Perceptions Changed After Rewatching MCU

In the lead up to Civil War, I took up the task of rewatching everything that's happened so far in this crazy awesome universe. Supercut trailers made by fans that show scenes throughout the series as they pertain to Captain America 3 are really cool, and really illuminate the meticulous planning behind the camera to put this whole symphony together. But that wasn't enough -- I had to watch every movie over again.

Many of the MCU films I've already seen multiple times. As someone that doesn't get out to the theaters as often as I'd like, and certainly not to bear the expense on movies I've seen before, for me at least it's a big deal to say The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were watched more than once on the big screen. The pair are the best comic book films ever made (so far), and each one cannot be seen too many times. They are truly the pinnacle of what we can do in the genre right now.

Each MCU film is enhanced by the ones before it, and as I found out, the ones after it. If The Avengers happened by itself with nothing leading up to it, it's hard to say it would have been liked as well. Not nearly so in my personal view. The triumph of these characters overcoming their personal misgivings to work on a bigger problem together is a joy to see, because it's sort of like hosting a party and inviting all your friends who don't know each other to one place. When they start getting along and striking up friendships of their own, you get a little giddy. Or something like that. You know what, whatever, Avengers is fuckin cool.

But in its own right, The Avengers had to work to keep things going. If it was all a build-up to a disappointment, we wouldn't like Winter Soldier as much. And we wouldn't care where Phase Two would eventually take us. Or Phase Three. Or the Infinity War in general. The Avengers was make or break for the fledgling mega-franchise, and if it didn't work, the most ambitious Hollywood film campaign in history would be dead in the water.

We're now at the end of Phase Two and about to embark on Phase Three. Age of Ultron wasn't the resounding success that The Avengers was, at least in terms of story and action, but the franchise will survive a minor speedbump on the way to other truly great things. Like Civil War, the first movie of the third Marvel film rotation.

Or rather, shouldn't that be Ant-Man? I'm actually not sure why, on all the lists I've seen, Ant-Man is the last film of Phase Two. Shouldn't every arch end on an Avengers movie? That's what they're leading up to each time, right? I don't know. That part I don't get.

Admittedly Ant-Man is one of two MCU films I haven't seen yet. I'll get around to Ant-Man soon. The other is The Imposter Hulk, with that wrong actor and that weird looking green monster that doesn't look like The Avengers Hulk. I'm rather attached to Mark Ruffalo, so I don't really care to ever see that one, which is why I haven't bothered to. The film doesn't even tell a new origin of the character, so it's not even trying to introduce The Hulk to the new MCU -- it's just assuming he was already there. The events that happen otherwise don't really tie all that much to the rest of the franchise, other than a couple throwaway references to those events in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. So it's arguable, with new introductions to the characters in a new universe, with the same actors that would carry those characters throughout, that every other film is required watching. The Incredible (weird looking) Hulk is not.

The other reason they're required watching is because it's their motivations that are most important to understanding what's happening in Civil War and beyond. Sadly Bruce Banner is really a bit character to the story of the three main pillars (and soon four with Spider-Man), as even Black Widow without a standalone movie has received more development, and carries more of the weight of the overarching story.

To understand Tony Stark, you have to understand where he began. That's why it's so interesting to go back and rewatch the first few films. He goes from a cynical weapons dealer, to a crusader vigilante of sorts, to a man who feels he's lost control in trying to keep everyone protected. He's a man of science, extremely attached to an Earthly worldview, only to have all his logic and understanding rocked and dashed by the appearance of an alien hero and alien enemies with science and technology that doesn't make sense. His reaction is a defensive one, realizing as a man in a suit that he is nearly powerless to do the job that's most important to him. Eventually in Civil War he will adopt a pro-regulatory stance as a means to keep the chaos in check, a stark (ahem) contrast to his earlier Lone Wolf mentality.

Captain America started as an idealist, and inasmuch as he can, he remains that way. His hope for the future is freedom, and control and "order" are the very backdrop for his earlier battles against enemy regimes, as it was for all Allied men and women of that generation. He's essentially a Libertarian, hating sweeping protections and big government in the way the Founding Fathers might have. He's grown a tad jaded since The Winter Soldier though, and the corruption of SHIELD and that which he trusted becoming the very thing he tasked himself to stop. It's those events that don't allow him to lend his trust to another organization.

After rewatching the films, Phase One has shifted around for me. When I first saw Captain America I remember it being a little over-the-top and caricatured, not unlike Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow. It seemed a little like a misfit after the more realistic depiction of Iron Man. RDJ as Tony Stark couldn't be topped, and he was just more fun and relatable to watch, with stories that were cooler, and action that was more exciting.

With the benefit of the newer films, going back to The First Avenger is like seeing a new coat of paint on Steve Rogers. You know where he's going, you know more of what he's about, and seeing him succeed from his struggles is that much more rewarding. You also feel a bit more for his loss of Bucky Barnes, since The Winter Soldier helps to strengthen their connection. As an idealist in an unideal world, and a tireless fighter amidst a band of mostly stronger and more capable warriors, he's the ultimate underdog. He will never be as strong as the other guys, but he will never lose his spirit.

I also reaffirmed that Iron Man 1 and 2 are pretty much equal in my book. Iron Man has the benefit of being the first to introduce Tony Stark whom everyone loves, and having a fresh impact at a time when we weren't completely saturated with superhero movies. But Iron Man 2 raises the stakes, has a great villain, awesome action, and more development of the character. It's almost the better movie, but with the impact the first one had, they pretty much level off in the end.

Iron Man 3 though, oh boy. I remember liking it when I first saw it in the theater, and defending it online for the risks it took. But that movie is a minor chore to get through again. The filmmakers made a deliberate choice to clip Tony Stark's wings for the ENTIRE movie, with no satisfying explanation for why. It would have been handicap enough to have him dealing with his anxiety, but no. He uses a prototype suit that barely works for the whole duration, without ever falling back to an older model that could have easily handled the situation better, and avoided some of the needless and protracted detours that the story takes. It even makes it a point to show that Tony likes to hang on to them all like on a trophy shelf. If the rocket-powered capsule suit from Avengers 1 wasn't an option anymore, or the portable suitcase model from Iron Man 2, a more capable writer and director team would have at least explained why. Without that, it's kind of a drag, and majorly unsatisfying to see Tony flail around for so long, and then eventually require the rescuing of someone else. And the villain really did suck, too, so I guess I changed my mind about that as well.

Thor: The Dark World, which I pretty much lumped together with Thor as two pretty mediocre movies not up to snuff with the rest, has risen greatly in rank. It's a much better film than the first, and better even than Iron Man 3, I believe. The writing being the main culprit in upgrading my opinion, as Thor 1 was so hackneyed and shallow in comparison. I still don't care for the side characters all that much though, and I won't miss them in Ragnarok when they don't return.

And now I'm thinking The Winter Soldier may be better than The Avengers. Nothing tops Avengers for the fun factor, and it has a similar first impact advantage that Iron Man had. But The Winter Soldier is a more serious film, with grittier action, headier plot, and deeper emotion. It's The Dark Knight of the MCU world, with hard-hitting intensity, a feeling of helplessness in the heroes (without pointlessly weakening them) as they take on almost impossible odds, and a pretty amazing conclusion to it all. Also the villain is The Winter Soldier, who was a total badass throughout the film, and far from a traditional bad guy in that he has real (not retconned) history with Rogers, and is fated to become an even bigger badass ally later on. So props on that alone.

So the MCU evolves, and for the most part gets even better as you go back and watch it again. This is one of the great Hollywood events of our generation, and it only appreciates in value over time.