Why I'm a Marvel girl instead of a DC girl (and it ain't just a Disney thing)
Let me first apologize for the length of this post. I probably should have split it into three parts: why I'm NOT a DC girl, why I AM a Marvel girl, and why I'm now obsessed with Marvel's The Defenders, but screw it...sometimes I'm lazy and I doubt anyone cares about this mess anyway!
In an effort to break my Supernatural habit (after spending a FORTUNE replacing my DVDs with Blu-Rays), I started trying to find something else to watch. I have been scouring all kinds of crap trying to find "something" that I haven't either watched dozens of times before or something that I would actually like (and trust me, that ain't easy).
I grew up in the days of Christopher Reeve's Superman, I watched Adam West's Batman, Linda Carter's Wonder Woman, I spent Saturday mornings watching Super Friends, and nothing beats Tim Burton's original Michael Keaton's Batman. DC was everywhere when I was a kid. Marvel, on the other hand, not so much.
Until the X-Men came along (most were good, but not all and I don't care who they cast, Taylor Kitsch will ALWAYS be Remy LeBeau to me, period), I wasn't familiar with that world much at all. There have been Spidermans along the way (that I haven't cared for all all...sorry, but true), Fantastic Fours that made me cringe (Chris Evans or not) and, other than the chemistry between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, there was nothing good about Daredevil the movie (and stand-alone Elektra movie was just sad).
I wasn't the comic book type...with my Asper brain, all those random images scattered across the page made me cringe (still does). It's one of the reasons I did badly in design class in college (well B badly, but a B in Art for me back then was horrible), I have a very symmetrical brain and like things to be balanced. I can't scrapbook either, BTW.
But even before Disney bought Marvel, Iron Man came along and changed EVERYTHING. The Disney purchase was just the icing on the cake. By the time Captain America came along (and THAT was where Chris Evans needed to be), I was a lost cause. There have been numerous TV shows, some good, some bad, but The Defenders shows are by far the best of the best (I'll get to those later).
But there have still been Batmans, Supermans and etcs along the way and I WANT to love them...I've tried. A couple of weeks ago, I went ahead and got Wonder Woman and Justice League. I decided to break down and watch a marathon of Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman (which I already owned) and then Wonder Woman and Justice League. I'm not even going to discuss Suicide Squad. I don't own it, but I've seen it twice (the second time just to try to make sense of the first time since I thought maybe I wasn't paying enough attention...I was, and it still sucked).
I should mention that when I say "own", I mean that I have purchased them digitally from Amazon Prime...I don't have the discs. In my world that matters because it has to be important for me to buy discs nowadays. I'm the same with music. I still buy CDs...for Duran Duran and Take That (and I also download them too...racking up the sales figures), but everyone else gets downloaded (legally, of course). My house is filled with enough junk.
What I quickly realized is that each one of the DC movies is really LONG (as as the Marvels, but there is a "but" there). There are long fight scenes followed by even longer lulls of absolute nothingness (something the Marvels just don't have). The special effects, well, in a word, suck (even on my crappy TV). After each movie, I literally had to stop for about 30 minutes or so and clean house for a bit or do something else because each one just mentally wore me out. They were dark and depressing and I wanted to just crawl up in a ball after every single one and cry or something, but I toughed it out.
I WANT to like Ben Affleck as Batman because I do like Ben (despite his personal life choices), same with Henry Cavill. I'm not a fan of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, but I think that's because Linda Carter was a more well "rounded" Wonder Woman...it worries me a bit at how skinny Gal is and what kind of message that is sending, but it reminds me of the whole Disney PC crap with princesses, so why go into all that again (I've ranted enough about that in the past...I think it's just because I'm old). I liked the guy that played the Flash, but I didn't dwell too much on him. I will say though that Jason Momoa is the PERFECT Aquaman, but his standalone movie will decide and I'm not too jazzed if Amber Heard's going to be in it, but again, I'll hold judgement (because I will watch it).
The writing in DC movies is just too cold and almost unfeeling and the visuals are so gray and dark and I think that spills over into the characters too. Ben Affleck kind of reminded me of a cardboard cutout of himself as Batman instead of a "real" person with "real" emotions (and I mean "real" in a strictly fictional sense). Gal's acting didnt' impress me too much either and, at least by Justice League, it was like they tried to "bulk her up" by giving her heavier armor. Didn't work...but I guess they knew there were issues there (I've read other complaints on the web as well as complaints about the complaints...everyone has an opinion).
That Saturday I spent watching those DC movies was the most depressed I've felt in months. I even went back and watched WW and Justice League a second time just to make sure I hadn't prejudiced myself (of all the Chris', Chris Pine is my LEAST favorite, so it's good he's in the DC world, so that was mark #2 against Wonder Woman). David Thewlis alone should have been enough to have saved that movie...I worship him, but nope. I won't give away the ending, but the twist pissed me off actually. And again, giving David heavy armor doesn't make him Chris Hemsworth. Strike 3 WW, you're out!
When it comes to Marvel movies though, even though they don't always end well, they are still all action-packed start to finish, the special effects blow your brain (even on my old-ass TV), and you feel a connection to the characters that the DC movies don't give you a chance to do. They have that certain thing that's usually pretty standard in the Disney-verse...Hope (with a capital "H") and I guess that's what makes the difference for me.
Obviously, now a Marvel movie marathon takes a minimum of three days (and it's getting longer with every movie) and I'm TERRIFIED that Cap is gonna die either in Infinity War or Avengers 4 and I'm not sure how I'll handle that, but I still think I'll be a Marvel girl no matter what.
Now, a bit of a shift and what started this whole thought...on to The Defenders and the TV Marvel-verse. I should mention first that Netflix series are not like normal TV shows. Supernatural has about 22-24 eps per season...Netflix are more like 10-18 depending, but Netflix shows are almost one full hour whereas normal TV shows are about 42 minutes. But anyway, I'm straying away from topic...I tried to watch DareDevil quite a while ago and couldn't get into it and I think it was because I made the mistake of rewatching the Ben Affleck movie first before the show and I prejudiced myself...bad form on my part. I should have known better.
Jessica Jones was another story. I LOVED it (and yes, David Tennant had EVERYTHING to do with that), but I had originally watched it a couple of years ago when it premiered. By the time The Defenders had broadcast on Netflix (Defenders is only 8 episodes FYI), I had one season of Jessica Jones under my belt and one failed attempt at DareDevil. Defenders caused me to instantly fall in love with The Iron Fist, but I kind of forgot about it because I was still obsessed with Supernatural at the time.
While waiting for my BR discs of Supernatural to come in, I decided to start Defenders again which reminded me about Iron Fist, so I watched it afterwards and LOVED it! Jessica Jones series 2 was out, so I watched it after that, and then decided to give DareDevil another chance (which also had a second season by then, so back-to-back series there). The second time around, I LOVED DareDevil. Then it was back to The Defenders. I tried Luke Cage, but after two episodes, I couldn't get into it. The storyline varied so much, the music was too loud, and the camera angles made me a bit nauseous. Then it was time for The Defenders two more times, then the first season of Jessica Jones again, Iron First again, and, just for kicks, The Punisher.
I did give Luke Cage a second chance (I spent a lot of time shopping Etsy on my iPad while it was on, so I finally made it through it without paying too close attention (it would have been a great stitching show if I was in a stitching mood). I now understand his storyline in the The Defenders better, but I can't see myself watching it again before season 2 comes out. I do like the character of Luke and his dynamic with the other Defenders, it just has no flow with the worlds of the other three. It's the Dr. Strange of the Marvel movie world. Maybe eventually, both Luke Cage and Dr. Strange will prove to show a purpose in the Marvel-verse for me (and, I'm enough of a Fan-Girl to know that Dr. Strange was originally one of The Defenders in the comics, so that fact is not lost on me).
Ironically enough, most everyone will tell you that Iron Fist is the weakest of the individual Defender shows. I don't get that because he's my absolute favorite. He's got heart, he's absolutely adorable (it doesn't hurt that the actor who plays him, Finn Jones, is exactly my "type" - British in real life, need I say more?), and I just can't help but think that his storyline has more directions to move into than the other guys. I was completely enthralled in every single episode. Not sure I can say the same for any of the others. All the shows have been renewed for another season, so there will be more of them all (including The Defenders, eventually), but it takes FOREVER for them to come out on Netflix, let alone Blu-Ray (more on that in a minute).
Obviously I can relate quite a bit to Jessica Jones because she's so damaged (sounds like anyone you know?), but again, David Tennant makes that show (and I don't think I'm giving away spoilers by saying that he pops up in season 2 as well). Season 2 of JJ is also a bit darker and more personal, but still just as good, just in a different vein as the first.
DareDevil grew on me because I started crushing on the actor who plays Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox - and yes, he is also British in real life - I do have a type). I will say I do NOT like their version of Elektra. I don't want him to be with her at ALL. I don't see any chemistry there and she's just not a likable character (at least the movie version was Jennifer Garner and, seriously, can anyone hate Jennifer Garner?).
If I wanted to get nit-picky, Charlie Cox has a bit of a comb-over covering his widows peaks which they try to hide by fluffing up his hair, but they put him in the rain a lot. You can't hide bald spots in the rain. Either let his true hairline show (which I don't think is that bad), or get him implants (which I really don't think he needs, but if it bothers them enough to give him fluff hair, then they should do something). It's a bit annoying and I tend to focus a lot on his hair when it rains on the show (and sometimes when it's not raining and he just has a long dialogue scene). Stupid, I know, but what's an Asper to do. He's adorable (not Finn Jones-Iron Fist adorable, but close and, for the record, they also comb Finn's hair into this widows peak lines too and his are barely even there...not sure what their hair and makeup people's deal is there).
When it comes to Blu-rays, I've had to resort to some strange tactics to get actual non-bootleg or real American versions of the discs. So far, I've only managed DareDevil 1 and Jessica Jones 1, and DareDevil 2 is on backorder through Target. Amazon is only selling all-regions...could it be because Netflix is a competitor? You can buy the DVDs anywhere, but not the Blu-Rays...weird. There better be TONS OF special features on those discs too considering how long it takes for them to be put on discs in the first place! I don't buy BRs for TV like I tend to do for movies, just the ones that I think "deserve" higher quality or shows with a lot of special effects.
Needless to say, I haven't given up on the DC world. I will still continue to watch their movies (although probably not their TV shows) and hope for the best, but unless they steal someone major from the Marvel creative team, I think DC is screwed.
But, I am, and will always be, a Marvel girl, be it movies, TV, or whatever form I can get my hands on. Right now, it's The Defenders, at least until Infinity War comes out. Will Iron Fist takes the place of Captain America for me in the long run? Only time will tell, but I'm willing to let him try! Even if Disney sells Marvel, it wouldn't matter, I'm a Marvel girl, through-and-through (although I may have to mourn for a while if Captain America dies...it can be this year's post Disney depression since I'm not going).
POSTSCRIPT:
I made the mistake of trying out a new Amazon channel last night...ComicConHQ and a I watched a movie based on the Supernatural Fandom so, guess what? Yep, tonight those Blu-rays will get their workout started...at least until the next Marvel show comes out on Netflix or until Black Panther comes out on Blu-ray so I can go see Infinity War. Ugh. I'm still a Marvel girl, but right now, I'm back to being obsessed with Supernatural. At least I had a couple of weeks reprieve! Maybe by the time Iron Fist comes out on Blu-Ray, I'll be back in The Defenders mood.
In an effort to break my Supernatural habit (after spending a FORTUNE replacing my DVDs with Blu-Rays), I started trying to find something else to watch. I have been scouring all kinds of crap trying to find "something" that I haven't either watched dozens of times before or something that I would actually like (and trust me, that ain't easy).
I grew up in the days of Christopher Reeve's Superman, I watched Adam West's Batman, Linda Carter's Wonder Woman, I spent Saturday mornings watching Super Friends, and nothing beats Tim Burton's original Michael Keaton's Batman. DC was everywhere when I was a kid. Marvel, on the other hand, not so much.
Until the X-Men came along (most were good, but not all and I don't care who they cast, Taylor Kitsch will ALWAYS be Remy LeBeau to me, period), I wasn't familiar with that world much at all. There have been Spidermans along the way (that I haven't cared for all all...sorry, but true), Fantastic Fours that made me cringe (Chris Evans or not) and, other than the chemistry between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, there was nothing good about Daredevil the movie (and stand-alone Elektra movie was just sad).
I wasn't the comic book type...with my Asper brain, all those random images scattered across the page made me cringe (still does). It's one of the reasons I did badly in design class in college (well B badly, but a B in Art for me back then was horrible), I have a very symmetrical brain and like things to be balanced. I can't scrapbook either, BTW.
But even before Disney bought Marvel, Iron Man came along and changed EVERYTHING. The Disney purchase was just the icing on the cake. By the time Captain America came along (and THAT was where Chris Evans needed to be), I was a lost cause. There have been numerous TV shows, some good, some bad, but The Defenders shows are by far the best of the best (I'll get to those later).
But there have still been Batmans, Supermans and etcs along the way and I WANT to love them...I've tried. A couple of weeks ago, I went ahead and got Wonder Woman and Justice League. I decided to break down and watch a marathon of Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman (which I already owned) and then Wonder Woman and Justice League. I'm not even going to discuss Suicide Squad. I don't own it, but I've seen it twice (the second time just to try to make sense of the first time since I thought maybe I wasn't paying enough attention...I was, and it still sucked).
I should mention that when I say "own", I mean that I have purchased them digitally from Amazon Prime...I don't have the discs. In my world that matters because it has to be important for me to buy discs nowadays. I'm the same with music. I still buy CDs...for Duran Duran and Take That (and I also download them too...racking up the sales figures), but everyone else gets downloaded (legally, of course). My house is filled with enough junk.
What I quickly realized is that each one of the DC movies is really LONG (as as the Marvels, but there is a "but" there). There are long fight scenes followed by even longer lulls of absolute nothingness (something the Marvels just don't have). The special effects, well, in a word, suck (even on my crappy TV). After each movie, I literally had to stop for about 30 minutes or so and clean house for a bit or do something else because each one just mentally wore me out. They were dark and depressing and I wanted to just crawl up in a ball after every single one and cry or something, but I toughed it out.
I WANT to like Ben Affleck as Batman because I do like Ben (despite his personal life choices), same with Henry Cavill. I'm not a fan of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, but I think that's because Linda Carter was a more well "rounded" Wonder Woman...it worries me a bit at how skinny Gal is and what kind of message that is sending, but it reminds me of the whole Disney PC crap with princesses, so why go into all that again (I've ranted enough about that in the past...I think it's just because I'm old). I liked the guy that played the Flash, but I didn't dwell too much on him. I will say though that Jason Momoa is the PERFECT Aquaman, but his standalone movie will decide and I'm not too jazzed if Amber Heard's going to be in it, but again, I'll hold judgement (because I will watch it).
The writing in DC movies is just too cold and almost unfeeling and the visuals are so gray and dark and I think that spills over into the characters too. Ben Affleck kind of reminded me of a cardboard cutout of himself as Batman instead of a "real" person with "real" emotions (and I mean "real" in a strictly fictional sense). Gal's acting didnt' impress me too much either and, at least by Justice League, it was like they tried to "bulk her up" by giving her heavier armor. Didn't work...but I guess they knew there were issues there (I've read other complaints on the web as well as complaints about the complaints...everyone has an opinion).
That Saturday I spent watching those DC movies was the most depressed I've felt in months. I even went back and watched WW and Justice League a second time just to make sure I hadn't prejudiced myself (of all the Chris', Chris Pine is my LEAST favorite, so it's good he's in the DC world, so that was mark #2 against Wonder Woman). David Thewlis alone should have been enough to have saved that movie...I worship him, but nope. I won't give away the ending, but the twist pissed me off actually. And again, giving David heavy armor doesn't make him Chris Hemsworth. Strike 3 WW, you're out!
When it comes to Marvel movies though, even though they don't always end well, they are still all action-packed start to finish, the special effects blow your brain (even on my old-ass TV), and you feel a connection to the characters that the DC movies don't give you a chance to do. They have that certain thing that's usually pretty standard in the Disney-verse...Hope (with a capital "H") and I guess that's what makes the difference for me.
Obviously, now a Marvel movie marathon takes a minimum of three days (and it's getting longer with every movie) and I'm TERRIFIED that Cap is gonna die either in Infinity War or Avengers 4 and I'm not sure how I'll handle that, but I still think I'll be a Marvel girl no matter what.
Now, a bit of a shift and what started this whole thought...on to The Defenders and the TV Marvel-verse. I should mention first that Netflix series are not like normal TV shows. Supernatural has about 22-24 eps per season...Netflix are more like 10-18 depending, but Netflix shows are almost one full hour whereas normal TV shows are about 42 minutes. But anyway, I'm straying away from topic...I tried to watch DareDevil quite a while ago and couldn't get into it and I think it was because I made the mistake of rewatching the Ben Affleck movie first before the show and I prejudiced myself...bad form on my part. I should have known better.
Jessica Jones was another story. I LOVED it (and yes, David Tennant had EVERYTHING to do with that), but I had originally watched it a couple of years ago when it premiered. By the time The Defenders had broadcast on Netflix (Defenders is only 8 episodes FYI), I had one season of Jessica Jones under my belt and one failed attempt at DareDevil. Defenders caused me to instantly fall in love with The Iron Fist, but I kind of forgot about it because I was still obsessed with Supernatural at the time.
While waiting for my BR discs of Supernatural to come in, I decided to start Defenders again which reminded me about Iron Fist, so I watched it afterwards and LOVED it! Jessica Jones series 2 was out, so I watched it after that, and then decided to give DareDevil another chance (which also had a second season by then, so back-to-back series there). The second time around, I LOVED DareDevil. Then it was back to The Defenders. I tried Luke Cage, but after two episodes, I couldn't get into it. The storyline varied so much, the music was too loud, and the camera angles made me a bit nauseous. Then it was time for The Defenders two more times, then the first season of Jessica Jones again, Iron First again, and, just for kicks, The Punisher.
I did give Luke Cage a second chance (I spent a lot of time shopping Etsy on my iPad while it was on, so I finally made it through it without paying too close attention (it would have been a great stitching show if I was in a stitching mood). I now understand his storyline in the The Defenders better, but I can't see myself watching it again before season 2 comes out. I do like the character of Luke and his dynamic with the other Defenders, it just has no flow with the worlds of the other three. It's the Dr. Strange of the Marvel movie world. Maybe eventually, both Luke Cage and Dr. Strange will prove to show a purpose in the Marvel-verse for me (and, I'm enough of a Fan-Girl to know that Dr. Strange was originally one of The Defenders in the comics, so that fact is not lost on me).
Ironically enough, most everyone will tell you that Iron Fist is the weakest of the individual Defender shows. I don't get that because he's my absolute favorite. He's got heart, he's absolutely adorable (it doesn't hurt that the actor who plays him, Finn Jones, is exactly my "type" - British in real life, need I say more?), and I just can't help but think that his storyline has more directions to move into than the other guys. I was completely enthralled in every single episode. Not sure I can say the same for any of the others. All the shows have been renewed for another season, so there will be more of them all (including The Defenders, eventually), but it takes FOREVER for them to come out on Netflix, let alone Blu-Ray (more on that in a minute).
Obviously I can relate quite a bit to Jessica Jones because she's so damaged (sounds like anyone you know?), but again, David Tennant makes that show (and I don't think I'm giving away spoilers by saying that he pops up in season 2 as well). Season 2 of JJ is also a bit darker and more personal, but still just as good, just in a different vein as the first.
DareDevil grew on me because I started crushing on the actor who plays Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox - and yes, he is also British in real life - I do have a type). I will say I do NOT like their version of Elektra. I don't want him to be with her at ALL. I don't see any chemistry there and she's just not a likable character (at least the movie version was Jennifer Garner and, seriously, can anyone hate Jennifer Garner?).
If I wanted to get nit-picky, Charlie Cox has a bit of a comb-over covering his widows peaks which they try to hide by fluffing up his hair, but they put him in the rain a lot. You can't hide bald spots in the rain. Either let his true hairline show (which I don't think is that bad), or get him implants (which I really don't think he needs, but if it bothers them enough to give him fluff hair, then they should do something). It's a bit annoying and I tend to focus a lot on his hair when it rains on the show (and sometimes when it's not raining and he just has a long dialogue scene). Stupid, I know, but what's an Asper to do. He's adorable (not Finn Jones-Iron Fist adorable, but close and, for the record, they also comb Finn's hair into this widows peak lines too and his are barely even there...not sure what their hair and makeup people's deal is there).
When it comes to Blu-rays, I've had to resort to some strange tactics to get actual non-bootleg or real American versions of the discs. So far, I've only managed DareDevil 1 and Jessica Jones 1, and DareDevil 2 is on backorder through Target. Amazon is only selling all-regions...could it be because Netflix is a competitor? You can buy the DVDs anywhere, but not the Blu-Rays...weird. There better be TONS OF special features on those discs too considering how long it takes for them to be put on discs in the first place! I don't buy BRs for TV like I tend to do for movies, just the ones that I think "deserve" higher quality or shows with a lot of special effects.
Needless to say, I haven't given up on the DC world. I will still continue to watch their movies (although probably not their TV shows) and hope for the best, but unless they steal someone major from the Marvel creative team, I think DC is screwed.
But, I am, and will always be, a Marvel girl, be it movies, TV, or whatever form I can get my hands on. Right now, it's The Defenders, at least until Infinity War comes out. Will Iron Fist takes the place of Captain America for me in the long run? Only time will tell, but I'm willing to let him try! Even if Disney sells Marvel, it wouldn't matter, I'm a Marvel girl, through-and-through (although I may have to mourn for a while if Captain America dies...it can be this year's post Disney depression since I'm not going).
POSTSCRIPT:
I made the mistake of trying out a new Amazon channel last night...ComicConHQ and a I watched a movie based on the Supernatural Fandom so, guess what? Yep, tonight those Blu-rays will get their workout started...at least until the next Marvel show comes out on Netflix or until Black Panther comes out on Blu-ray so I can go see Infinity War. Ugh. I'm still a Marvel girl, but right now, I'm back to being obsessed with Supernatural. At least I had a couple of weeks reprieve! Maybe by the time Iron Fist comes out on Blu-Ray, I'll be back in The Defenders mood.
Comments
Linda
We had a Terminator marathon this week. The first three films anyway.
We tried watching Justice League last week. Jason Momoa was definitely the highlight, and I was already a fan from his Stargate days. If you never watched Stargate Atlantis, that show was so good! The Flash was pretty cool too, but definitely not a fan of the actors playing Batman or Superman. I'm okay with WW.
Enjoy the rewatch!
That being said, I am up to date with the DC movies - I liked Wonder Woman and a few of the others were okay-ish, but in general everyone but Superman just seems pointless (in terms of power) and that just takes a lot of the excitment out of it. Plus, you know, everything is so dark and almost noone is really likeable. I've heard good things about the shows, though, and already seen a fair bit of Arrow, so I might give Flash and Wondergirl and what else there is a chance some time.