MCU Megathread

[CaptHayfever]

It is, indeed.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Booyakasha]

...man. I would love a Deadpool, Wolverine and Jubilee comic. Jubilee's so pissy and uptight-----------Deadpool would drive her bonkers.

[CaptHayfever]

Nice. I think Negasonic Teenage Warhead kinda fills that role in the Deadpool movies.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

That name sounds like a low budget TMNT clone from the 90's, like Snailiens Supersonic Shell Fighters lol

[CaptHayfever]

The finale of Secret Invasion comes out this Wednesday 7/26!

Also, here's a new poster & trailer for The Marvels:

Also also, some strike news: Production on Deadpool 3 has been paused, as SAG has now joined WGA in striking. Captain America: Brave New World completed principal photography before the SAG strike began & can now enter post-production.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

In 1 week, GotG vol. 3, a movie that *basically everyone* who saw it liked, hits streaming.
In just over 2 months, we'll start season 2 of Loki, continuing a show that *basically everyone BUT ME* liked.
In about 3.5 months, The Marvels opens, the sequel to a movie that *most* people liked (including myself), though those who didn't like it try to lie that *nobody* liked it.
But now I have my liveblog post for a show that *almost nobody* liked. Part 65.25....


Secret Invasion:

#1 "Resurrection":
--Hey, a short logo that makes sense for episodic TV!
--Prescod reminds me of Bryan Cranston.
--Why kill somebody slowly who can kill you quickly?
--Everett Ross is now working with Hill.
--What's "E Mill"?
--The question now is, was Ross always a Skrull, or is this an impostor?
--This intro is really ugly.
--Will Smith says "welcome to Earth" with a punch; Cobie Smulders says it with a hug.
--RIP Soren.
--What happened to the Skrulls on the ship that Carol *personally escorted* away?
--President Dylan McDermott or President Dermot Mulroney?
--So SABER is a US government project, not its own thing?
--The kid with the giant rubber ball outside at night in a rough neighborhood is a bit much.
--I mean, they'd have to be extraordinary to sneak up on him like that.
--How does she know about all of this already?
--Why is the Eye of Agamotto in that owl?
--G'iah, mother of dragons.
--Propmaster: Make the part that somebody would naturally want to bite into first edible.
--The correct answer to "Is that to protect me or the cause?" is "both".
--Is there a smaller inflatable inside that inflatable?
--136? I've heard that very specific number in the MCU before.
--Mixing up the King Louises was a test, but the discussion never reached the point where it would've mattered.
--Kiddo, "what she WOULD'VE wanted" should've been the tip.
--Timeline cue: It's some number of years post-Blip, just not sure what that number is.
--Glad G'iah isn't painted as blind here.
--Timeline cue: Unity Day is November 4th.
--Those two directions could not be northeast & south. Maybe northwest & south, or northeast & west. Or maybe the shot was reversed from how it was filmed?
--Fury, what did she do with the BALL? Remember, you're tracking the packages, not the people!
--RIP Maria Hill. This does, though, disprove the fantheory that she was always a Skrull.
--Credits: Freeman was just a guest star? So Ross isn't in this show at all? Then why did he get a Legends clip?

#2 "Promises":
--Cold open: This is literally footage from Captain Marvel.
--Flashback: 1997, Brixton. They came back after just 2 years? Also, Fury is being very NOT ruthless & manipulative here.
--Fury, trains have basically always been nicer in Europe than they've been in America.
--ALL MILLION of them came here!?
--Is Drogge the current Kree emperor?
--I wouldn't send off your only ally like that, my dude.
--This lady does not look old enough to be Cobie Smulders's mother.
--Shooter McGavin is in this show.
--"You don't punish a man by giving him what he wants"? He doesn't wanna die.
--I think they meant for us to think this is the UN security council, but it was so obviously the Skrull council.
--"You don't think I thought about that" is not an answer to the question that was asked.
--That silo looks like it got cut up by adamantium claws & laser vision.
--Rhodey's learned a lot about answering panels from his late best friend.
--This sit down is sufficiently tense. How can you fire Fury, though? Does he actually work for the US?
--Wow, I expected Falsworth to be a Skrull.
--Hey, looks like somebody remembered the Frost Beast from Dark World after all!
--Nah, man, if you open the door enough to fit your hand through, it's enough to ring the bell.
--You shouldn't hang me on a hook, Johnny. My father hung me on a hook once. Once.
--Fury MARRIED a Skrull!?

#3 "Betrayed":
--Definite shades of religious extremism here.
--He said the thing!
--Flashback: 3 years post-CM. Fury's been with Varra/Priscilla ever since.
--This Fox-News Skrull has a *very* close name to a late Senator.
--Important life lesson: Don't bail on your spouse for 2 years. And if you do, don't act like YOU'RE the one who deserves answers.
--G'iah is playing the long game. The long game recognizes the superiority of a weaker cell phone.
--Whenever somebody says "parley" in fiction, I just think of parsley. I think the next scene here moved to the diner for exactly that reason.
--I really expected Talos to get murdered here, but he handled himself really well. (Until he didn't notice his phone getting swapped.)
--Oh snap, Gravik's already got the Extremis, & probably the rest of it too.
--He's right, Fury, & you owe him that much of an apology at least.
--There's LOTS of other interspecies relationships where one cleans up the other's poop.
--"Why'd you stop?" "We're here." I howled.
--I can't speak to the Royal Navy, but in the US Navy it's a legal obligation to disobey an illegal order.
--Well, kid, they technically didn't kill *your dad*.
--Godspeed, G'iah. Gravik, Talos is gonna personally see to it that you die.
--Is that Rhodey's voice!?

#4 "Beloved":
--Well well well, G'iah was quick on the draw as well.
--Flashback: 2012. There's plenty of poems *about* history, Fury.
--It freaking WAS Rhodey's voice; I freaking called it.
--At least Fury is hearing Varra try to prevent his assassination.
--Talos's idealism would be a great way for the world to work. I wish it did.
--Oooh, ironic echo!
--Oooh, biting question & equally biting answer!
--That *is* a tasty bourbon!
--Top tier use of "defenestrated".
--When people tell you they're feeding you a nano tracker, believe them.
--Fury broke your driver's arm 2 episodes ago, & you're still making him open your door?
--Ope, yep, he definitely got all of it already. I wonder if that means G'iah did too?
--Wait, but there's 2 more episodes left!?

#5 "Harvest":
--Smart play, Fury.
--Hey, positive press for Talos at least.
--Pagon was right, though. Gravik is a decent strategist, but a horrible tactician, & his ego gets in the way of his thinking.
--My guy, if you think Hill's death is gonna outweigh the attempted assassination, you're delusional.
--Poor Beto. Good try, though, & smart to use methods that Extremis won't auto-heal.
--"You know, I feel a little left out that Americans don't call trash 'rubbish'." ~my wife
--Gravik doesn't know that most of the MCU Avengers don't have innate powers. Copying Tony Stark won't give him an Iron Man suit.
--I love that Fury & Falsworth are able to both be competent & make progress without each finding the *exact same* information or just constantly following each other around.
--I choose cake.
--Oh look, it's that unnamed supplier from Black Widow again.
--These guys are horrible shots. Gravik is also a bad trainer.
--It's that darned mask again! Glenn Talbot is rolling over in his space grave.
--Fury has 2 graves?
--Fury has 4 graves in the same place?

#6 "Home":
--Varra, he doesn't know whether or not he's gonna die today, ok?
--Wow, these guards are stupid.
--Strenuously denied? Is that how it works?
--So by 2025 Putin will be out of office? Fingers crossed.
--Niiiiiiiice, Sonya.
--"I'm gonna commit a genocide because you broke a promise" is hella immature.
--How are we already halfway through the episode?
--YOU DIDN'T TAKE FURY OUT OF THE MACHINE BEFORE YOU USED IT, STUPID.
--Called it before the reveal, but only a couple seconds before.
--That little chicken Drax arm on Emilia Clarke is hilarious.
--Wait, Ghost was at the battle in Endgame?
--Neither of them's gonna run out of energy to absorb in this reactor.
--Yup, we know Extremis can't heal that.
--Confirmation that Rhodey wasn't replaced until after Civil War & before F&WS.
--Um, Ritson, you just declared war on New Asgard. That's not gonna work.
--All these spontaneous murders are gonna need to be addressed too.
--G'iah as the most powerful person in the world right now is gonna have to be addressed.
--Daw, they really do love each other!

Executive summary: Truly disappointing. Great acting, good characters, decent dialogue, visually dull, really weak plotting & pacing. I appreciate that it wasn't afraid to go morally ambiguous & have an ending that wasn't unqualified victory, but it still needed a LOT of work.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Rabbit rabbit, yo!

In charming news, there's a trailer up for I Am Groot S2, which will release in just a few days, on September 6th!
In collecting news, WandaVision and Loki S1 are coming out on disc sets soon! Check the usual retailers for preorders.
In continuing news, there's a new trailer up for Loki S2, which is still premiering on October 6th!
In coming-attractions news, there's a neat teaser up to prep people for The Marvels!
In continuity news, recent analysis by our friends at Geekritique reveals Quantumania should actually be placed in 2026, not 2025. We'll update the part number later, though, as more info develops.
This, however, is part 67....


Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3:

--Ooh, all-Guardians logo.
--Well. I guess we know what this movie's about.
--Is this the regular version of "Creep"? I don't recall liking the song this much (then again, my favorite version of it was done by my friends' college acappella group).
--Welp, Star-Lord's dead. Short movie.
--Kraglin has just started a war.
--Timeline cue: Everyone knows Quill & Mantis are siblings; it's post-Holiday-Special. That happened at Christmas 2025, so this is probably 2026.
--Phrasing, Rocket.
--Nancy Wilson's guitar work does not get enough credit.
--Welp, Warlock's dead. Short movie.
--Actual in-story reason why only one Guardian is fighting Warlock at a time: Everyone was in bed & can only respond yea-quickly.
--Welp, Groot's dead again. Short movie.
--Drax's arm looks much more proportionate on Drax.
--Welp, Rocket might *actually* be dying, so maybe I should stop joking about that.
--The crud does "Lil ol od" mean, caption guy?
--Flashback: Laura Barton is in this movie.
--"Hurts" is heartbreaking.
--Ayesha acting so subservient is disturbing. The High Evolutionary needing a box to be taller than her is still appropriately pathetic of him.
--Mantis's exposition chat about family is clunky.
--At the time of Quill's abduction, average US lifespan was 75.
--Miss Minutes has replaced Hannah Montana.
--Flashback: Wait, the Evolutionary looks different. Something happened to him.
--They're treating Gamora as an amnesiac, but she's really an *entirely* different person; she only has kinship with Nebula because their experiences up to 2014 were the same.
--Malcolm Reynolds is in this movie. Wonder-ful!
--At least Drax makes it clear he's not *actually* mad at Mantis.
--Isn't that the guy from the High Evolutionary's office?
--Why do all these alien civilizations make everything gooey?
--Dang, Peter is desperate.
--Much better exposition scene in the elevator.
--The Star-Lord charm works again.
--Flashback: Nice job thinking, Wal Rus Teefs.
--Unlike the Guardians' previous ships, all of the Bowie's cockpit seats have identical controls; any of the team can operate it as needed.
--It actually is a good analogy. Peter needs to learn to be happy single.
--Flashback: Raccoons are naturally clever. Rocket figured it out from analyzing how it looked. The High Evolutionary simply couldn't get over his own ego & jealousy.
--I thought this was the Beastie Boys, but it's actually Faith No More.
--Couches are made for both reclining & for sitting side by side. The rudeness is the presumption of familiarity in a stranger's home.
--Car door design has improved greatly since Quill left Earth, but this *is* what he'd remember from childhoo--wait, what did he just say?
--Is that a Bebop & Rocksteady to go with the Ninja Turtle from earlier?
--Flashback: What a sick, sadistic SOB. He deserves to learn exactly what a raccoon does to threats. (That explains what happened to his face.) Godspeed, Lylla, Teefs, & Floor.
--Quill's complete apathy towards the High Evolutionary's motive rant is DELIGHTFUL.
--War Pig sounds familiar.
--Again, what a sick sadistic SOB. Yes, we are witnessing a genocide, & yes it's *supposed* to be disturbing. But there is no way the heroes could have foreseen or forestalled it, which just adds to the travesty.
--Competence looks really good on Groot. And this death-blossom thing he & Quill are doing looks even better.
--The background Groot-glider.
--"He's the only one who doesn't hate himself" is actually a pretty darn good defense.
--This is a the best film warning people about human trafficking of 2023, in part because (unlike its competitor in that field) it wasn't made BY human traffickers.
--Of course Drax is good with kids; he's the only one of these guys who's actually raised a child.
--Is this the first time the GotG theme has played in the movie?
--Nothing quite so effective at scaring somebody with a god complex as staring them down with a literal godhead.
--As Glen Talbot once showed us, gravity can be a terrifying power.
--Ah, there's my Beasties.
--If you told me in 2014 that Kraglin & Cosmo would get satisfying conclusions to their emotional arcs, I wouldn't believe you.
--Marvel & oner hallway fights, name a better duo.
--"One by one"? Gamora, are you insane?
--Toldja, Rocket.
--Chekhov's gravity boots.
--Like Quill said, it's a Face/Off.
--I know a guy who got mauled by a chimp. It's pretty brutal.
--That propulsion trick would've worked if not for the debris.
--I think I've mentioned this before, but humans can survive brief vacuum exposure; real astronauts have done it for a couple minutes in accidents.
--The Creation of Adam (Warlock)
--See, Gamora, they're not just making it up; you can understand it now too.
--A bunch of idiots standing in a circle, getting healthy emotional closure.
--See, audience, they're not just making it up; you can understand it now too.
--Glad this Gamora has a caring family now too.
--I actually think Peter's reunion with his grandfather would've worked just as well without the 2 awkward set-ups.
--Mid-credit scene: Wait, she's Phyla-Vell!?
--Credits: There's shots from Infinity War & Endgame, but not from I Am Groot?
--Post-credit scene: I kinda wanna know what that guy's deal is too. (And for a bit of trivia, The St. Charles Post *was* a real paper published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but it's been out of print for a loooong time.)

Executive summary: As noted above, a couple of odd exposition moments relating to Quill's arc, & Judy Greer is underused, but no other notes. Beautiful, heartfelt wrap-up for this GotG team.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Some of the TV release dates have been reshuffled again:
What If? S2 is likely premiering in December.
Echo's full-season drop has probably been moved to January 10th.
Agatha's subtitle has changed again, & it's likely been delayed to fall 2024.

Also, upon further analysis, Quantumania is out of sequence; it's actually part 68, not 64.3.
For now, though, let's just kick back & relax for part 18.6...


I Am Groot season 2:

#2.01 "Are You My Groot?":
--New logo skip, nice.
--What a Holi event!
--This thing has even worse vocabulistics than you, Groot!
--Don't lie, caption guy; we can see it's not just farting.
--Babies shouldn't raise babies.
--What in the Stinky Cheese Man version of Ugly Duckling...?

#2.02 "Groot Noses Around":
--I thought these space batteries were supposed to be really good. A dang Wavebird has better lifespan than this.
--So he normally can't smell?
--Good nose on that wine.
--I see a Skrull; what's the other character?

#2.03 "Groot's Snow Day":
--Having just watched Chicken Little for the 1st time, I wonder if the spray can launch was an intentional homage?
--Can't use the season for timeline placement; this isn't Earth. But that *is* the Benatar, right?
--Ok, that took a turn. When did he put that stuff in there again?
--Mid-credit scene: Bradley Cooper gots ta get paid.

#2.04 "Groot's Sweet Treat":
--Does Nebula know she has an action figure?
--I wish our ice cream truck played "The Entertainer" instead of the creepy "Hello" song.
--I don't get how the truck wasn't gone already. How big is the ship Groot's on? That can't be the Quadrant, right?

#2.05 "Groot & the Great Prophecy":
--What If...Baby Groot was the chosen one?
--I'm getting UHF vibes.
--Uatu, he's literally a plant.

Executive Summary: I needed something no-stakes & fun right now. Thank you.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Booyakasha]

Say, Cap, are you into any DC stuff?

I haven't kept abreast of the DCU myself (think the most recent live-action DC thing I've seen was 'Dark Knight', or 'Watchmen', I guess, if that counts). Might just remedy that this weekend----------Max is loaded with DC stuff. I hear live-action 'The Batman' is good biz. Also I really love animated stuff, and there are just mounds of DC animated flicks. Stuff I'd never even heard of, like this psedo-Lovecraft Batman thing ('The Doom that Came to Gotham'-------nice), and the Justice League/RWBY crossover.

I've been rewatching Batman TAS for the first time in a few years. That's a fun show--------"Beware the Grey Ghost" is class.

(EDIT: Ooh, 'Doom That Came to Gotham' is based on a comic by Mike Mignola and co. Mignola did the covers---------it's cool seeing Batman drawn in that Hellboy style. Might have to dig that up.)

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Man, Watchmen is really cool. I didn't care for it at the time, but it grew on me.

[CaptHayfever]

^^Yeah, I like a fair amount of DC stuff:
60s Batman
Batman '89
Batman Returns
Dark Knight Trilogy
The Batman
Batman TAS (plus Mask of the Phantasm)
Superman 1-2
Superman Returns
Watchmen
Wonder Woman
Shazam
Aquaman
early Arrow
early Supergirl (the show, not the movie)
I haven't seen Gunn's Suicide Squad or Peacemaker yet, but I hear good things.
I've also been thinking about trying Legends of Tomorrow.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

News:
--Loki S1 has officially released on disc, just in time for Loki S2 to premiere this coming Thursday 10/5!
--The WGA strike has ended! Development & pre-production can now resume on future projects. (Casting, filming, & actor interviews, however, still cannot resume until the SAG strike ends.)

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

The Marvels tickets are now on sale! The movie opens in exactly 1 month. Here's a new promo clip:

The next episode of Loki goes up Thursday evening!

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

The 2nd season finale of Loki releases next Thursday!

The Marvels opens in ONE WEEK! Here's a new clip to whet your appetite.

Echo now *officially* drops on January 10th; here's the first trailer & poster. (Note: If you're going to watch it on Disney+ instead of Hulu, you'll need to disable the mature-content filter; the show is rated TV-MA.)

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I guess it's not MCU(?), but the Madame Web film looks okay. The acting is pretty bad, but the concept is solid. I'm a bit of a sucker for the Groundhog Day sort of premise it's got going on.

[CaptHayfever]

^It looks a hell of a lot better than Kraven, that's for sure. (I still can't believe they put *a tarot card inside his eyeball* & decided "yeah, that doesn't look exceptionally silly at all".)

Speaking of new trailers, What If? season 2 premieres on December 22nd, & will release new episodes *daily* until New Year's Eve!

Also: The SAG strike is over! Filming will resume shortly on all of the things.
Also also: Go see The Marvels! It's good!

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Couldn't post this right away when the season ended for assorted reasons, but now at long last, part 61.26...


Loki season 2:

#2.01 "Ouroboros":
--We're off to a running start.
--"Multipass" ~my wife
--Ok, thank goodness, Mobius's entire character arc *wasn't* reset.
--I can't imagine Mobius would be in trouble over having a magazine.
--The lights in the war room are just silly.
--A mosaic just appeared in the Void.
--Dox is comforting X-5 like a little child who had a toy taken away for 30 seconds.
--Loki's doing an awful job explaining what he saw, but that's understandable given the circumstances.
--So we have to prune every Loki everywhere all at once?
--It's also theorized that within a black hole, you can move freely back & forth in time...just only within the space of the black hole, so it's not very useful.
--No time for loom, Dr. Jones!
--How are there NO timesticks ANYWHERE around this place in the "future"? Also, what's constituting this evacuation?
--Credits: Key lime pie isn't supposed to be that color.
--Mid-credit scene: So Sylvie's arc this season is the documentary Super Size Me?

#2.02 "Breaking Brad":
--This would be a great Wonder Man moment...wait, Bardot? Oh yeah, it's the 60s.
--Somebody forgot that Loki can use his powers outside the agency.
--OB's got good priorities.
--Nice Rocky Horror reference, Mobius.
--Brad's ignoring the fact that Mobius *doesn't* have a life to return to. All the staffers' timelines were pruned, & the new versions of those timelines have their own variants living those lives now.
--Brad sings a Taylor Swift song to Loki.
--I think Mobius might've been from Florida.
--Haven't seen an automat since the 1940s.
--This whole conversation is super comic-booky & it's great.
--Bad cop, badder cop?
--Loki, it's time to cook.
--Gosh, remember when you were guaranteed to get your break on schedule? 'Cause I don't.
--Gosh, remember when the shake machine was working? 'Cause I do.
--Heh, hi Martin Scorsese!
--Trillions, B-15. Minimum. Probably more.
--The thing with tearing down corrupt regulatory institutions is that you gotta follow up & ensure their removal doesn't lead to a crapton of avoidable collateral damage. You can't just walk away afterwards.
--Credits: In case you wanna look it up to download, it's Janis Joplin, "Kosmik Blues".

#2.03 "1893":
--Logo: Well, that's nice & jaunty!
--1868. Is the episode title even close to right?
--"You don't exactly blend in" said the black woman in a 1970s business suit wandering around 1860s Chicago.
--1893. Ohhhh.
--He don't care if he ever gets back.
--That's what happens when you give up your Wodan's Day timeslot; he comes back to haunt you.
--Is this what inspires him to kill Balder?
--Seems strange to do a scientific presentation in (a) a bar (b) full of people who don't care about science.
--I thought Timely was just doing dramatic pauses, but seems he actually has a stutter.
--Dancing like James Brown in the 19th century has to be a Back To The Future reference.
--Caption Guy, labeling him "Robber Baron" just gives it away.
--$1000 in 1893 is approximately $34000 in 2023. It's a hell of a lot of walking-around cash, but these bids are still *drastically* low for what this device can do.
--Can't scam the god of scams.
--Let's make a deal: First Loki uses Timely's biometric data to fix the loom, THEN Sylvie can kill him. Win-win!
--FULL KAIJU, GROOT! (Hey, we're outside of regular time; I can make that reference & still be in-character for the blog.)
--"Across" the lake from Chicago is Michigan, not Wisconsin.
--He doesn't do partners.
--Miss Minutes with the Tinkerbell-style jealousy.
--Miss Minutes with the AIDA-style character arc.
--Ravonna, what the heck are you talking about?
--"I am order!" Cue chaos.
--He Whose Remains (How is rot possible here?)

#2.04 "Heart of the TVA":
--She Who Remembers
--Why didn't Loki & Mobius come through the door with him?
--I want chocolate soup now.
--Way to hang the biggest lampshade ever on the joke.
--That's 1 more coat of paint than Doc Brown had time for.
--You need to enlarge something? Too bad you don't have any Pym particles.
--Loki & Sylvie are immortal; getting doused with temporal energy shouldn't hurt them like everyone else.
--More like he already knows it HAS disappeared, & he's trying to power through by not thinking about it.
--I gotta be honest; B-15 really isn't selling me on anything she's saying. Fortunately the other characters are.
--How'd Renslayer know where they all were? Did somebody dox Dox? (Was it Sssniperwolf?)
--Ope, somebody boxed Dox. (This is not the MOST gruesome moment in this franchise, but it's up there.)
--Timely might've lived naturally to see a hot cocoa machine; they were invented in 1947.
--I think everybody pretty well guessed this in episode 1.
--GOD MODE ACTIVATED.
--Aw, Victor, poor baby.
--Miss Minutes with the Flowey-style breakdown.
--What did I tell you about sending an immortal!?
--Ok, this seems ba

#2.05 "Science/Fiction":
--d.
--Whatever trait allowed Loki to survive this should've allowed Sylvie to survive too.
--The editing on this scene is very smooth, I'm digging it.
--I don't think being ripped apart into nothing is a very good "fail safe".
--Title screen: Ok, that's ominous.
--Branched timeline 1962: Eugene Cordero as a jailbreaker is a hard sell.
--Branched timeline 2012: On the other hand, Wunmi Mosaku is more believable as a doctor than as a hunter.
--Branched timeline 2022: Is literally *anyone* surprised? (Also, Loki in this moment.)
--Branched timeline 1994: So, everyone's everywhen all at once?
--This building looks like a Celestial on the outside & like the TVA itself on the inside.
--OB/AD as the professor from Stranger Than Fiction is delightful.
--It's not his *real* name, Loki; it's his name HWR made up.
--CALLED IT AT THE START OF THE EPISODE.
--Remember that time Radcliffe disappeared before he could have his drink? Now the drink disappeared before Loki could have it. Sylvie's mostly right about these folks' homes, but Loki's mostly right too, about the fate of existence.
--Here's the one thing I'm confused about: Existence clearly...existed "before" the Multiversal War & the TVA. The loom is not necessary to create reality, but only to control the Sacred Timeline & to harvest temporal energy for powering the TVA. So why is reality unraveling now that the loom is gone? Is it because of the explosion, the overload of energy?
--Credits: Wait it out.

#2.06 "Glorious Purpose":
--What is it with this franchise & repeating episode titles? This time from the SAME SHOW even!
--Logo: :ogoL
--Weird that on some attempts Timely spaghettifies before even getting out the door.
--The mad lads actually gave us a SpongeBob time card!
--Mobius's suspicion is justified. Hopefully he gets an explanation afterwards.
--Victor S. Timely
--My question from the end of the previous episode stands. The loom is not necessary for existence to exist. It literally *can't* be. The TVA ending should not result in everything ceasing to be.
--Wait a tick, this elevator loop is before the end of HWR's "script"; shouldn't he notice Loki acting differently then?
--You'd think a guy who has eternity to kick around would've bothered reading Eliot, when even a guy who hated Earth had read him.
--Are we erasing character development again, after I just praised the season premiere for NOT doing that?
--Ok, good, we're not doing that. Stop scaring me with it.
--Like I said 2 episodes ago: Send. An. Immortal.
--Holy mother of crap this is cool. And that outfit is fitting of the Norse mythos.
--O hai Yggdrasil.
--Centuries have now passed, so Quantumania has happened.
--Renslayer, meet Alioth.

Executive summary: DRASTIC improvement over season 1. None of the same narrative mistakes, & one of the S1 mistakes was actually *undone* at that! Much stronger character arcs. Much broader color pallet. Gorgeous cinematography. Ke Huy Quan is delightful.


And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Booyakasha]

Ke Huy Quan is delightful.

Or at the very least Good Enough.

[CaptHayfever]

Roller coaster of a week for MCU news:

* What If S2 premieres this Friday the 22nd, & again, will release an episode daily for 9 days.
* Echo had its release bumped up a day to Tuesday, January 9th.
* The GotG Holiday Special won 4 Emmys!
* I Am Groot won 2 Emmys!
* But then the gavel finally dropped: Jonathan Majors has been convicted of assault & faces up to a year in prison. In response, Marvel Studios has parted ways with Majors, & is seemingly even dropping the subtitle of the next Avengers film.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Seems a bit pointless to drop the subtitle considering he's still in the film, presumably, doesn't it?