Tommy Olsen: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

# 7 The Marvel Cinematic Universe

List of Movies: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers

Why I love these movies:

The Avengers alone is one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen! Then you add the solo adventures of Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America, leading up to the assembling of the Avengers, and you have one awesome movie series! What’s great about these movies is that they choose to develop each character so well before throwing them all into one movie. By the time they all come together we as an audience already know the characters, and where they come from.

Before these movies though I didn’t know as much about the Avengers as I did X-men and Spider-man, but as far as movies go these are my favorite marvel superhero movies! These films are the best because they focus on character development, but they still don’t leave out the amazing action. They showed that superhero movies don’t just have to be all about the action, but also about the characters. These films were made with delicate care, and they show that it’s ok to still believe in super heroes. They also demonstrate to us that no matter how different we are in this world, we can all come together to perform some kind of common good!

Favorite Film: The Avengers

This was one of those movies that I couldn’t stop thinking about after I saw it. If there was one word that I could use to describe the Avengers, it would be balanced. The reason I say that is because this movie has everything. It has some of the best action sequences of any movie I have ever seen, as well as a great story, great character development, and flawless acting by the cast!

There was so much going on in this movie and they were able to balance it perfectly, and it proved that more than one superhero can work in one movie! One of my favorite things about this movie is that it took time to show the clash of each of the superhero’s egos. Everyone got a jab at each other, and they all pretty much got to fight one another.

I think it was every fan boys dream to see a Hulk vs. Thor fight, and we got that and much more! The cast in this movie was perfect, and after it was all over I couldn’t decide which character was my favorite. Each character and actor showed why they are so remarkable, and yet it never felt like one character was getting more attention than another. It was one of the most fun movies I have ever seen, and one of the greatest comic book adaptions ever! The director Josh Wheedon, did some incredible stuff with this movie. He understood the characters and where they came from. He himself was a comic book writer and fan of the comics, which helped him understand the fans and know what they wanted to see. I'm glad to know that he has signed on to write and direct The Avengers 2!

Now if we didn’t have all the other movies leading into the Avengers, we wouldn’t have the spectacle that the Avengers is today. My favorite of the individual films was Thor. I remember hearing that they were making a Thor movie, and I thought there was no way that it would actually make a good movie. When the previews started coming out, I still wasn’t that impressed, but I when I actually saw the film I was completely blown away. It was one of the most enjoyable movies I saw that year. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Middleson who play Thor and Loki were casted perfectly, and this movie showed us that not all comic book movies have to be totally realistic, but that they can still stick to their roots, and be a comic book movies!

My next favorite is Iron Man 1. Robert Downey Jr. was born to play that role! This movie showed that it’s ok to have humor in your comic book movies, which is something that didn’t happen too much before it came out. When I first saw this movie though I didn't like how Tony Stark was so arrogant and cocky. It bothered me that he was not humble and noble hero like most are. After watching it a second time though I started liking the character a lot more. He grew on me a lot, and now I couldn't imagine him not being the way he is. It makes seem a little more realistic. It was actually a great change, since he is so different from other characters.

Following Iron Man is Captain America. If any two characters are polar opposites in these films it is Iron Man and Captain America. Steve Rogers is the straight laced hero that has virtues, as well as an attitude of hard work. It was fun watching these two characters bicker in The Avengers. My favorite thing about this movie is that it is set in WWII, which makes it completely different from any other comic book movie. The setting had a very nostalgic feel that made me feel like I was watching an old war movie.

Iron Man 2 wasn't as good as the first film, but it was still fun to see Tony Stark in action again. It did a good job at introducing War Machine. A lot people didn't like the villains, but I actually really enjoyed them. The Incredible Hulk is my least favorite. I have heard many people say that the Hulk doesn’t really hold his own movie very well, and I think I can agree with that. But never the less this is still a good addition to the marvel films and shows a little more about what make the green monster tick. With 5 very good movies, and one outstanding film, Marvel has a great future in the film industry. Next summer they are starting what they call Phase 2, which will start with the release of Iron Man 3 next May. We will also see sequels to Thor and Captain America, as well as films for new heroes Ant-man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, which will all lead into the Avengers 2!

Marvel Phase 2!

Final Ranking:

Favorite Scene:

There are so many, but I think my favorite is the fight between Hulk and Thor! I also love Hulk's cheap shot punch at Thor in this scene below.

Favorite Quote:

The Avengers had so many good ones, so I'm going to cheat and throw in a few!

“Phil? I thought his first name was Agent.” Tony Stark

"There is only one God, and I don’t think he dresses like that." Captain America

Thor: "He’s my brother"

Natasha Romanoff: "He killed 80 people in 2 days"

Thor: "He’s adopted"

"Let’s do a headcount: Your brother, the demigod; a super-soldier, a living legend who actually lives up to the legend; a man with breathtaking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins; and you’ve managed to piss off every single one of us. " Tony Stark

Favorite Character: Thor