issue 30// vol 45

 

Marathoning the MCU

» Delving into the details of the Marvel Universe

Sonam Kaloti
Arts Editor

 

have never been a diehard Marvel fan.

However, I'd watched many of the
movies in theatres and they would play in
the background during holiday dinners
at my family’s house. Surrounded by
Marvel growing up is part of a generational
experience; it is a link we as Gen Z have to
fantasy, our childhoods, and each other.
However, with Spider-Man: Far From Home
releasing on July 2, a large portion of this
generation’s childhood is coming toa
close. Does marathoning the MCU change
anything? Would I recommend doing it?
Well, let’s see.

Marvel spoilers ahead!

I duly enjoyed Iron Man’s (Robert
Downey Jr.) wit, Captain America’s (Chris
Evans) face, and Black Widow’s (Scarlett
Johansson)... well, everything. Yet I hadn't
sought to delve deep into the Universe
itself until a few weeks ago. With a special
interest in Captain America, I watched the
first Captain America movie. Soon after, I
found myself scouring countless forums
for the golden order in which to watch the
MCU (I'm currently going with reddit user
aaronp613's chart ). | watched Iron Man
next (on a terrible in-flight entertainment
app, and on a wonderful SkyTrain ride

home post-being forgotten at the airport
by my ride). I did change my mind and go
back to watch Agent Carter. It’s already a
long haul to commit to over 48 hours for
just the movies, but with TV shows, one-
shots, and other bits included, it would
currently take over 13 days to marathon the
entire MCU without a break.

Even some of the most committed
Marvel fans in my life have not taken on
the quest to watch the shows. Yet it has
been the shows thus far that have sparked
the most curiosity in me to uncover all
the secrets of §.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy Carter
(Hayley Atwell), for one, is an ambitious,
driven, and powerful asset to the Strategic
Scientific Reserve (SSR), and Agent
Carter shone light on strange (potentially
alien) happenings long before they were
confirmed in The Avengers.

Iam on season one, episode 18 of
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which
takes place just after the events of Captain
America: The Winter Soldier. From the
first episode of the series we're given the
sense that something isn’t quite right—
which may have to do with the fact that
Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is still alive
(and has no recollection of how, besides
spending time on the island of Tahiti).
Watching the shows alongside the movies
adds a plethora of new information. From

 

what exactly Hydra was doing behind the
scenes before the Battle at the Triskelion, to
Asgardian battles, to how the hell Coulson
was brought back from the dead, Agents

of S.H.LE.L.D. goes there. Not without its
own fare of melancholic clips, however,
with one of the most tragic scenes being
Coulson continually begging his doctors,
“Let me die!”

Yes, the shows are phenomenal. I
didn’t expect my favourite character of the
MCU to be an Agent over a superhero, but
Coulson deserves the praise. Nick Fury
(Samuel L. Jackson) sure believes so; as one
of Coulson’s doctors says, “Director Fury
moved heaven and earth” to bring Coulson
back to life.

I knew the MCU was spectacularly
constructed from the movies alone, but
the added details provided by the shows
are honestly unbelievable. Every episode
and movie poses a whole set of questions
about what is happening (beware of being

arts // no. 7

Promotional image for 'Agents of Shield’ via ABC

spoiled on your innocent hunt to piece
information together. Pro-tip: Just wait the
question out. It will probably be answered
soon enough). It’s no wonder our reality is
so deeply woven into the culture.

Since I’m only so far into the timeline,
I cannot say if I would recommend
marathoning this whole massive
franchise. It is a lot of time to devote. If
you really want to, I would instead suggest
marathoning much more casually than my
hellbent race to finish before Spider-Man:
Far From Home is out. At this rate I likely
will not finish in time, that is if I were to
really watch every single part of the MCU,
but there’s a whole lot of movies and shows
I may skip for the sake of my sanity.

(Last night I dreamt that I was Captain
America. Wasn't the first time. Suffice to
say, it’s getting to bea problem.)

No, I had never been a diehard Marvel
fan. Until now, anyway.

Tune in and Dropout: ‘Dimension 20’ side
quest 1s a twisted, villainous delight

» ‘Dimension 20: Escape from the Bloodkeep’ TV show review

Jacey Gibb
Distribution

 

keen

The jokesters over at CollegeHumor
launched their own comedy streaming
platform Dropout TV. I'm here to tell
you if their exclusive content is worth the
subscription fee.

M ainstream fantasy stories often follow
a similar narrative: Introduction to
overwhelming forces of evil; introduction
to forces of good; forces of good assemble
to combat aforementioned evil, while
experiencing small victories/defeats/losses;
forces of good ultimately prevail.

It’s a broad generalization, but it
covers a lot of the story arcs
out there—and that’s (at least
partially) what makes Escape from
the Bloodkeep such a compelling
tale.

For those unfamiliar with the
show, Dimension 20 is a tabletop
role-playing series, largely rooted
in the fantasy world of Dungeons
& Dragons. Whereas the first.
season of Dimension 20 followed
six fledgling heroes navigating
adventure academy, season two
focuses on the villains’ story. In
particular, it zooms in on six
generals during the final days of
the war-to-end-all-wars. The forces
of good have been presumably
decimated, and the villains are

preparing for the final push when a twist
encounter threatens to undo everything
they've worked towards.

While officially dubbed season two of
Dimension 20, Escape from the Bloodkeep is
also referred to as a “side quest.” The season
isa tight, six-episode run that continues
the previously established pattern of
plot-heavy episode followed by combat
episode. The episodes are jam-packed and
vary considerably in length—the finale is a
bursting three hours long—but each feels
like a crucial part to the overall story.

Knowing the episode count heading
into this season, I was worried that the
compressed length would come at a cost of
character development, but the opposite
occurred. With only a handful of sessions

ww

to go, players make bold decisions and act
like each episode could be their last. The
second combat episode, which takes place
between multiple air ships, is particularly
panic-inducing. This rise in stakes results
ina plot that moves at breakneck speed,
with some immensely satisfying character
arcs playing out along the way.

The cast is a who’s-who of D&D
royalty as well, with Matthew Mercer
(Critical Role), Erika Ishii (Geek and
Sundry), Ify Nwadiwe (Nerdificient) and
Amy Vorpahl (Saving Throw) all playing
new, original characters. During a behind-
the-scenes featurette (also available on
Dropout) several cast members keep
referring to how stacked the roster is,
and it truly feels like an all-star gathering.

 

Balancing it out are CollegeHumor cast
members Rekha Shankar and Mike Trapp,
who've never played D&D before but hold
their own against the tabletop veterans.

Of course, the glue holding everything
together is Dungeon Master Brennan Lee
Mulligan. Mulligan remains one of the
most exciting DMs in pop culture, and
Escape from the Bloodkeep is no exception.
For this outing Mulligan has created a
beautiful, engaging story that succeeds in
simultaneously feeling like an homage to
the fantasy genre while also sculpting a
path of his own. Several of the characters
and locations will immediately sound
familiar, in a fun wink-and-a-nod to many
popular fantasy icons. You could assemble
the most talented players and have the best
storyline around, but without a
charismatic DM like Mulligan at
the helm, it just doesn’t work.

Escape from the Bloodkeep
is tabletop adventuring at its
best. The show takes all the best
aspects from Dimension 20’s first
season—terrific performances,
rich storytelling, and impressive
set pieces—and distills it into a
shortened mini-adventure that
will leave you wanting more, yet
completely satisfied.

Part of the first episode of
Dimension: Escape from the
Bloodkeep is available on
YouTube. The full season (all six
episodes) can only be found on
Dropout TV.

Promotional image for 'Dimension 20' via College Humor