Whatever It Takes: Where Does “Avengers: Endgame” Fall on the ‘Marvelous’ List?

by Nathan on May 4, 2019

SPOILERS for “Avengers-Endgame”—Nuff Said

11 years ago, I leaned over in my movie theater chair and whispered three words to my then-ten-year-old sister Anna: “That’s Tony Stark.” We had just seen Robert Downey Jr.’s genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist waltz into a seedy bar and give a talking-to to General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. This conversation included some immortal words—“We’re putting together a team”—that garnered a massive reaction from attendees. I’d missed the post-credits scene in “Iron Man” a few months before (along with, I’m assuming, several other fans not yet conditioned to the long-running tradition of Marvel’s mini epilogue teases), having left the theater with my dad midway through the credits. It was a mistake we wouldn’t make again. Therefore, it was Stark’s words, not Nick Fury’s, which bequeathed a promise to us at the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second movie, “The Incredible Hulk.”

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Marvelous: Ranking the Movies of the MCU, Part 3 (7-1)

by Nathan on March 12, 2019

We really need no introduction, do we? If you followed the previous lists, follow on ahead here to read the final series of seven MCU movies. If you have yet to browse those two blogs, I suppose you have a choice: go back and read those first, or find out my favorite MCU film and then see which ones I left in the dust. Your choice, True Believer.

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Marvelous: Ranking the Movies of the MCU, Part 2 (14-8)

by Nathan on March 11, 2019

Picking up where the first blog left off, let’s head into the next section as we continue to cover the films that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So far, we’ve seen appearances from two Iron Man films, two Thor films, the single Hulk solo movie, Cap’s first outing, and Ant Man. So who can do better than those guys? Well, the simple answer is “everyone else.” But I’ll guess you’ll have to just read on to find out well.

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Marvelous: Ranking the Movies of the MCU, Part 1 (21-15)

by Nathan on March 10, 2019

Marvel movies tend to be fantastic. Sure, there are some stinkers—and I’m talking about all universes for the moment, so you’ve got your Daredevil and Fan4stic reboot thrown in there—and there are some supposed stinkers I don’t think stink as much (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and X-Men: Apocalypse, to name a few). But, a lot of times, Marvel can really craft decent movies with good stories, great characters, fantastic action pieces, memorable quotes, and some hilarious moments. Their massive Marvel Cinematic Universe—comprising of most of the members of their comics-oriented Avengers teams, minus X-Men and FF characters who have served their stints, as well as cosmically-charged individuals such as the Guardians of the Galaxy—has been going strong for over ten years. Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the first film, Iron Man in 2008, and one gets the (Spidey) sense that this Juggernaut isn’t slowing down any time soon.

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Weekend Adventures

by Anna on January 2, 2019

My beloved sister,

I visited the dragon café this weekend. It was a lovely day with the sky dotted with white clouds and barbels. The barbels started their migration to the southern lands today, so many were flying overhead, their fat bellies bouncing, their wings barely keeping them aloft. I’m surprised their species has survived this long! Their long pointy bills are their only source of protection. The night before it had rained so the cobblestone roads of Garvelle were slippery and left the air with a chill. I wrapped myself with my cloak and donned the amulet you gave my last birthday. I walked carefully to my destination admiring the carpentry of the many tightly packed buildings. It’s a beautiful city, much bigger than our small farming community. Each home is made of dark wood, absent of windows; instead there are simply square holes to let the air in. At first, I found this very strange and unsafe, but quickly discovered the law officials have quippels in their service!

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