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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2023 22:05:44 GMT 1
I sat down with the champions over the weekend to discuss Quantumania. Check out our upcoming review if you want to hear my spoiler-filled review. For now, here is a list of my likes and dislikes. Dislikes:Inconsistent tone: Quantumania has problems maintaining a consistent atmosphere. One half of the movie is a light-hearted adventure film in the tradition of Inner Space or Fantastic Voyage, and the other is a life-and-death struggle that more closely resembles some of the more serious Marvel films. Deliberate weirdness: Loveness and Waldron come from the Rick and Morty school of what I call willful weirdness. It's a trend in animated features that consists of injecting intentionally bizarre circumstances, characters, or actions into an otherwise linear narrative. This type of storytelling device seems to only exists to help lazy writers fill runtime. Think of your favorite realty-defying cartoons like Tom & Jerry or Bugs Bunny in live-action. Weak characters: there are many storytelling foibles you can pin on the MCU, but bland or generic feeling characters usually aren't one of them. The casting department of the MCU enjoys near-legendary status for its uncanny ability to pair actors with characters. Quantumania is a notable exception. Once you enter the Quantum realm, Quantumania has several characters I didn't care about because they were poorly drawn sci-fi/fantasy character archetypes. Whether it was the corrupt magistrate, the stoic female freedom fighter, or the scrappy band of rebels, none left an impression on me. Lack of compelling human drama: the marketing would lead you to believe that Scott Lang embarks on a Faustian deal with Kang the Conquerer. Kang plays the proverbial devil - hand outstretched with an offer so tempting it can't be refused. What if I spoiled the movie for you and said that in exchange for retrieving a McGuffin Kang can't acquire for himself (for reasons), he promises Scott the chance to make up for the time he lost with Cassie. As the self-styled master of time, this would be well within his reach. What if I said the deal challenged Scott to rethink his decision to become the Antman? What if Kang could deliver on a non-destructive rewrite of our timeline, which rendered Thanos innocuous in some other way, and Scott got to be with Cassie? What if I told you that all the posturing you'd heard from Scott about his extraordinary life as a Podcaster, Author, and Avenger meant nothing to him compared to the chance to make up for lost time with his daughter, and he took the deal? Well - if you hate that, then don't worry, none of it actually happens in the film, and the actual circumstances are far more mundane (although partially amped up by Major's stunning performance). I have several other smaller nits that I go through on the podcast; it would be redundant and petty to retread them here so on to my likes. Likes:Kang: - He did it. Majors has created what promises to be one of the most compelling villains of the genre. It's still early days for Kang, but you can tell that Majors didn't come to play; he came to "win." I've never been a diehard fan of Kang because his origins are so convoluted by now in the comics, and he's a chatty Cathy in his villainy style. Majors has taken some of Kang's more off-putting traits from the comics and made them enjoyable in live-action. He's captured Kang's arrogance and aristocratic sense of superiority. He alone understands the true nature of reality, and he doesn't have the time to explain it to you. The human drama underlying Kang's violent sociopathy also has a lot of promise. Majors is so good he dwarfs nearly every other performance in the film - IMO. The visual realization of the character is a near-flawless execution. Force fields, energy beams, matter manipulation, super strength, and a host of other abilities are child's play for Kang. Imagine if Tony Stark had incorporated all of the Iron Man's technology into the equivalent of a 31st-century leisure suit - tres bizarre. Kang is both fashionable and fatal. Partners: Antman and The Wasp have been and remain one of the most effective duos in the MCU for me. Thankfully, none of that changes in Quantumania. We don't get enough of the two coming to each other's aid in this movie, but what we do get reinforces their status as partners in all things. Giant-Man: I'm open for business eight days a week when it comes to Giant-Man. Barring Endgame, this is the best rendition of the character yet. The second half of the film: The back half of Quantumania is a bizarre ride that sees the film live up to its oversized title. It's like reading a comic book filled with unconventional takes on pseudo-scientific concepts that are equally quirky and horrific. Loveness turns his affinity for the weird into a superpower by the midpoint in the film. This film marks a hard line in the sand for casuals who may not be able to digest this level of esoteric weirdness that we take for granted as comic book readers. Death Grade: (see the podcast) Great review, man. I’m glad you and others have pointed out that the deal between Scott and Kang (and by extension, the arc that would go along with it) doesn’t happen because based on the trailers I was fully expecting it to and actually had high hopes for it. I’m definitely going to have to curb expectations now. Seriously, what a waste. On the flip side of that, I’m happy to hear there is sufficient Giant Man action. My appetite for Giant Man in the MCU has not yet been fully satisfied.
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Post by Merv on Feb 20, 2023 23:28:18 GMT 1
I sat down with the champions over the weekend to discuss Quantumania. Check out our upcoming review if you want to hear my spoiler-filled review. For now, here is a list of my likes and dislikes. Dislikes:Inconsistent tone: Quantumania has problems maintaining a consistent atmosphere. One half of the movie is a light-hearted adventure film in the tradition of Inner Space or Fantastic Voyage, and the other is a life-and-death struggle that more closely resembles some of the more serious Marvel films. Deliberate weirdness: Loveness and Waldron come from the Rick and Morty school of what I call willful weirdness. It's a trend in animated features that consists of injecting intentionally bizarre circumstances, characters, or actions into an otherwise linear narrative. This type of storytelling device seems to only exists to help lazy writers fill runtime. Think of your favorite realty-defying cartoons like Tom & Jerry or Bugs Bunny in live-action. Weak characters: there are many storytelling foibles you can pin on the MCU, but bland or generic feeling characters usually aren't one of them. The casting department of the MCU enjoys near-legendary status for its uncanny ability to pair actors with characters. Quantumania is a notable exception. Once you enter the Quantum realm, Quantumania has several characters I didn't care about because they were poorly drawn sci-fi/fantasy character archetypes. Whether it was the corrupt magistrate, the stoic female freedom fighter, or the scrappy band of rebels, none left an impression on me. Lack of compelling human drama: the marketing would lead you to believe that Scott Lang embarks on a Faustian deal with Kang the Conquerer. Kang plays the proverbial devil - hand outstretched with an offer so tempting it can't be refused. What if I spoiled the movie for you and said that in exchange for retrieving a McGuffin Kang can't acquire for himself (for reasons), he promises Scott the chance to make up for the time he lost with Cassie. As the self-styled master of time, this would be well within his reach. What if I said the deal challenged Scott to rethink his decision to become the Antman? What if Kang could deliver on a non-destructive rewrite of our timeline, which rendered Thanos innocuous in some other way, and Scott got to be with Cassie? What if I told you that all the posturing you'd heard from Scott about his extraordinary life as a Podcaster, Author, and Avenger meant nothing to him compared to the chance to make up for lost time with his daughter, and he took the deal? Well - if you hate that, then don't worry, none of it actually happens in the film, and the actual circumstances are far more mundane (although partially amped up by Major's stunning performance). I have several other smaller nits that I go through on the podcast; it would be redundant and petty to retread them here so on to my likes. Likes:Kang: - He did it. Majors has created what promises to be one of the most compelling villains of the genre. It's still early days for Kang, but you can tell that Majors didn't come to play; he came to "win." I've never been a diehard fan of Kang because his origins are so convoluted by now in the comics, and he's a chatty Cathy in his villainy style. Majors has taken some of Kang's more off-putting traits from the comics and made them enjoyable in live-action. He's captured Kang's arrogance and aristocratic sense of superiority. He alone understands the true nature of reality, and he doesn't have the time to explain it to you. The human drama underlying Kang's violent sociopathy also has a lot of promise. Majors is so good he dwarfs nearly every other performance in the film - IMO. The visual realization of the character is a near-flawless execution. Force fields, energy beams, matter manipulation, super strength, and a host of other abilities are child's play for Kang. Imagine if Tony Stark had incorporated all of the Iron Man's technology into the equivalent of a 31st-century leisure suit - tres bizarre. Kang is both fashionable and fatal. Partners: Antman and The Wasp have been and remain one of the most effective duos in the MCU for me. Thankfully, none of that changes in Quantumania. We don't get enough of the two coming to each other's aid in this movie, but what we do get reinforces their status as partners in all things. Giant-Man: I'm open for business eight days a week when it comes to Giant-Man. Barring Endgame, this is the best rendition of the character yet. The second half of the film: The back half of Quantumania is a bizarre ride that sees the film live up to its oversized title. It's like reading a comic book filled with unconventional takes on pseudo-scientific concepts that are equally quirky and horrific. Loveness turns his affinity for the weird into a superpower by the midpoint in the film. This film marks a hard line in the sand for casuals who may not be able to digest this level of esoteric weirdness that we take for granted as comic book readers. Death Grade: (see the podcast) I would add Modok to the likes column. He was a surprise for me as I tend to groan when the character appears in other media.
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Post by Lord Death Man on Feb 20, 2023 23:48:08 GMT 1
I sat down with the champions over the weekend to discuss Quantumania. Check out our upcoming review if you want to hear my spoiler-filled review. For now, here is a list of my likes and dislikes. Dislikes:Inconsistent tone: Quantumania has problems maintaining a consistent atmosphere. One half of the movie is a light-hearted adventure film in the tradition of Inner Space or Fantastic Voyage, and the other is a life-and-death struggle that more closely resembles some of the more serious Marvel films. Deliberate weirdness: Loveness and Waldron come from the Rick and Morty school of what I call willful weirdness. It's a trend in animated features that consists of injecting intentionally bizarre circumstances, characters, or actions into an otherwise linear narrative. This type of storytelling device seems to only exists to help lazy writers fill runtime. Think of your favorite realty-defying cartoons like Tom & Jerry or Bugs Bunny in live-action. Weak characters: there are many storytelling foibles you can pin on the MCU, but bland or generic feeling characters usually aren't one of them. The casting department of the MCU enjoys near-legendary status for its uncanny ability to pair actors with characters. Quantumania is a notable exception. Once you enter the Quantum realm, Quantumania has several characters I didn't care about because they were poorly drawn sci-fi/fantasy character archetypes. Whether it was the corrupt magistrate, the stoic female freedom fighter, or the scrappy band of rebels, none left an impression on me. Lack of compelling human drama: the marketing would lead you to believe that Scott Lang embarks on a Faustian deal with Kang the Conquerer. Kang plays the proverbial devil - hand outstretched with an offer so tempting it can't be refused. What if I spoiled the movie for you and said that in exchange for retrieving a McGuffin Kang can't acquire for himself (for reasons), he promises Scott the chance to make up for the time he lost with Cassie. As the self-styled master of time, this would be well within his reach. What if I said the deal challenged Scott to rethink his decision to become the Antman? What if Kang could deliver on a non-destructive rewrite of our timeline, which rendered Thanos innocuous in some other way, and Scott got to be with Cassie? What if I told you that all the posturing you'd heard from Scott about his extraordinary life as a Podcaster, Author, and Avenger meant nothing to him compared to the chance to make up for lost time with his daughter, and he took the deal? Well - if you hate that, then don't worry, none of it actually happens in the film, and the actual circumstances are far more mundane (although partially amped up by Major's stunning performance). I have several other smaller nits that I go through on the podcast; it would be redundant and petty to retread them here so on to my likes. Likes:Kang: - He did it. Majors has created what promises to be one of the most compelling villains of the genre. It's still early days for Kang, but you can tell that Majors didn't come to play; he came to "win." I've never been a diehard fan of Kang because his origins are so convoluted by now in the comics, and he's a chatty Cathy in his villainy style. Majors has taken some of Kang's more off-putting traits from the comics and made them enjoyable in live-action. He's captured Kang's arrogance and aristocratic sense of superiority. He alone understands the true nature of reality, and he doesn't have the time to explain it to you. The human drama underlying Kang's violent sociopathy also has a lot of promise. Majors is so good he dwarfs nearly every other performance in the film - IMO. The visual realization of the character is a near-flawless execution. Force fields, energy beams, matter manipulation, super strength, and a host of other abilities are child's play for Kang. Imagine if Tony Stark had incorporated all of the Iron Man's technology into the equivalent of a 31st-century leisure suit - tres bizarre. Kang is both fashionable and fatal. Partners: Antman and The Wasp have been and remain one of the most effective duos in the MCU for me. Thankfully, none of that changes in Quantumania. We don't get enough of the two coming to each other's aid in this movie, but what we do get reinforces their status as partners in all things. Giant-Man: I'm open for business eight days a week when it comes to Giant-Man. Barring Endgame, this is the best rendition of the character yet. The second half of the film: The back half of Quantumania is a bizarre ride that sees the film live up to its oversized title. It's like reading a comic book filled with unconventional takes on pseudo-scientific concepts that are equally quirky and horrific. Loveness turns his affinity for the weird into a superpower by the midpoint in the film. This film marks a hard line in the sand for casuals who may not be able to digest this level of esoteric weirdness that we take for granted as comic book readers. Death Grade: (see the podcast) I would add Modok to the likes column. He was a surprise for me as I tend to groan when the character appears in other media. MODOK would likely end up in a neutral column for me. I've never had strong feelings for the character either way. The constant repetition of the acronym in the film was a little cringe. We know it's a silly designation; there's no need to overemphasize it. One character explaining it and then moving on would have been enough. There is a more horror-driven take on the character that I might have preferred over this comedic take. Giving the character discernible eyes humanized him a little too much for me.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2023 19:30:56 GMT 1
I’m leaving for the theater!
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Post by Grandmaster on Feb 21, 2023 20:45:50 GMT 1
Grandmaster, anothermarvelguy, anthonyrocks, ar33, ArArArchStanton, archelaus, bodawg70, AQUA CAT!, Chalice_Of_Evil, chalk3, Rex Manning, charzhino, constructioncutie, crisisvarietyhour, cyberneticshark, darkmagician1971, Dave Stoller, detour, equality72521, gameboy,@ghostyghostington, gromel, hatseflats, AQUA KEN!, hobowar, hyundaifromyuggoth, jacklaridian, AQUA JAMES!, Jan El Señor, Jayman, jermainewatson, josephjoestar1, jrent2000, justanaveragejoe, Lilith, Loki, Lord Ackbar, Lord Death Man, lordofthunder, mannyfresh, marieke, maximura, Merv, miike80, monicah, movieliker, myachingackbarraddus, Nightman, penneh,@phistosgauntlet, Indiana Jones, AQUA JAR!™, primemcgee, ramz, RiP, IMDb, sallythemcugirl, AQUA SALZ!, sendherbud,@shadyvsesham, shieldmaidensa, spiderman2099, Spike Del Rey, $portsFan, springheeljack1837, taylorfirst1, AQUA EDGE!, BATCOW™, thestannimal, thisguy4000, travisbeyond, trekkersdelight, UniSol GR77, vegasthanos, vincentvanspock, wickedkittiesmom, winterking, AQUA RAPTOR!,
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2023 3:38:39 GMT 1
Well, I liked it but I didn’t love it. The first half tried way too hard to be the next Thor Ragnorock and I wasn’t really into it. Kang saved it though and I quite enjoyed the second half. Not as good as I’d originally hoped it would be when I saw the teaser, but also not the disaster I was afraid of.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2023 7:01:13 GMT 1
Thinking about it a little more, I actually wonder if they wouldn’t have been better off committing 100% to Quantum Realm world building. Maybe even save Kang and use a one off villain instead. He is in many ways the movie’s highlight, but he also made it feel too much like a big set up for the next Avengers movie. The Quantum Realm is treated like a brief indulgence into the wacky and random before we basically forget about it and focus on the big multiverse threat. We dive headfirst into one sci fi concept and superficially play with it only to move on to a different one that is only tangentially related.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Feb 22, 2023 17:45:47 GMT 1
Katy O'Brian, the actress who plays rebel leader Jentorra in this movie has also appeared in The Walking Dead, Z Nation, Black Lightning, Westworld, Agents of SHIELD, The Madalorian, Magnum PI, & The Rookie among other roles.
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Post by Lord Death Man on Feb 22, 2023 18:21:20 GMT 1
You would think so, but according to industry-adjacent pundits it's not great. Whatever you chose to believe about the CinemaScore, Quantumania's score is noticeably lower than scores from earlier MCU entries.
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Post by AQUA KEN! on Feb 22, 2023 22:05:45 GMT 1
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Post by Merv on Feb 22, 2023 22:14:12 GMT 1
I feel like this gets said after every MCU film nowadays and I never notice any trouble with the visuals. I thought Quantumania looked great. Zero issues with the sfx on my end. Now...the She Hulk show...thats a different story.
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Post by Lord Death Man on Feb 22, 2023 22:20:47 GMT 1
I feel like this gets said after every MCU film nowadays and I never notice any trouble with the visuals. I thought Quantumania looked great. Zero issues with the sfx on my end. Now...the She Hulk show...thats a different story. Some of the Ant-Men digital doubles in the probability storm scene looked a bit pixelated - that was literally the only issue I noticed with the film's VFX. Kang's powers were flawless.
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Post by LokisMom on Feb 22, 2023 22:39:09 GMT 1
You would think so, but according to industry-adjacent pundits it's not great. Whatever you chose to believe about the CinemaScore, Quantumania's score is noticeably lower than scores from earlier MCU entries. No doubt, but these metrics don’t measure the moviegoers’ value which is subjective, as are the critic reviews. I have better judgment than most of them. I’ve certainly seen more movies in my long life. I think it is a fun, enjoyable film, but not as good as the other Ant Mans, but it’s as good or better than anything in Phase Four. One thing I like is the solid, Marvel comic book to film structure, vibe and pace to it. I will watch it again on Disney+ for my second take. Jonathan Majors as Kang going forward is exciting. So I rate it a B. That’s 80/100.
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Post by Lord Death Man on Feb 23, 2023 0:25:25 GMT 1
You would think so, but according to industry-adjacent pundits it's not great. Whatever you chose to believe about the CinemaScore, Quantumania's score is noticeably lower than scores from earlier MCU entries. No doubt, but these metrics don’t measure the moviegoers’ value which is subjective, as are the critic reviews. I have better judgment than most of them. I’ve certainly seen more movies in my long life. I think it is a fun, enjoyable film, but not as good as the other Ant Mans, but it’s as good or better than anything in Phase Four. One thing I like is the solid, Marvel comic book to film structure, vibe and pace to it. I will watch it again on Disney+ for my second take. Jonathan Majors as Kang going forward is exciting. So I rate it a B. That’s 80/100. A "B" would be a good grade if we were talking about academic achievement. In the context of big-budget cinema, the difference between an "A," a "B," and a "B-" could be tens of millions of dollars. A film's CinemaScore has an impact on its word-of-mouth. A B typically indicates a movie you can put off seeing until the second or third weekend of its run. In some cases, a would-be ticket buyer may not see the film at all before they're distracted by a big marketing push for another movie.
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Post by LokisMom on Feb 23, 2023 1:50:14 GMT 1
No doubt, but these metrics don’t measure the moviegoers’ value which is subjective, as are the critic reviews. I have better judgment than most of them. I’ve certainly seen more movies in my long life. I think it is a fun, enjoyable film, but not as good as the other Ant Mans, but it’s as good or better than anything in Phase Four. One thing I like is the solid, Marvel comic book to film structure, vibe and pace to it. I will watch it again on Disney+ for my second take. Jonathan Majors as Kang going forward is exciting. So I rate it a B. That’s 80/100. A "B" would be a good grade if we were talking about academic achievement. In the context of big-budget cinema, the difference between an "A," a "B," and a "B-" could be tens of millions of dollars. A film's CinemaScore has an impact on its word-of-mouth. A B typically indicates a movie you can put off seeing until the second or third weekend of its run. In some cases, a would-be ticket buyer may not see the film at all before they're distracted by a big marketing push for another movie. I don’t follow the rules. I gave it an 8 out of 10, which corresponds to 80/100, which is really a B- when you think about it. So, I’m not elevating the film. In my estimation, it’s a B. Nothing wrong with that, but not great either. It’s just a movie.
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Post by Grandmaster on Feb 23, 2023 7:04:18 GMT 1
I once saw a couple fucking on screen while the man was driving while being chased by an enormous policeforce. It was quite obvious a green screen... Couldnt care less
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Post by Lord Death Man on Mar 15, 2023 3:09:07 GMT 1
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Mar 15, 2023 16:56:56 GMT 1
It's technically not a bomb, but it is certainly far below studio expectations at this point.
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Post by Indiana Jones on Mar 16, 2023 0:48:00 GMT 1
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Post by ArArArchStanton on Mar 18, 2023 23:54:12 GMT 1
Still haven’t seen this. How weird is that???
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Post by AQUA KEN! on Mar 19, 2023 0:03:54 GMT 1
I honestly haven't watched it as well. I'm probably just going to wait for the Disney+ release.
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Post by ArArArchStanton on Mar 19, 2023 0:23:00 GMT 1
I honestly haven't watched it as well. I'm probably just going to wait for the Disney+ release. When is that BTW?
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Post by AQUA KEN! on Mar 19, 2023 0:25:11 GMT 1
I honestly haven't watched it as well. I'm probably just going to wait for the Disney+ release. When is that BTW? No official date yet. But I'm guessing may.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2023 2:14:00 GMT 1
Still haven’t seen this. How weird is that??? It’s really weird, dude. I don’t know who you are anymore.
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Post by Merv on Mar 19, 2023 2:19:47 GMT 1
Still haven’t seen this. How weird is that??? I’ll let you know the next time there’s a must see mcu flick.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2023 3:59:51 GMT 1
Still haven’t seen this. How weird is that??? I’ll let you know the next time there’s a must see mcu flick. Yeahhhhhhh, that might be a few years.
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Post by AQUA KEN! on Mar 23, 2023 13:21:42 GMT 1
So is it safe to say that out of all the Avengers, Ant-Man is the least popular character?
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Post by Merv on Mar 23, 2023 14:34:38 GMT 1
So is it safe to say that out of all the Avengers, Ant-Man is the least popular character? Depends on where you draw the line at who is an Avenger. The whole MCU cast was in Endgame pretty much. I’d say he’s more popular than plenty of those. I’d also say he’s prob more popular than Captain Marvel, War Machine, Wasp and a few Guardians. Possibly even Sam Wilson. So no I wouldn’t think he’s the least popular.
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Post by AQUA KEN! on Mar 23, 2023 14:37:33 GMT 1
So is it safe to say that out of all the Avengers, Ant-Man is the least popular character? Depends on where you draw the line at who is an Avenger. The whole MCU cast was in Endgame pretty much. I’d say he’s more popular than plenty of those. I’d also say he’s prob more popular than Captain Marvel, War Machine, Wasp and a few Guardians. Possibly even Sam Wilson. So no I wouldn’t think he’s the least popular. I was just saying because of the box office for each film.
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Post by Merv on Mar 23, 2023 14:38:12 GMT 1
Depends on where you draw the line at who is an Avenger. The whole MCU cast was in Endgame pretty much. I’d say he’s more popular than plenty of those. I’d also say he’s prob more popular than Captain Marvel, War Machine, Wasp and a few Guardians. Possibly even Sam Wilson. So no I wouldn’t think he’s the least popular. I was just saying because of the box office for each film. Gotcha.
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