The Marvel Movie-verse: Shared Continuity

In my mind I always liked to think that all the comic book movies took place in the same universe, even if they were made by different studios. Now Marvel has made it so that I don’t need to imagine it. The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 1 &2, and the upcoming Captain America and Thor movies will culminate in a nerd’s epic dream: The Avengers. I think that the only way I could possibly be more excited would be if they crossed over all of the various incarnations of Star Trek.  Marvel’s studios plans are big. As long as blockbuster sized epic fantasies are popular and make money they’ll continue making movies. The movies that have already come out have have made Easter egg references to  each other. Nick Fury’s cameos, Stark Tech used against the Hulk, prototype Captain America shields, and name dropping the Avengers initiative aside, I want to know what else they  can do and what else they can set up.

S.H.I.E.L.D
We know S.H.I.E.L.D. exists. Its director is Nick Fury, and his top agents are Black Widow, and Phil Coulson. Something interesting about the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents is that they seem completely unfazed during the events of Iron Man 1 & 2. Coulson even says in Iron Man “This isn’t my first rodeo.” What kind of superhuman ridiculousness have these character dealt with that they are completely unfazed by Iron Man? In the comics Nick Fury was an American James Bond with an eye patch. But to heighten the continuity of the movie-verse what if they S.H.I.E.L.D. is more than just that. They could be a combination of MiB, the X-Files, Fringe Division, and Wearhouse 13.

Black Panther
A recent entertainment weekly article has mention that Captain America trades in a broken triangular shield in “The First Avenger” for a disc shaped vibranium weapon. This is a golden opportunity to introduce Wakanda. T’Chaka, the father of the current Black Panther, T’Challa could be a member of a Wakandan delegation supporting the Allies. He could sell Howard Stark Vibranium ore to use in his designs. The Black Panther is also a great concept for a superhero and can make a fantastic movie, not just a comic book movie.  Wakanda is supposed to be a technologically advanced society, isolated from the rest of the world. A spin-off could follow T’Challa, as disposed as king, seeking political asylum in America. It could follow T’Challa’s attempt to regain his thrown, conspiracies and assassination plots, and the threat to the world Wakanda’s new regime poses to the world with their advanced technology.

Thanos
So apparently in the Thor movie, they will visit Odin’s vault which has dangerously powerful artifacts stored in it. ComicCon revealed this will include the the infinity gauntlet, the infinity sword, the cosmic cube, and who knows what else. With the infinity gauntlet hanging around we know that Thanos can’t be far behind. Maybe Thanos could be the villain of Avengers, a sequel, or his own cosmically themed movie. What would be interesting with Thanos is he bridges Science Fiction, and Fantasy. He’s an alien who worships and is in love with death. He can be depicted with magic and technology. He’s more powerful than many of the gods in marvel comics. The comics had an amazing scene where Captain America, who despite the super soldier serum is  essentially a mortal, refuses to stand down to Thanos while making an epic speech about freedom. I want to see that!

Doctor Strange
A conversation in Iron Man to seems to harp on New Mexico as “the land of enchantment.” This was mainly because Thor’s hammer is hanging out there, and it is of course enchanted. The Asgardians exist, and so does magic. There’s even a malevolent trickster god that no doubt will toy with mortals. Sure you can throw Iron man at robots, and Cap at super charged Nazis, but who you gonna call when the spooks and daemons start rearing their ugly tendrils? Earth’s Sorcerers Supreme of course! Special effects have finally caught up to the surrealism depicted in the comic. If done properly they could create a Doctor Strange movie that would make Avatar visually look like a b movie. For added Easter eggs, what if the Eye Amagatto where hanging out in Odin’s Vault?

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