Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2s Viewing Order

Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2’s Viewing Order

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Marvel’s Phase 2 slate was relatively disjointed, but it’s possible to fix it by creating an innovative new viewing order.

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Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2s Viewing Order

It’s possible to dramatically adjust the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 2 viewing order and actually improve the narrative flow. A recent YouTube video by Nando v Movies has sparked a fascinating debate among the Marvel fanbase, discussing the best viewing orders for the movies. As Nando points out, the narrative flow of Phase 2 is relatively disjointed, with Avengers: Age of Ultron feeling strangely positioned in the franchise.

In the real world, Marvel’s choices were the product of both deliberate production choices and intense behind-the-scenes debate about the future of the MCU. The Avengers was seen as Marvel’s greatest risk, because if the ensemble movie had failed, the entire MCU could well have collapsed. Fortunately, the team-up movie was a hit, grossing over $1.5 billion worldwide, and the future of the MCU was secured. Meanwhile, Marvel’s creative team was gradually putting together a bold long-term strategy. Joss Whedon hit upon the idea of introducing Thanos in The Avengers’ post-credit scene, and around the same time Kevin Feige noticed their films featured a lot of MacGuffins that could be retconned into Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, while that idea was an inspired one, some of the other internal discussions were less than harmonious.

This was the era of the Marvel Creative Committee, a group of Marvel figures whose influence was frequently resented by filmmakers. In-fighting between Kevin Feige and Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter ultimately became so bitter that Feige considered quitting, and Disney forced a corporate restructure. All this behind-the-scenes drama means that the narrative of the MCU’s Phase 2 is quite disjointed in places, reflecting the conflicting opinions of key stakeholders. So Nando came up with his own proposed viewing order, but in truth his suggestion depends on subtly rewriting the stories and altering the canon itself. But is there a better way to watch Phase 2, which actually leaves the films as they are and doesn’t require substantial rewrites?

The Best MCU Phase 2 Viewing Order

Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2s Viewing Order

In our view, the best MCU Phase 2 viewing order keeps a number of films in their current place, but it shifts several around in order to create a cleaner narrative around the Infinity Stones. As suggested by Nando, it would also borrow one movie from Phase 3. Here’s what it would look like:

Iron Man 3 & Captain America: The Winter Soldier Lead On From The Avengers

Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2s Viewing Order

Viewed in this order, both Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier essentially deal with the consequences of The Avengers. This is most notable with Iron Man 3, which is perfectly positioned in the release order, because it feels like an extended epilogue to the team-up movie. After all, one of its major subplots is Tony Stark’s struggle to deal with the PTSD he’s suffering with as a result of flying through a wormhole with a nuclear bomb. It’s easy to miss the direct thematic connection between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers, though. The ensemble film revealed the sheer scale of SHIELD, set up a relationship between Steve Rogers and SHIELD, but also shone a disturbing light on the World Security Council, who tried to drop a nuke on New York City. All this is developed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where Captain America is the one man Nick Fury trusts, discovers Hydra has infested SHIELD, and destroys SHIELD’s Project Insight.

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There is one major advantage to watching these two films at the start of Phase 2; both have ambiguous endings, with Tony Stark removing his Arc Reactor and blowing up his Iron Man armors – and yet still reflecting “I am Iron Man.” Meanwhile, Steve Rogers destroys both SHIELD and Hydra, but Nick Fury is still out there, and the US government is uncomfortable with Captain America’s willingness to act without accountability or supervision. It’s best to leave these sources of tension unresolved for as long as possible. So the further these two movies can be from Avengers: Age of Ultron, the better.

Phase 2’s Infinity Gauntlet Arc Is Improved

Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2s Viewing Order

This viewing order improves the Infinity Gauntlet story arc, placing three key films back-to-back. The Infinity Stones are explicitly introduced in Thor: The Dark World, when Odin recognizes the Reality Stone and opens the Book of Yggdrasil to explain their history to his son. The Power Stone then plays a crucial role in Guardians of the Galaxy, which features an extended explanation of the Infinity Stones courtesy of the Collector. By the time you get to Avengers: Age of Ultron, it’s abundantly clear something very dangerous is going on in the MCU’s cosmic arena. “The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years,” Thor declares, and that feels a whole lot more ominous in this sequence.

The Sokovia Accords Work Best At The Tail-End Of Phase 2

Finally, this alternate viewing order ends by importing Captain America: Civil War, turning it into the tail end of Phase 2 rather than the beginning of Phase 3. This serves a crucial purpose, because it gives Phase 2 what it currently lacks – a narrative flow. Phase 1 is essentially the story of how the Avengers are created, but Phase 2 is simply disjointed. It has no overarching theme or narrative. But by adding Captain America: Civil War into the mix, Phase 2 becomes a story of rising stakes and the systematic destruction of Earth’s defenses. An Infinity Stones arc is in play, with Thor heading off on a cosmic quest. Back on Earth, SHIELD has been destroyed, and the Avengers have been disbanded. Nick Fury may have turned up to save the day in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but clearly his faction lack the power to make a real difference in the long run, because he sits out the Sokovia Accords. But all is not doom and gloom; a new wave of heroes are stepping out of the shadows as well, with Ant-Man starring in his own movie, and Captain America: Civil War introducing Spider-Man and Black Panther. These heroes are set up as key to the future of the MCU – and crucial to Phase 3.

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All this isn’t to suggest the MCU as-is is not a tremendous achievement; rather, it is to acknowledge that the MCU is not perfect. There are reasons for Phase 2’s flaws, most likely reflecting the behind-the-scenes drama that ultimately led Disney to pull Marvel Studios out of the wider Marvel Entertainment group. This conflict damaged the franchise’s narrative flow, and that’s most visible in Phase 2. But the problems in the MCU’s Phase 2 are not beyond solving, simply by switching things around a little.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-phase-2-viewing-order-fixes/

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