Mark Beall's Geek Beat: Marvel Musings

Some stray thoughts I've been pondering while not caught up in the NFL and NCAA football seasons or Marvel's Civil War:

Are you following the events of Marvel's Civil War summer crossover spectacular? Was I the only one to get an instant mental picture of Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire slugging it out upon hearing the Iron Man casting information shortly after reading the latest Amazing Spider-Man? And who else is getting tired of the Iron Spider suit? I suppose that's all good and well, since he's getting a costume change soon enough anyway.

Speaking of, what do you make of the Robert Downey Jr. casting? Is it wrong that one of the first thoughts which crossed my mind was "let's see, Tony Stark has been an alcoholic struggling with inner demons in the past, while Robert Downey Jr. has been ..." See where I'm going?

Why is it I feel more comfortable with unknowns or mostly unknowns being cast as major roles in comic book movies instead of extremely recognizable names? After all, Sin City was packed full of recognizable names, and it may well be the best comic book flick yet. Maybe it's because big name casting brought me Ben Affleck as Daredevil and almost brought me Tom Cruise as Iron Man.

Somewhere along the course of the past few years, I have become a staunch Doug Jones supporter. Supporter is probably not strong enough of a word -- you can probably label me a fanboy at this point. I've sang the praises of his casting as the Silver Surfer. Could one brilliant performance be enough to swing the balance of an otherwise lackluster franchise?

If not, could making Doctor Doom more Doctor Doom-like help swing the balance?

How about I throw in the Fantasticar as an added bonus?

Still no? How about a really sweet looking world devouring Galactus to seal the deal?

Is Tim Story as a director enough to make you worry about the film no matter how many items we can add to the "positives" category?

If Story shuts us all up with a fantastic (pun totally intended) second movie, does he atone for the first film and earn a place of honor in the hearts of the geek community? Or does he simply get himself back to a neutral opinion instead of a negative one? Me, I'll forgive all if he brings me an awesome Coming of Galactus flick.

All are the Spider-Man and X-Men fans who have appeared in the recent years in the same category of people as all the Seattle Seahawks fans that have suddenly appeared as of late? Should long time fans get angry at the bandwagoneers, or simply welcome them in and feel grateful for the company?

If the Silver Surfer did earn his own movie, as some suggestions have recently indicated, what story line would you want it to follow? I'd vote for something from the "cosmic explorer" angle of the title's second run. The Silver Surfer in outer space could be a fun romp on film.

It has been continually noted that Marvel is gearing up for an Avengers movie. Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, and Thor solo flicks are all lead character tie-ins to a major Avengers project. However, should the Silver Surfer get his own flick, we'd be facing down another potential crossover film. Ready for this one? Part One: The Incredible Hulk redux. Part Two: the continually persistent rumors of a Namor the Submariner flick. Part Three: A Silver Surfer movie on the back of his appearance in the Fantastic Four. Part Four: Dr. Strange, part of the ten film deal between Marvel and Paramount's distribution office. Of these four, only the first is guaranteed to happen; but do you see the possibility here? That's right friends -- a Defenders flick!

The overwhelming popularity of Wolverine has consistently resulted with him appearing in the pages of practically every Marvel title in existence. Given that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine likewise carries tremendous popular support, how likely is it we'll start seeing the movie version popping in and out of other movie franchises like his comic book counterpart? Would licensing issues with different studios prevent this?

Do you feel that the Marvel movie universe is not particularly cohesive? Unlike in the comic books, we rarely see or hear of the other major heroes on film. I'm certain this has something to do with aforementioned licensing issues, but I feel as though we're watching several non-connected worlds as opposed to one big world with everyone in it.

If someone handed you 200 million dollars, access to a full studio and told you to choose one Marvel title/team/character/story arc to turn into a film, which would you go for? Do you think your choice would have box office potential, or would it just be fulfilling a geek dream? My choice is a total geek dream -- I want a Big Hero Six film.