We’re here to serve, nerds. Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most popular, most financially successful, and has the highest aggregated rating of any movie franchise in the history of cinema, not every nerd has read 40 years of Marvel comic books.
We got you. We’ve written oodles of articles to help MCU fans make fun connections between the movies and the comic book source material, discover neat Easter eggs, or even speculate on the storylines of the future MCU slate.
Enjoy.
Eternals
It’s not uncommon for the gen pop to let out a collective “huh?” when Kevin Feige announces upcoming Marvel movies. Again, not everyone has read 40 years of Marvel comics.
But there was certainly a collective scratching of heads when Marvel announced the Eternals, a collection of super-powered hermits that even Marvel faithful may not have heard of.
But with a November 2020 release date and starring the likes of Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, nerds are super curious about these obscure Marvel characters. Well, we wrote a primer for you!
Here: Get To Know The Eternals Before They Become The Next Billion Dollar Marvel Movie
Promptly Forgetting the Micronauts
Wouldn’t it be cool if we wrote an article that was one half Ant-Man Easter egg, one half an ode to old Micronauts comics, and the other half an explanation of why we wouldn’t see certain characters in the MCU? Well, we did!
Here: Fondly Remembering, Then Promptly Forgetting The Micronauts
Young Avengers
Even casual movie viewers now know Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor as the “Big 3” Avengers, but casual fans likely aren’t familiar with the excellent Young Avengers comics from earlier in the millennium.
The wonderful thing is seeds have already been planted in the MCU to have these Young Avengers appear in future movies and Disney+ shows. I’m hyped, click below and you’ll get fired up too.
Here: Here Come Some New Young Avengers To The MCU
Super-Patriot
Don’t forget: When we talk about the MCU, we now need to consider the shows on Disney+. The first show out of the gate is Falcon and the Winter Soldier, two characters movie goers are now very familiar with. But lots of fun stuff has been teased with this first official MCU television show, including a confirmed appearance of an important character from old school Captain America comics.
Here: Comic Character You Should Know: Marvel’s Super-Patriot
#329
Avengers comics in the 90s were a decidedly mixed bag, to state it generously. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t hidden gems, under-appreciated arcs, and standout single issues. That includes the Gatherers Saga, which might hold clues to future MCU characters as well as plot points for the Eternals movie.
That also includes Avengers #329, a single issue that saw the Avengers assemble for a business meeting of all things. They chose new members, re-wrote their charter, and formed a team of “reserves.”
We took a look at how that boring ‘ole business meeting might serve as a roadmap for big future MCU movies.
Here: How Avengers #329 Offers A Roadmap For The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Shang-Chi
The 70s were a wild time in Marvel Comics. Big cosmic storylines were told in juxtaposition with oodles of street-level genre stuff. Shang-Chi was among that cool genre stuff.
When his movie was announced, it made sense to long-time fans, while casual MCU fans might have thought,
But we got you with an introduction to Shang-Chi.
Here: Get To Know Shang-Chi Before He Appears In His Own Marvel Movie
Nightmare
The next Doctor Strange movie is confirmed to be the first MCU horror film. And the perfect villain is confirmed: Nightmare.
Nightmare was among the very first Doctor Strange villains and…you know what? We wrote an article about this:
Tabletop Takeaways: Tips for Dungeon Masters with a Narrative Spin