One thing that even the most vocal of Marvel-haters can’t deny is the sheer scope and depth of the world that Kevin Feige and co. have helped bring to life. While some of us may tire of the scrutiny with which some dedicated fanboys dissect the multilayered Easter Eggs of the shared Marvel universe, this does not change the fact that the Marvel movie machine – when viewed with an un-cynical eye – is kind of remarkable. This is colorful, passionate pop mythology done on a scale never quite seen before, a testament to the enduring and massive popularity of these comic book creations as well as their malleability. The world of Marvel is a loud, often chaotic and undeniably joyous sphere where gargantuan super-scientists charge heedlessly through building walls, where a perpetually anxious teen is transformed overnight into a web-slinging vigilante and where James Spader plays a super-evil robot baddie named Ultron. And now, just in time for Joss Whedon’s hotly-anticipated “Avengers” sequel, a new supercut has arrived that gives us some choice, eye-popping highlights from the Marvel films we’ve seen thus far.
The cut below highlights the by-now typically colorful and buoyant visuals of the Marvel world, along with the witty, Whedon-esque banter that has become the “Avenger” film’s stock-in-trade. It’s a conspicuous point of contrast with the grim and seemingly fatalistic view of humanity on display in the D.C. Comics pictures. In the four-minute cut, we get glimpses from all walks of the official and unofficial Marvel-verse: the good (“Spider Man 2”), the bad (“The Wolverine”), the transcendent (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), and the just-plain-meh (the pre-Netflix incarnation of “Daredevil”). Alongside heavy hitters like Spider Man, Thor, the Hulk and Magneto, we also get a peep at some of the ‘verse’s lesser-known faces, including Jean Grey, Mickey Rourke’s batshit-crazy Russian baddie Ivan Vanko from “Iron Man 2” (remember him?) and even that good ol’ half-a-bloodsucker Blade.
What do you think? What’s your favorite Marvel flick, or character? Does the supercut do the films adequate justice? Sound off below. In the meantime, ‘Age of Ultron’ opens in domestic wide release this Friday, while the studio’s excellent, assuredly more adult TV series “Daredevil” is currently streaming on Netflix. [Live For Films]