does the same for DC.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Marvel, Phase 7
Marvel is still kicking so much ass right now. But a thought occurred to me. They have this massive overarching story with Thanos building up, but what about after that? In Guardians of the Galaxy they introduced Knowhere and the concept of massive celestial beings destroying worlds. They could easily build toward a massive Galactus story line.
Problem: Marvel doesn't currently own the movie rights to the Fantastic Four and several of the associated villians like Galactus.
A lot of fans are trying to pressure Fox into selling the rights back to Marvel or getting into some sort of Sony/Spider-Man contract with them. But, if I were Marvel, I would just wait it out. They've had several of their characters revert back to their ownership without paying a dime. Punisher, Daredevil, Ghost Rider... Fox is failing miserably with Fantastic Four. Marvel has already discontinued the Fantastic Four comics due to lack of sales. There's not real incentive at this point to pay anything for the franchise. Marvel can essentially just wait Fox out.
Fox, on the other hand, faces paying $200 million for another bad movie in a 3rd attempt to create a successful franchise. They can try to sell the franchise back to Marvel in attempt to recoup some of their lost money. Or, they can do nothing, and the franchise license expires.
There's no rush for Marvel. They've demonstrated with Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy that they can take less popular comic characters and build a successful movie with them. Actually, two of my favorite movies so far. There isn't much of a question that they could do the same with F4. And fans have had enough exposure now to characters like Black Widow, Hawkeye, War Machine and Falcon that it's not unreasonable to see them get their own movie. On top of that, with Doctor Strange, Black Panther and now Spider-Man back in the mix, and it's looking like Downey Jr is going to do an Iron Man 4, likely focused on the real Mandarin... there's no real shortage of the 'top shelf' Marvel brand characters coming to an end anytime soon. Marvel has time to plan.
If and when the F4 franchise and all the villians come back to their ownership, they can do a proper reboot. While, in the mean time, be building with small nods and easter eggs toward a Galactus story. There's no time table, and the more head nods they have at it, the more epic the story becomes over time. Fans will be able to reach back to Guardians of the Galaxy. It'd be pretty much a shoe in for a big Avengers flick. You have a F4 movie, Silver Surfer arrives as the herald of Galactus, F4 finds a way to turn him and then the Avengers get a movie where they are brought in to deal with the coming threat of Galactus. Done deal.
Just a really great idea of the top of my head.
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