Having decoded what phase one really was from the skunk works of Marvel Studios, it would be quite generic to speak about the next phase.
But before we do that, how about a theory? What would a movie franchise do to make sure it outdid itself and wooed discerning audience for another four years to come?
Would they bring in drastic changes? Or would they bring in emotional bonds between characters? Or would they create an entirely different storyline altogether to keep the fans guessing?
Marvel did all those things in phase two and they did it in quite the outlandish and brilliant way that they had come to be known.
Kicking off with the third installment of Iron Man, the next set of movies were not off to a great start in my POV.
Iron Man 3 was somewhat off-topic to the main storyline. It is basically Tony trying to please his beloved Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, who does not understand that it is because of him that she and the entire planet is alive as he saved them from an alien force that came charging through space.
Anthony finally ends up destroying his entire flying armoury so that Pepper will stay with him ‘happily’.
Well, Thor 2 (2013) had none of it because it was based on the reality stone coming out of the dungeon it was destined to.
By the time Odinson had brought peace to the nine realms, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) somehow finds herself in the deeper ruins of Asgard (Thor’s much cooler world than earth) and gets herself into trouble when the aether, as the reality stone which is not a stone is called, latches onto her.
Thor takes her to his world where he introduces Jane to his mother and father and saves her from danger.
While this is the main storyline, on the background Thor’s mother gets killed by a black elf and along with his mischievous brother, the god of thunder avenges Frigga’s death and puts an end to the chaos.
By the time Thor 2 had hit the screens, once again, the direction team at Marvel had consumed too much alcohol for they decided that the best way to follow up the reveal of the reality stone is to make a film about two lost friends meeting once again.
So, Captain America and Black Widow are being pursued by thugs of Hydra. They get help from Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and destroy the entire hydra plan with a single short speech recited by Cap himself. And yes, Bucky Barnes who was believed to have died in Cap’s first movie comes in as the Winter Soldier. The friends reconcile, but because Bucky had been brainwashed by Hydra, he shoots Cap and puts him in a lake.
The most important movie of the second phase is the Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) because it was the first film that took the entire universe to a whole new level. With the introduction of the almighty power stone that could decimate a planet, the film takes the audience over fictional but quite possibly the most versatile places in the universe. The whole GoG team is revealed with Quill, Rocket, Groot, Gamora and Drax coming together in a mix of pop culture logic to save the planet Xandar from the psychopath that is Ronan. It is a must watch as a movie, period.
Then came Avengers: Age of Ultron. It is essentially Tony Stark being the person he is, led by fear, creating a protocol that would defeat his intelligence and plot to exterminate all of humanity. The Avengers once again come to the rescue, save thousands of people from a flying (read falling) city and kicking robot butts in a fiery fury of action-packed battle sequences.
The second phase ended with Ant Man and there is nothing important to say about it, apart from the movie bringing out the importance of the quantum realm that would later be put to use by our heroes.
Phase two was a mixed bag and Marvel intended to make it that way because they had to lay the foundation for what would turn out to be rollercoaster of a movie-ride in phase three.
And one more thing, how many stones do you think have been revealed until now?
(to be continued…)
This is the second post in a three-part series summarizing phase 1, 2 and 3 of Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To read part 1 of All about Avengers click here
To read part 3 of All about Avengers click here