MCU and taking itself seriously, what's appropriate and not

[DragonSJG]

So based on my last thread, it had me wondering about how seriously the MCU should take itself and all? Some people say that "oh its based on comics, nothing should be serious" but stuff like the Batman and DCAU have existed and they have funny moments but know when to be serious and all. Hell even various TMNT media, an idea sillier than most comics have been serious and all that. So with the MCU, where do we draw the line and what's good and all?

 

[Dalek]

This again?

We already have Howard the Duck and are about to have Deadpool and a musical in the MCU.

Squirrel Girl next please.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Extremely serious.

The baseline should be Netflix's Daredevil and only get more serious from there, please :)

 

[Ryuelli]

It should be as serious as Austin Powers.

 

[Tawpgun]

So based on my last thread, it had me wondering about how seriously the MCU should take itself and all? Some people say that "oh its based on comics, nothing should be serious" but stuff like the Batman and DCAU have existed and they have funny moments but know when to be serious and all. Hell even various TMNT media, an idea sillier than most comics have been serious and all that. So with the MCU, where do we draw the line and what's good and all?

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Its a massive media property that spans TV and movies now.


I think its ok to have different tones depending on the story being told. There's some wacky zany stuff in space and the gods and such.

There's more on the ground serious matters on earth, like with Falcon/Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, etc.

 

[Transistor]

It should be as serious as the director / writer of the certain film wants it to be.

 

[Psamtik]

Just less Joss Whedonish would be a great start. That goes for more than Marvel, even.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

As serious as a Linkin Park AMV

Just less Joss Whedonish would be a great start. That goes for more than Marvel, even.

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But I need someone to face plant in someone else's boobs in my superhero media or else I can't finish
👁👄👁

 

[subpar spatula]

Very seriously. Fictional people died. RIP in piece.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Infinity War/Endgame and Multiverse of Madness at about where I draw the line personally. I don't need these movies to be that dour or serious. I prefer the lighter more colorful superhero stories that have fun with the ideas. There's no shortage of edgy shit from the comics to pull from, but there can be a balance

 

[DragonSJG]

Very seriously. Fictional people died. RIP in piece.

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[It’s Time To Go]

If it's any less serious than Synder's 2009 adaptation of Watchmen its too light hearted for me.

 

[Spazerbeam]

This again?

We already have Howard the Duck and are about to have Deadpool and a musical in the MCU.

Squirrel Girl next please.

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Wait where was the musical?

 

[404LinkNotFound]

All i ask is for serious parts in the movies to not be constantly undercut by bathos so often

 

[Zeliard]

My view on this is it should be serious or jokey in line with the character, or at least the popular representation of the character.

It's just boring when everyone sounds like Downey's version of Tony Stark. Some characters can and should be making cracks nearly 100% of the time, like Peter Parker and Deadpool. Others should make them closer to 0% of the time, like, I dunno, Storm.

And stop undercutting your dramatic scenes with some goofy quip or slapstick at the end. You worked to build them up, why knock them down a peg? It always strikes me as incredibly self-conscious, almost like they're ashamed of it.

 

[Reckheim]

I'd prefer more serious; but I understand these movies are not made for my demographic. They are still pretty fun to watch tho.

 

[ceej]

It should be as serious as the director / writer of the certain film wants it to be.

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ding ding ding.

 

[VAD]

I don't want Marvel's BvS. Under no circumstances do I want Kamala's head bashed into a toilet.

 

[RedVejigante]

I'd rather the MCU err on the side of absurdity rather then being dragged down in on the pit of pretentious self-seriousness.

That being said, it should be on a character to character basis. Do I want more grounded, violent Daredevil content? Yessir! Would I also be on board with a Slapstick limited series? Abso-goddamn-lutely.

 

[subpar spatula]

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Like, they were making jokes while time traveling ie America's ass. A WW2 who probably has mental health issues is the poster boy for school seminars. It's all over the place. It is as serious as you want it to be. This is never going to be a serious franchise and I am glad Marvel knows this and tries not to cross the Ts and dot the Is in this. It's better not to think about it and enjoy the ride.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

Depends on the tone of the project. They should be allowed to take everything dead seriously or poke fun at anything.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

I don't want Marvel's BvS. Under no circumstances do I want Kamala's head bashed into a toilet.

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Lol but there is a scene where she gets knocked into a toilet and is like "ew gross"

 

[ZeoVGM]

Just less Joss Whedonish would be a great start. That goes for more than Marvel, even.

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Joss did not create the idea of superheroes making quips.

Joss was hired because his style of writing matched superhero comics.

 

[SpankyDoodle]

Wait where was the musical?

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I have some vague memory of this as well but can't remember what it is. Is it the GotG Holiday Special?

 

[RedVejigante]

Just stay away from "Superman is as old as Jesus when he was crucified" levels of pretension and I'm fine.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

Wait where was the musical?

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Hawkeye

Rogers Musical (Full Version)

This is the Mid-Credit scene of Hawkeye 01x06.Rogers Musical - © Marvel & Disney+

youtu.be

 

[RPGam3r]

It is large enough to be all the things. Serious and light-hearted.

 

[odiin]

A lot less serious than you are taking it right now.

 

[shaneo632]

Just don't give us tonal whiplash by flipflopping from Wacky Comedy to Dead Seriousness from scene to scene. Make it more of a gradual build to the serious stuff.

 

[Saikyo]

Others should make them closer to 0% of the time, like, I dunno, Storm.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0yKSNq-oLg

 

[DragonSJG]

Let moments be serious and all
its ok to do that

 

[PantherLotus]

Reminder that this is only relevant when the MCU tries to be funny but the jokes don't land. Just because they figured out a talking raccoon doesn't mean they can land a jealous axe. Just because HULK FUNNY WHEN SMASH LOKI doesn't mean they've figured out how to land irreverent gods like Zeus.

(people are only talking about this because TL&T's humor fell flat -- of course the MCU doesn't have to take itself seriously, but the audience will question whether they themselves are the punchline if the humor isn't working)

 

[echoshifting]

Let moments be serious and all
its ok to do that

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They do that. The notion that serious moments are never given room to breathe before a joke drops is false. Sometimes yes. Not nearly all the time.

 

[pikachief]

OP, I hope one day you can appreciate Infinity Cones.

 

[kowhite]

It can be anything they want. Serious, comedy, both. Heck I know they won't but they don't all have to be big budget action movies either. The franchise is so large they don't need to be anything in particular. Granted I get why a level of humor is preferred and included in all of these, same reason they're all gonna be action movies.

That being said, doing that diversity in content means some of you won't like some of it. That's ok.

 

[Wrapped in Black]

You know, in terms of subject matter, Iron Man 1 is very "serious," yet remains able to incorporate good humor here and there. Seems like a good critique on war profiteering and its effect on foreign nations, that just so happens to be a Marvel movie. Not the other way around.

 

[RedVejigante]

They do that. The notion that serious moments are never given room to breathe before a joke drops is false. Sometimes yes. Not nearly all the time.

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For real, like, say what you will about Love and Thunder, but the opening of that movie alone was played super straight, and that's in a movie that is largely a gag a minute.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

They do that. The notion that serious moments are never given room to breathe before a joke drops is false. Sometimes yes. Not nearly all the time.

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When Jane told Thor she had cancer, he immediately got dead serious and it was treated as a serious thing. The way people talk about that movie and his character in it, it's as if he joked about it constantly.

You know, in terms of subject matter, Iron Man 1 is very "serious," yet remains able to incorporate good humor here and there. Seems like a good critique on war profiteering and its effect on foreign nations, that just so happens to be a Marvel movie. Not the other way around.

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Well speaking of jokes that don't land, that movie has the worst offender in the entire MCU.

 

[KingM]

I think the thing with the MCU is that they realized awhile ago that having everything centered around these huge world ending events can be taken 100% seriously, but that comes with a ton of baggage. Like everyone in NYC would be emotionally destroyed after getting an alien invasion, a few city ending events, half the population disappearing and reappearing, in a decade and some change. The world would be fundamentally changed with everyone over 5 damaged beyond belief if they took the ramifications of stuff like the Snap, the existential crisis from seeing aliens and gods walking around, etc. so the other path is to play it more lightly a lot of the time.

Then there's also just the fact that we already live in a world where tragic events gets played with for levity all the time. Be it SNL, South Park, Stand Up, etc gallows humor is very popular and even within a few years of or even during, tragedies people will crack jokes.

 

[PantherLotus]

it's not the frequency of jokes! it's that the jokes were bad!

 

[takriel]

I think the thing with the MCU is that they realized awhile ago that having everything centered around these huge world ending events can be taken 100% seriously, but that comes with a ton of baggage. Like everyone in NYC would be emotionally destroyed after getting an alien invasion, a few city ending events, half the population disappearing and reappearing, in a decade and some change. The world would be fundamentally changed with everyone over 5 damaged beyond belief if they took the ramifications of stuff like the Snap, the existential crisis from seeing aliens and gods walking around, etc. so the other path is to palsy it more lightly a lot of the time.

Then there's also just the fact that we already live in a world where tragic events gets played with for levity all the time. Be it SNL, South Park, Stand Up, etc gallows humor is very popular and even within a few years of or even during, tragedies people will crack jokes.

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Makes me appreciate The Leftovers even more.

 

[MasterYoshi]

 

[Zeliard]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0yKSNq-oLg

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Even beyond that awful Whedon joke (that he tried to blame on Halle Berry) some characters just don't really lend themselves well to the goofy, quippy style, and Storm is one.

For me it's not even that the jokes don't land. I think a lot of them are actually pretty funny. It's that they start to erase any distinction between these characters' personalities, when they all start to speak like they're the same person.

I want more variety in the characterization. It doesn't have to be uber-serious, just varied.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Let moments be serious and all
its ok to do that

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They do.

There was no quip after Natasha or Tony died. Eternals had plenty of serious moments. The finale of Loki was quite serious.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's scenes about racism were not undercut by humor.

The entire final sequence in Love and Thunder where Jane is losing her fight to cancer mid-battle was also played seriously. Thor and Jane's conversation about her cancer also had Thor turning off his goofball personality to talk to her seriously.

The entire ending to No Way Home is sad as hell. Peter lost everything and it's not thrown away with a quip.

They absolutely let moments be serious. You're just fixated on the jokes for some reason.

 

[Bengraven]

They're becoming way to much of a product lately. No real meat. No Marvel hero would stare into the sunset and have a binary suns moment unless it was for a joke.

Makes me worry about the heavier issues that X-men will bring. They should have the gravitas and heart of something like Winter Soldier but will likely be just some big splashy, funny movie that will be a ton of fun but will just be setting up the next film/hero.

 

[Lotus]

OP, I hope one day you can appreciate Infinity Cones.

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OP gonna make a thread for every MCU joke he doesn't like lol

 

[Mivey]

I don't see why they should aim for consistency here. Just do whatever makes sense for each film.

 

[Therion]

I'm fine with the MCU ranging from extremely serious to extremely silly. Just do whatever's appropriate for the story they're trying to tell.

 

[gilko79]

I don't know why there needs to be a certain expectation? Let each film play out to that individual director's vision. There's more than enough room for funny films and serious films, and of course a mix of both. You can't please everyone 🤷‍♂️

 

[echoshifting]

Actually op I would challenge you to name any MCU movie where every serious moment in the film is undercut by a joke.