Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

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.

I saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on opening night with a lesbian friend of mine whose crush of the month has been Wanda Maximoff. I left the theater with a lightly bruised wrist because every time Wanda showed up onscreen, my friend squeezed my hand. Tighter and tighter, the longer Wanda remained onscreen. We gasped and cheered and watched for Wanda. That’s what she means to us. (Spoilers ahead!)

Multiverse of Madness has sent earth-shattering tremors of division throughout the Marvel fandom. We’ve all felt it. Whoever you ask has a different opinion on the film. The most divisive character in the movie is Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch. She is undoubtedly the star of the show. This movie, for many of us, is WandaVision 2.0. And I love that for us. I love that for Marvel. Because Marvel’s historically been lacking when it comes to their female characters. Most of them have been reduced to love interests, damsels in distress, sidekicks, supporting players to their male counterparts. Scarlet Johansson’s Black Widow was the first female Avenger in the movies but was often reduced to a femme fatale, a sex symbol, a boy mom. She was written to strike ridiculous poses in a tight-fitting jumpsuit with a plunging neckline to satisfy the male gaze. Wanda, however, caters to the female gaze. 

I left Multiverse of Madness feeling like I was crashing down from a high because of Wanda’s apparent demise. I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt so happy every time Wanda was onscreen. But after these past couple of weeks, after watching the discourse on Twitter and TikTok and in news articles over Wanda, I’m feeling defensive. Fans and critics, many of them men, have been arguing over Wanda’s morality. Is she good or evil? I’ve seen viewers attribute labels to her like “monstrous” and “crazy.” They’re upset she’s so overpowered. They’re upset she was able to kill the “smartest man in the world” with a flick of her finger. They’re upset she destroyed the Illuminati with little effort. They’re upset she seemed to change so much from WandaVision. They’re upset she’s “unlikeable.” They’re upset she’s a villain. 

I love Wanda for all of these things. And many online agree with me. We know what Wanda did was wrong. We know she murdered innocent people on a destructive quest to find her possibly fake children. We know she’s a “villain.” And we love her because of this. Wanda is a woman with agency. She is not out of control as many claim—she is entirely in control of her actions. She only uses the Darkhold as a tool to help her achieve her personal goals. She has no male counterpart to support and no male audience to assuage since she is positioned as an antagonist. She can do whatever the hell she wants. This is Wanda in her full glory, no holding back. And it’s beautiful. 

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)

The following review contains major spoilers from ‘WandaVision’ Episode 5, “On a Very Special Episode…”

Even though this week, both Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany were teasing a “huge cameo” in the show, I didn’t expect it to come so soon, let alone the fifth episode. What I didn’t expect was for me to jump from my bed and scream so loud my room shook — talk about wild!

The fourth episode of the series, “We Interrupt this Program,” created a pivotal shift for the show. Rather than only focusing on the suburban sitcom world, viewers finally get an outside perspective with the help of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), and fan-favorite Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). And, in this fifth episode, time is split between the two realities.

This is your last chance to avoid any and all spoilers. Trust me, you do NOT want this masterpiece of an episode spoiled.

“On a Very Special Episode…” viewers are automatically thrown into the sitcom world — this time, in the 80s. As usual, the miniseries pays homage to the classics of each period. This time, it’s the American sitcom Family Ties. The opening credits of this episode was brilliant, especially with baby Vision looking so out of place. However, the intro also made me a little uneasy. Knowing that the entire town is being held captive (most likely under Wanda’s control), and realizing Vision has no idea what is going on produces an eerie feeling.