Sunday, February 21, 2021

The COVID Break benefitted the MCU




 

 


 

 

Take yourself back to the spring/summer of 2019.  10 years of the MCU concluded with a long, but mostly satisfying conclusion with Avengers: Endgame.  We all screamed and shouted when Cap picked up Mjolnir and we all got misty eyed when Tony/Iron Man snapped Thanos out of existence and died on the battlefield surrounded by his teammates and loved ones.  It was a conclusion 10 years in the making and, for the most part, gave fan service to hardcore fans and newbies alike to close the chapter on this version of the MCU.




 

Of course, Spider-Man Far From Home came after that as a little cherry on top; but for the most part, the chapter was closed and on the horizon was new movies from the House of Mouse and, let us be honest, those new offerings were not as tantalizing as what we had just witnessed.  A Black Widow movie that seemed about 7 years too late.  The Eternals(name one, I double dog dare you).  These movies were not exactly lighting up the blogosphere; especially when most comic fans were hoping for news and movies about the Fantastic Four and X-Men.

 

As we entered 2020, so did COVID 19 and it had no love loss for movies and movie theaters.  As the pandemic seemed to worsen day after day and month after month, gatherings for nerds and geeks began to disappear or get altered dramatically.  Comic bookstores went to drive up services- if they survived the pandemic at all.  Comic book conventions were cancelled.  And the upcoming slate of superhero movies were delayed or sent to VOD.

 


And while Disney DID announce a slate of new movies (still no mutants tho) with Blade, Thor, Fantastic Four, Dr Strange, and others, the biggest news was the slate of tv shows headed to Disney Plus- their new streaming service that was set to bridge the gaps between the movies.  But COVID delayed the production of everything and by the time we got our first MCU show on Disney Plus (WandaVision), it had been close to 18 months from Spider-Man and the debut of WandaVision.  That is/was a huge gap in time for nerds and geeks and I think it was greatly needed.

 

While I do not believe Comic Book Movie fans were suffering from movie fatigue; I do think that we all needed a break from the previous 10 years.  Think about what Endgame gave us and what it concluded.  We saw this culmination of 18 plus movies wrap up in a 3.5 hour bow and I think we were all tired- fans, filmmakers, critics,  and creators combined.  Following up Endgame with an out of continuity Black Widow movie and an Eternal movie would have felt like a letdown- no matter how good those movies are.  The COVID break acted like a big reset button for the MCU and fans alike. The saying is "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and this is a clear example.  We, as fans, had been spoiled a little bit having a movie come out like clockwork every few months.  It became routine, boring, predicatble.  Now, with the pandemic and having our ability to talk, discuss, blog, podcast, etc about those movies taken away, we have become more appreciative of what we had because it can be snapped away just like...



 

And I think that is why the hype for WandaVision has been so overwhelming; on top of the fact that is so well done.  We had time to heal from the conclusion of Endgame and learned to miss and appreciate those characters again.  Its why people are so over the top about Falcon and Winter Soldier and even the malaise that surrounded Black Widow and The Eternals have lifted a bit.  The world seems fresh and new again.  Nothing seems predictable and the world is now open to fresh and surprising things. (we still want our mutants, tho)




 

So as WandaVision comes to its conclusion in 2 weeks and Falcon and Winter Soldier leads us into summer 2021 and into Black Widow, Eternals, Shang -Chi, and Spider-Man, let us not forget those dry 18 months without the MCU.  Enjoy the new content- you never know when it might go away again.


The Producer from Brothascomics


The Marvel Hacks Season 11, Episode 6: Enter Bishop

 




The Marvel Hacks are back with our continued walkthrough of X-Men(91).  This week we get Bishop joining the team officially and a Ghost Rider side story.  We talk our feelings about Bishop and how the character design of Ghost Rider always had us hyped- even tho his books kinda suck. Plus we review the big reveal on WandaVision from last week. Fun listen from your boys @brothascomics


https://soundcloud.com/brothas-hutchinson/the-marvel-hacks-season-11-episode-6

The Marvel Hacks Season 11, Episode 5: Goodbye Omega Red( and dont come back)

 



The Marvel Hacks are back as we conclude( thank God) the Omega Red Saga.  Omega Red still sucks, we peel more of the onion of Wolverine's origin story, Psylocke breaks out, and Jim Lee has a stunt cock finish the art on his books.  Plus we review the first 4 episodes of WandaVision around the 1 hour mark.  Fun listen with your boys from Brothascomics

https://soundcloud.com/brothas-hutchinson/marvel-hacks-season-11-episode-5

You can also watch the podcast here on our youtube channel

The Marvel Hacks Season 11 Episode 4 - YouTube


The Marvel Hacks Season 11, episode 4: Omega Red

 



The Marvel Hacks are Back!!!  We continue our walkthrough of X-Men 1991 with issue 4... the debut of Omega Red.  To put it kindly- we are not fans.  Plus Moira has a breakdown, the whole team cockblocks Gambit, and Jim Lee has a stunt cock finishing art on these books.  Fun listen with your boys from Brothascomics


https://soundcloud.com/brothas-hutchinson/the-marvel-hacks-season-11-episode-4

The Marvel Hacks Season 11, episode 3: Adios Chris Claremont

 




The Marvel Hacks are back as we continue our walkthrough of X-Men(1991) as the dynamic duo of Chris Claremont and Jim Lee breaks up at the end of this 3 issue story arc.  Claremont leaves after 30 years on X-Men and we talk some of our favorite stories written by him.  Plus this issue sees mutant on mutant violence and the debate on the dream vs reality by Professor Xavier and Magneto.  Plus, we preview the books coming after this as Jim Lee is not writer and artist and Claremont's creator owned Sovereign Seven.  Fun listen with your boys from Brothascomics


https://soundcloud.com/brothas-hutchinson/the-marvel-hacks-season-11-episode-3

The Marvel Hacks Season 11, Episode 2

 




The Marvel Hacks are back with episode 2: Magneto Triumphant!  Magneto battles the X-Men on Genosha along with his Acolytes.  Moira got secrets, and the X-Men finally turn on Professor X( or do they).  Fun listen with your boys from Brothascomics!


https://soundcloud.com/brothas-hutchinson/the-marvel-hacks-season-11-episode-2

You can also Watch the Pod on our Youtube Channel

https://youtu.be/YTaQqRMoPbQ