Christopher Robin (2018) review

I’ve gone on record numerous times about how Winnie the Pooh played a major part in my childhood, and I know that I’m not the only one out there who will say that. Ever since Walt Disney acquired the film rights to author A.A. Milne’s classic book series about a lovable teddy bear named Pooh in 1961, Winnie the Pooh has been one of Disney’s longest-running franchises, delighting audiences young and old with its timeless morals and endearing characters. The three initial Winnie the Pooh featurettes that Disney and his team produced in the 60’s/70’s went on to become one of the studio’s official animated features, 1977’s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. A spiritual sequel, simply titled Winnie the Pooh, was released in 2011 through there were also a few theatrical spin-offs from the early 2000’s like The Tigger Movie and Piglet’s Big Movie. On the small screen, Pooh has been a part of quite a few classic animated series like The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Welcome to Pooh Corner. And in Disney parks all over the world, Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are the stars of their own attractions, primarily a dark ride inspired by their 1977 feature film debut. But now Pooh and company are back on the big screen in a new live-action adventure, Christopher Robin. While one could technically designate this film as the latest entry in Disney’s current line of live-action remakes of their classic animated films, it’s not really that kind of film. Instead, it’s a genuinely new spin on the franchise as it follows Pooh’s cherished human friend, the titular Christopher Robin, as he ends up reuniting with all his childhood friends who help him regain the imaginative spirit that he had lost after growing up. One thing that hasn’t been lost, though, is the iconic charm and sense of childhood innocence that has defined this franchise from the very beginning and is now represented beautifully in its first major foray into the realm of live-action films.

As a kid, Christopher Robin spent most of his days playing with his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, including his best friend, a stuffed teddy bear ‘of very little brain’ named Winnie the Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings). Eventually, though, Christopher Robin ends up leaving for boarding school, and despite promising Pooh that he’ll never forget him and the rest of the Hundred Acre gang, life soon forces Christopher to grow up faster than anticipated. Years later, Christopher (Ewan McGregor) works as the efficiency manager at a luggage company and is so consumed with work that he’s unable to spend quality time with his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and their daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael). This is further complicated when his boss, Giles Winslow Jr. (Mark Gatiss), forces him to come up with a method of cutting costs, which forces him to forego travel plans with his family to their summer cottage in Sussex. But then, out of the blue, Christopher soon finds himself reunited with his old pal Winnie the Pooh, who has somehow managed to appear in London. After learning that Pooh has come seeking his help in trying to find the rest of the Hundred Acre gang, who have all mysteriously vanished, Christopher tags along on the trip back to the Hundred Acre Wood. There, he soon manages to reunite with the rest of his old friends, including the hyperactive bouncer Tigger (also voiced by Jim Cummings), the timid but warm-hearted Piglet (voiced by Nick Mohammed), and the often-depressed donkey Eeyore (voiced by Brad Garrett) just to name a few. But when Christopher finds himself forced to return to London to meet his work deadline, Pooh and the gang embark on an adventure of their own to help their longtime friend and hopefully get him to once again find his sense of imagination that he had lost many years ago.

Some critics have been rather iffy on this film’s overall tone, specifically due to some of the more somber parts of the story. And while I will admit that some parts of this film do give off somewhat of a dreary vibe (e.g. when Pooh and Christopher Robin return to the Hundred Acre Wood, the place is completely engulfed in fog), that doesn’t mean that this carries over for the whole film. Simply put, when this film focuses on Pooh and his friends getting into all sorts of adventures both in the Hundred Acre Wood and out in the streets of London, it fully succeeds at being a delightfully whimsical time. The juxtaposition of these classic characters interacting with people and objects in the real world produces plenty of great comedic moments. Plus, the transition from animation to live-action did not result in these characters losing any of the lovable personality traits that have made them the childhood icons that they are. The CGI used to bring them to life is quite nice, especially when it comes to capturing their trademark ‘stuffed animal’ look. And, of course, being a Winnie the Pooh story, this film isn’t afraid to utilize some of the franchise’s most iconic bits of imagery or some of the classic tunes that came courtesy of the Sherman brothers (surviving brother Richard even returns to write some new songs). Ultimately, though, these primarily serve as complements to an emotionally poignant story that does a wonderful job when it comes to delving into the dangers of growing up too fast.

Headlining the film as the adult Christopher Robin, Ewan McGregor does a wonderful job working off his ‘animated’ co-stars while also working wonderfully with the character’s arc of regaining his childhood innocence even after going through all the perils of adulthood, allowing him to reclaim the special bonds that he has with both the Hundred Acre gang and his wife and daughter. On that note, admittedly Hayley Atwell doesn’t get as much to work with by comparison as his wife Evelyn (technically speaking, newcomer Bronte Carmichael gets more to do as their daughter Madeline), but she does have nice chemistry with McGregor. As for the voice cast bringing Pooh and friends to life, some may be a bit disappointed to learn that the film doesn’t necessarily focus on all of them. Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore get the most screen-time while others like Owl (voiced by Toby Jones), Rabbit (voiced by Peter Capaldi), and Kanga (voiced by Sophie Okonedo) are somewhat relegated to ‘cameo’ appearances. Still, all these voice actors do a nice job in their respective roles, especially given that some of them are newcomers to the franchise. And it’s all headlined, of course, by the one and only Jim Cummings returning to reprise his iconic roles of both Winnie the Pooh and Tigger; roles that, for the record, he has been doing for three decades at this point. For a while, though, it seemed like he was only going to voice Pooh with Chris O’Dowd being cast as Tigger. But after some underwhelming reactions from test screenings, O’Dowd willingly stepped down to let Cummings voice Tigger as well. And simply put, Cummings is still just as utterly delightful as ever when it comes to making these two some of the most beloved characters in all of pop culture.

Well, it should probably come as no surprise that I adored this film. I recognize that there’s probably quite a bit of bias in that statement given my deeply personal connection to this franchise, but Christopher Robin is genuinely quite the heartwarming affair. All in all, it more than fulfills its purpose of being a touching story that tugs at the heartstrings by being a parable about one man’s struggle to regain some of the humanity that he had lost in the transition from childhood to adulthood. It just so happens that this film is also a part of one of Disney’s most beloved franchises, Winnie the Pooh. Thus, for fans of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, this film gives them plenty of great new material with all the characters that they know and love. Yes, there are a few ‘dark’ moments in this film, but nothing worse than any of the ‘dark’ moments that we’ve seen from other facets of this franchise. And just like another recent film that saw classic characters undergo a change in design, 2015’s The Peanuts Movie, Pooh and his friends did not lose any of their charm and heart when they made the transition from animation to live-action CGI characters. In short, Christopher Robin is the very definition of a ‘feel-good’ film, and I think that many will agree that we certainly need more films like this in this current day and age. This one accomplishes that by celebrating some of the most beloved characters of all-time (and yes, I know that I’m directly quoting this film’s marketing campaign), effectively delighting both longtime fans and those who are being introduced to them for the very first time.

Rating: 5/5!

Top 10 Favorite Superhero Film/TV Casting Choices (Protagonists)

This weekend sees the release of the highly-anticipated superhero flick, Logan, the latest installment of the X-Men franchise. All the hype surrounding this film is due to it being the final appearance of Hugh Jackman in the title role of James ‘Logan’ Howlett AKA Wolverine, a role that he’s been occupying for almost two whole decades. He’s appeared in almost every X-Men film to date (possibly ‘every’ film if you somehow count Jackman’s photo cameo in Deadpool as a proper cameo, even though he’s not Wolverine in it), effectively making him one of the most iconic casting choices in the history of the superhero genre. So, with that in mind, today I’m going over one of the most important aspects of any great superhero film; casting. After all, it’s one of the primary decisions that goes into making any lead character in a superhero film or TV show work as well as they can and, for the most part, superhero films/TV shows have done a solid job with casting their main protagonists. Obviously, though, not every superhero film casting is going to be a success; there have been some disastrous casting choices in this genre over the years (e.g. George Clooney as Batman in Batman and Robin). That, and it’s undeniable that every superhero casting is going to subjected to a lot of premature backlash from fans who just don’t see that actor/actress in the role. Just look at what happened when Ben Affleck got cast as Batman. But, thankfully, a lot of these superhero films/TV shows have been much more successful in the past few years in terms of casting their protagonists. Thus, in honor of Logan’s release, I’m listing 10 of my personal favorite superhero portrayals from film and TV. Though I just want to note that, for this list, I’m only focusing on main protagonists of superhero films and TV shows, not the villains. Don’t worry, though, as I will do a ‘Top 10 Superhero Villain Performances’ post in the future; maybe even one on the best supporting characters from these films. Also, I’m not going to be doing this in any specific order aside from alternating between actors and actresses, as I wanted to split this up evenly amongst male and female leads, and the occasional connection between franchises. With that said, here are my Top 10 casting choices in superhero films and TV shows.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Obviously, it was hard to narrow this down to 10 choices; thus, I’ve got quite a few Honorable Mentions to name. First up, we have my favorite Batman; Christian Bale from the Dark Knight trilogy. While many have given him flak for the infamous raspy voice that he uses while wearing the cowl, he’s probably gotten the most material to work with out of any Batman star to date. By comparison, Michael Keaton, who for the record was great in the role in the Tim Burton-directed films, was often underplayed in favor of the villains. And as for the voice, I don’t mind it; if it’s fun to imitate, then it’s all right by me (“SWEAR TO ME!!”). Then, there’s Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk in the recent MCU films, specifically the Avengers films. Ruffalo is the third actor to portray the character, after Eric Bana in the oft-forgotten Hulk film directed by Ang Lee from 2003 and Edward Norton, whom Ruffalo directly replaced in the role, in the also oft-forgotten MCU film The Incredible Hulk. And while both Bana and Norton did do solid jobs in the role, Ruffalo has easily been the best Bruce Banner to date, particularly due to his strong camaraderie with his co-stars. Going over into the X-Men franchise, you can’t forget about the ‘Merc with the Mouth’, Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds is arguably one of the most pitch-perfect superhero castings to date; heck, the comics directly referred to him when describing the character. And while, obviously, his first turn in the role, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was marred by major deviations from the source material, he got the chance to do the character justice in 2016’s smash hit Deadpool. Finally, we have one of the more ‘recent’ additions to the superhero genre; Tom Holland’s iteration of everyone’s favorite web-slinger, Peter Parker. While I’ll admit that I’m still a big fan of Andrew Garfield and am a bit disappointed that he didn’t get the chance to join the MCU once Marvel Studios struck a deal with Sony, Holland proved to be an excellent Spidey in Captain America: Civil War, nailing all the character’s defining traits.

And now, onto the main list…

MELISSA BENOIST – SUPERGIRL (SUPERGIRL)

To start things off, we have one of the newest shining stars of the superhero genre. In 2015, Melissa Benoist, fresh off her leading role on the show Glee as well as a memorable supporting role in the film Whiplash, took on the role of Kara Danvers AKA Kara Zor-El, cousin of Kal-El AKA Superman, in the TV adaptation of Supergirl. Originally premiering on CBS, the show has since moved over to ‘The CW’, where it is a much more natural fit with the other superhero shows that have been developed for the network by Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg. As for Supergirl, like I said in my review of Season 1 this past April, while the show’s light-hearted nature does result in some extremely cheesy moments from time to time, its heart is always in the right place and, as such, represents a lot of the best parts of the superhero genre. And, of course, one of the best aspects of this series, in general, has been Benoist in the lead role. When she’s in her ‘civilian identity’, Kara Danvers, she absolutely lights up the screen with her charisma, as well as the adorable awkwardness that sometimes comes from her trying to act normal when working off those who don’t know that she’s Supergirl. But, once she puts on the suit and cape, that awkwardness melts away and she conveys such great strength and passion as National City’s beloved heroine. And even as Season 2 of Supergirl has been introducing new characters, as well as new plotlines for returning characters, Kara has still been the main focal point of the entire show, hence why she’s very much become one of the genre’s best protagonists.

CHRISTOPHER REEVE – SUPERMAN (SUPERMAN I-IV)

Next up, we have the classic superhero film casting choice that started it all; Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel himself, Superman. But it’s interesting to note that, at first, he wasn’t the original choice for the role. Initially, A-listers like Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, and Paul Newman were considered for the part. But, when Richard Donner was brought in to direct the first Superman film in 1978, the filmmakers then switched gears and began searching for unknown actors. Reeve was in the running but was initially ignored for being too skinny. But, after going through a strict workout regime with David Prowse (AKA the original in-suit performer for Darth Vader in the Star Wars films) to gain the proper physique, Reeve finally got cast and, of course, absolutely killed it in the role. Simply put, he was the perfect embodiment of the beloved superhero; charismatic, good-looking, and noble in every way. And even when the series started to severely go downhill with the third and fourth films, with Reeve even having a story credit for the latter, he still always did a great job in the role. As such, his portrayal of Superman is so iconic that it is one that has admittedly been hard to top, though that’s not to say that there haven’t been other good portrayals of the character since Reeve. While he has been somewhat limited by certain narrative choices (e.g. a lack of given dialogue), I’d argue that Henry Cavill has done a good job so far as the character in the current-era DC Extended Universe films. However, like I said, sometimes he has been limited by the material that he’s been given, which is sad because his turn in 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. shows that he does have the proper charisma for the role. And then there’s Tyler Hoechlin, who I’d argue was very Reeve-esque during his turn in the role in Season 2 of Supergirl. In fact, dare I say it, Hoechlin’s been the best Superman since Reeve.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE – MYSTIQUE (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE)

I’m aware that this choice may be a bit controversial (I’ll explain why in a little bit) but I think that Jennifer Lawrence has done an excellent job in the role of the shape-shifting femme fatale Mystique in the First Class-era X-Men films. She first appeared in the series’ 2011 ‘reboot’ X-Men: First Class, which pulled an interesting narrative retcon by having her become the foster sister of Charles Xavier AKA Professor X. I say ‘interesting’ because, obviously, this wasn’t brought up at all in the original X-Men trilogy, even though the next film in the series ended up wiping those films from the continuity. However, I do think that it was an interesting story route. Because once Magneto enters the picture, Mystique finds herself conflicted between the ideologies of him and Charles. Specifically, this was due to a fear of how people would react to her in her natural blue (and, well, naked (no other way around it)) form. While Charles urged her to keep her blue form hidden, Magneto encouraged her to embrace it. Thus, at the end of the film, she ends up leaving with Erik, though it should be noted that Charles did encourage her to go with him because he knew that ‘it’s what she wanted’. This then leads into Days of Future Past, in which she becomes the main focal point of the plot as it's established that her assassination of scientist Bolivar Trask was the catalyst for the events that resulted in the desolate, dystopian future that part of the film is set in. Like First Class, a lot of her character development comes in the form of her ties to both Charles and Magneto. While her time with Magneto has led her into becoming more like the cold-blooded femme fatale that we saw in the original trilogy (it’s noted in the film that killing Trask would’ve been the moment when she truly became ‘Mystique’), it’s also clear that there’s still some humanity left in her, which Xavier uses to convince her to not kill Trask, partially by admitting his mistake in trying to control her life all these years. The result is easily Lawrence’s best performance in the role...

…which then brings us to Apocalypse, and this is where that ‘controversy’ that I mentioned earlier comes into play. Because, of course, as many of us know. Apocalypse ended up attracting a mixed response from critics and audiences upon release. And one of the reasons why was due to Lawrence. Quite a lot of critics felt that Lawrence phoned it in for Apocalypse; a sign of her showing growing disinterest in the franchise, partially due to having to go through the elaborate makeup process to get into character even though that process had become more simplified after First Class. As for me, though, I didn’t think she phoned it in; maybe I’m just not good at sensing this sort of thing but I thought she was just as good as she was in the other films (though I will say DOFP is still her best turn in the role). Not only that, but Apocalypse is, in a way, kind of her story. After unintentionally becoming a ‘hero’ following the events in Washington D.C. at the end of DOFP, she is seen to be maintaining a low profile while trying to protect some of her fellow mutants all over the world. But, once the ‘god’ mutant Apocalypse reawakens, she begins to embrace her role as the leader of the next generation of X-Men as she leads them into battle against him. And at the end of the film, she and Beast are seen training the team’s new recruits. Right now, it’s unclear where the franchise will go from here. Are they going to continue from where they left off in Apocalypse with the new cast? If so, hopefully, they let the new cast become the main characters of future films. The First Class-era was primarily based around Xavier, Mystique, and Magneto and while I won’t mind if they come back for future films in supporting roles, I think it’s safe to say that their story arcs are done for the most part. Still, I think Lawrence was an excellent addition to the First Class-era as the second iteration of Mystique. In fact, I kind of prefer her version of the character over Rebecca Romjin’s from the original trilogy. I’m not saying that Romjin was bad as Mystique but, like Christian Bale compared to Michael Keaton as Batman, I think Lawrence has just had better material to work with. Speaking of her two main co-stars…  

MICHAEL FASSBENDER AND JAMES MCAVOY– MAGNETO AND PROFESSOR X (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE)

From one First Class-era star to another, now we have the duo of Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, who have been killing it in the roles of the metal-controlling mutant Erik Lehnsherr AKA Magneto and the world’s most powerful telepath, Charles Xavier AKA Professor X. In the original X-Men films, the characters were played by the legendary Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, respectively. Both did fantastic jobs in their roles but it’s come to the point where Fassbender and McAvoy have arguably outshined their predecessors thanks to the recent trilogy. First up, let’s talk about Fassbender as Magneto. In the three X-Men films that he’s appeared in, Fassbender has been the major standout of two of them. The first of these was First Class, which is fitting because, ultimately, First Class was Magneto’s story. While the film was solidly balanced in terms of the roles of him and Xavier, showing how the two first met, became friends, and were then divided on their views of humanity, a lot of the plot of First Class revolved around Magneto. The film opens with a re-do of the opening scene from the original X-Men film, in which a young Magneto is separated from his parents at Auschwitz and attracts attention by using his powers to bend a metal gate. This scene is then expanded upon by showing that this then led to Erik becoming a pawn of Nazi scientist and fellow mutant Sebastian Shaw. Shaw even kills Erik’s mother in his attempts to manipulate Erik into using his powers. Thus, most of the film sees Erik attempting to track down and kill Shaw, and despite Xavier’s attempts to dissuade him from this (“Killing Shaw will not bring you peace.”), Erik ignores the advice of his friend and kills Shaw, showing that while they may have been enemies, he did share his views on the divide between humans and mutants. And after accidentally causing Xavier to be paralyzed from the waist down, Magneto leaves to start his war against humanity for what they’ve done to him and his fellow mutants. 

Fassbender returned in Days of Future Past alongside Ian McKellen as the older Magneto. Sadly, the two never shared a scene together like James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart did in the film but it wasn’t a big loss and, seeing how the story takes place in two separate eras, you could say that it was much more plausible to have the two telepaths interact with each other instead of the two metal-benders. It’s also worth noting that, in this instance, Days of Future Past was more Xavier’s story than Magneto’s. Thus, Magneto was more of a supporting ‘protagonist’ (term used loosely because he is Magneto) this time around. Set primarily in the 70’s, he is first seen being held in prison for being the alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy as evident by the curvature of the bullet that killed him, although he later reveals that he was trying to save Kennedy because he learned that he too was a mutant. Wolverine, Xavier, and Beast (with the help of Quicksilver) break him out of prison so that they can acquire his help in preventing Mystique from killing Bolivar Trask. However, Magneto then betrays them by trying to kill Mystique instead, and once he learns about Trask’s newest invention, the Sentinels, he uses his powers to take control of them and, as usual, proceeds to go off against humanity. He tries to kill President Nixon and his Cabinet but Mystique prevents him from doing so, setting up the events of the sequel. In short, he may not have been the ‘main character’ this time around but Fassbender was still great in the role. And yes, I’m saying this even after he recently said in an interview that he feels like his performance in this film was mostly just him yelling at people (e.g. the scene where he gets hostile with Xavier while on a plane).   

Fassbender’s most recent appearance as Magneto in X-Men: Apocalypse saw him once again end up as the standout of the film, just like in First Class. And in this instance, it was by giving him the most emotional bits of character development in the film. Following the events of DOFP, it’s shown that Erik was forced to go on the run after the events in D.C. He ends up in Poland, where he takes on the name Henryk, gets a job, ironically as a metalworker, and starts up a family, with his wife, Magda, aware of his past and his daughter Nina being a mutant as well, with the ability to command animals. When he ends up inadvertently revealing his powers to his co-workers, he’s then ratted out to the police, who accidentally end up killing Magda and Nina when they confront him. As revenge, Erik kills them in the same manner that he killed Shaw in First Class; by forcing the Nazi coin that he was coerced into trying to manipulate right through them (literally). It’s easily the most emotional scene in the film and is the main reason why I completely disagree with the argument that Apocalypse lacked emotional depth. This then leads to him being approached by Apocalypse and persuaded into being the fourth member of the Horsemen. With enhanced powers (courtesy of Apocalypse) and a refueled hatred for humanity, Magneto works alongside Apocalypse in his plans to conquer the Earth but, after some convincing from Mystique and Quicksilver (who is revealed to be his son, though he doesn’t reveal that to Magneto just yet), Magneto comes to his senses to help the X-Men take down the god mutant. As the film ends, he heads out on his own once again after helping to rebuild the X-Mansion. Like I said earlier with Mystique, it’s unclear if this is the last time that we’ll be seeing Magneto for a while. But, if it is, at least we got a great trilogy-worth of performances from Michael Fassbender in the role.

And now let’s move onto James McAvoy as Xavier. I’ll admit that when First Class came out, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would feel about McAvoy in the role following Patrick Stewart’s excellent take on the character in the original X-Men trilogy. But, just like how the film ended up being a surprise success, he proved to be a great fit in the role. He had the ‘wise mentor’ persona down well but it was also kind of cool to see a young Xavier that, prior to the incident that cost him his legs, was a lot more high-spirited and even a bit of a party animal. That starts to change once he meets Magneto and becomes the leader of the first class of X-Men. But, of course, that friendship between Xavier and Magneto fades once their differing views on the human-mutant divide come into play, and the film ends with Xavier paralyzed from the waist down due to Magneto deflecting a bullet aimed at him. This, as well as the loss of his foster sister Mystique to Erik’s cause, affects him heavily, which we clearly see when he first appears in DOFP. 10 years after the events of First Class, it’s established that Xavier’s school for mutants was heavily shuttered by the Vietnam War. Thus, he’s become a bitter and pessimistic drunk due to the failure of his school. He’s also regained the use of his legs thanks to a serum made by Hank McCoy but this serum also suppresses his powers, which at this point he’s okay with so that he doesn’t have to endure the pain of listening to all the voices in his head anymore. But, when Wolverine comes into the picture to seek his help, Xavier ends up embarking on a journey to regain his faith in humanity. As I’ve said numerous times already, Xavier’s arc in this film is the reason why DOFP is ultimately his story and it results in McAvoy’s greatest performance in the role. That continues in Apocalypse, which sees Xavier finally adopt his definitive bald look. And of the trilogy’s three main leads, it seems like McAvoy is the most likely of them to return in a future film.  

CHLOE BENNET – QUAKE (MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD)

Going into the realm of superhero TV for my next pick, we’ve got the Inhuman agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. from Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, Daisy Johnson AKA Quake, played by Chloe Bennet. Daisy has easily had one of the biggest arcs in the entire show. At first, we knew her as the mysterious hacker Skye, who Agent Phil Coulson recruited to join his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents despite her ties to the rogue hacktivist group, the Rising Tide. Soon, though, she proved herself to be a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as she helped Coulson and co. take down the growing threat of HYDRA within the organization. And then, in the show’s second season, things began to change once her real identity was revealed. In the Season 1 episode ‘Seeds’, we learn that Skye had been deemed as an 0-8-4 (S.H.I.E.L.D. code for ‘object of unknown origin’) when she was just a baby. Halfway through Season 2, in the episode ‘What They Become’, the truth behind her ‘unknown origin’ was revealed. A run-in with the mysterious substance known as Terrigen Mist revealed that she was a member of the race of powered beings known as Inhumans and that her real name was Daisy Johnson. Thus, the rest of Season 2 consisted of her struggling to embrace her newfound earthquake-causing powers. At one point, she ends up in the Inhuman paradise known as Afterlife, where she is reunited with her mother, Jiaying. However, when Jiaying’s intentions are shown to be quite sinister (e.g. planning to unleash the Terrigen Mist upon humanity), Daisy is forced to fight her own mother, reaffirming her loyalties to Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D in the process.

By Season 3, we see that Daisy has embraced a newfound confidence in her Inhuman identity, as she helps S.H.I.E.L.D. search for and protect her fellow Inhumans from enemy threats. Some of these Inhumans are even recruited into a special team, the ‘Secret Warriors’. However, this season ended up putting Daisy through the emotional wringer. In the episode ‘Spacetime’, she received a vision from another Inhuman foretelling the impending death of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, which haunted her for the rest of the season. And then, if that wasn’t enough, two episodes later in ‘The Team’, it was revealed that she had been brainwashed by the ancient Inhuman creature known as Hive, who at that point had taken over the body of S.H.I.E.L.D. traitor/Hydra agent Grant Ward, who happened to be Daisy’s love interest back in Season 1 prior to that reveal. While she does get brought back to normal by the season’s end, we see that this ordeal has severely affected her on a mental level. And then, to make matters worse, the agent whose death she foresaw ends up being her new love interest, fellow Inhuman Lincoln Campbell. Thus, as Season 4 begins, it’s revealed that she has left S.H.I.E.L.D. and has become a vigilante known as ‘Quake’. Since the show’s currently in the middle of the fourth season, I won’t get into any major details in regards to what happens in it just yet (that is, of course, until my inevitable review of Season 4). While I will say, though, is that it’s quite interesting to see Daisy go down a darker route than before, haunted by some of the recent tragedies in her life.  

As I’ve stated numerous times in my annual season reviews of AoS, Daisy has consistently been one of my favorite characters on the show. Performance-wise, Bennet has done a fantastic job in the role, especially when handling the trademark snappy dialogue that’s usually seen in a Joss Whedon-produced show. At the same time, like I said before, Daisy’s also arguably gotten the most material to work with out of any character in the entire series. From her starting out as the mysterious hacker with the equally mysterious past to becoming the initially scared but later confident superhero who constantly fights for the safety and rights of her fellow Inhumans, she’s very much been the catalyst for the introduction of the Inhumans into the MCU. On that note, a new Inhumans show is set to come out this fall on ABC, after debuting the first two episodes in IMAX theaters. Presumably, this is a replacement for the Inhumans film that was originally announced as a part of Phase 3 of the MCU films but was then taken off the studio’s schedule last year. On that note, though, some of the crew at Marvel (e.g. producer Kevin Feige) have stated that this doesn’t mean that the project is ‘fully canceled’. What does that mean? Well, if you ask me, I’m guessing that this was probably because they figured that a TV show was a better way to properly introduce the series’ mythos to audiences. Either way, it’s also been stated that the new show is more of its own thing than an Agents of SHIELD spin-off, so it’s uncertain if Daisy will appear in it at any point. However, I hope that they figure out a way for her to appear in some way, even if it’s just for a cameo; because after all, it was primarily thanks to her that the Inhumans managed to get a proper introduction in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – IRON MAN (MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE)

Hands down, one of the most perfect casting choices in the history of the superhero genre. Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role and that’s because RDJ was such a perfect live-action representation of the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. And sure, maybe part of it was due to his infamous legal troubles in the past but, at the same time, it’s undeniable that this was the role that helped relaunch Downey Jr’s career. A lot of this was thanks to the solid emotional arc that Tony went through in the first film. After an incident in which he’s captured by terrorists and forced to build weapons for them, he instead builds a suit of armor and uses it to become the superhero known as Iron Man. The rest is history, and through it all, Downey Jr. has consistently maintained the character’s slightly arrogant but still all-around likable persona. Tony Stark’s also been through a lot in the MCU from a story perspective. For example, in Iron Man 3, he found himself having to come to grips with the fact that he’s just one small part of a larger universe; that and having to deal with the PTSD that came from his near-death experience in the first Avengers. And then, in Age of Ultron, he’s the one responsible for the creation of Ultron, the sentient A.I. hell-bent on world domination. Thus, when he decides to agree with the signing of the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, it’s easy to see why he went this route. As my good friend and fellow film critic Matthew Goudreau has pointed out, a lot of the MCU has been Tony trying to atone for his mistakes. Because even when Civil War forced him into being the opposition to Captain America’s ‘Pro-Superheroes’ side, there were still times where you could sympathize with Tony’s stance on the matter, like when he learns that Cap’s friend Bucky was the one who killed his parents. So, in short, thanks to this great series-long arc, it’s easy to see why Tony Stark has been one of the most popular protagonists of the entire franchise. Because, after all, without Robert Downey Jr. and the original Iron Man, there probably wouldn’t have been an MCU in the first place. 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON – BLACK WIDOW (MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE)

Next up, we have the MCU’s first major female lead; Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson. Black Widow’s come a long way since her first appearance in Iron Man 2, especially because, admittedly, it took a little while before Johansson really settled into the role. That’s not to say that she was bad in Iron Man 2 but it’s clear that she was hindered by the generally cluttered nature of that film’s plot. Thankfully, that changed once she returned for the first Avengers. Because even though that film obviously saw her become one of many main characters, Johansson was clearly more comfortable in the role this time around, while Black Widow also got some nice material to work with in the film. For example, when fellow agent Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye was brainwashed by Loki, Romanoff showed some noticeable concern, implying a personal connection between the two. And while the next Avengers film revealed that Hawkeye was married to someone else, it’s clear that the two had some history, which would probably explain the line in the first Avengers in which the two bring up an old mission in Budapest, with Hawkeye noting that he remembers Budapest a lot differently than her. Then there was also the growing relationship between her and Bruce Banner. This relationship is focused on more in the sequel but it’s there nevertheless, with Black Widow being the one who first approached Bruce to join the Avengers. In her next appearance, she teamed up with Captain America in The Winter Soldier, serving as an excellent foil to Cap while still being just as badass as she’s been in the other films, so much so that I’d say this was Johansson’s best performance in the role.

And now, it’s time to once again bring up the controversy surrounding her role in Age of Ultron, and no, I’m not referring to the lack of Black Widow merchandise during the film’s release. I’m referring more to her role in the film itself, namely through her relationship with Bruce. As I just stated earlier, I wasn’t bothered by them being linked romantically because you can at least see hints of it in the first Avengers film. The other major problem that many people had with her role in the film came during a scene between her and Bruce in which she admits that she yearns for a normal life after everything she’s done. They particularly got worked up over a line where she tells him that ‘he’s not the only monster’ on the team, a reference to her days training in the Black Widow program, where she lost the ability to have kids. In the first few days of the film’s release, Joss Whedon was hounded with the severe blowback that came from this. However, I honestly don’t see what’s so bad about it; it didn’t diminish Natasha’s value to the team or anything. It was just her expressing her desire for a normal life, something that’s been so hard for her as of late. It also perfectly sets up why she, to the surprise of many, sided with Iron Man in Civil War; clearly, she’s ashamed of a lot of things that happened in her past. In other words, the ‘red on her ledger’ that was mentioned in the first Avengers. And even though her allegiance is with Iron Man in that film, it’s clear that she’s still close to Cap, as evident in the scene where she talks to him after Peggy Carter’s funeral and notes that she’s there so that he wouldn’t be alone. This friendship then comes into play later when she lets Cap and Bucky escape via Quinjet during the airport battle so they can go after Zemo. Now, of course, a lot of the discussion regarding Black Widow’s role in the MCU has stemmed from all the demand for a Black Widow film, which has yet to happen. I hope that it does happen but at the same time, I’m not furiously demanding it either. I’m sure that it’ll happen soon, thereby affirming Black Widow’s status as a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

(P.S. I hear Joss Whedon is being considered for it; if so, let him do it!)

CHRIS EVANS – CAPTAIN AMERICA (MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE)

When cast in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Evans took on the second major superhero role of his career as Steve Rogers AKA Captain America. He previously starred as Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch, in the 2005 Fantastic Four film and its 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. And while both films received mixed to negative reactions from critics and audiences, many agreed that he was at least one of its best parts. However, this may have also led to some backlash from fans when he was cast as Captain America due to the major differences between the two characters. But, in the end, Evans absolutely nailed it. Just like RDJ as Iron Man, he conveyed all the great character traits of the good-natured weakling from Brooklyn who, through science, becomes the physically enhanced soldier, Captain America. Also like RDJ, Evans has consistently maintained this persona throughout the entire franchise, even after the character gets sucked into modern times at the end of First Avenger. This subsequent ‘fish out of water’ characterization especially comes into play in Winter Soldier, where he finds that his old-school, ‘black and white’ war ideologies don’t match up with the more uncertain and less compromising attitudes of present day society. As such, it’ll be interesting to see where his story arc goes from here after Civil War, especially after the Russo brothers stated in an interview that he stopped being ‘Captain America’ after the scene in which he leaves his iconic shield behind after the final battle against Tony. Either way, Evans is yet another valuable part of the Marvel Universe and, dare I say, it may have gotten to the point where he’s even outshined RDJ as perhaps the franchise’s best lead.

HAYLEY ATWELL – PEGGY CARTER (MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE)

Ok, this is the only instance in which I’m technically cheating here by having a character on this list that isn’t primarily a ‘superhero’. However, because Peggy ended up becoming the lead of her own show, Agent Carter, I think that she deserves some recognition. Because although Agent Carter was sadly canceled after Season 2, it’s clear that the character has had a major impact on the genre without ever having superpowers. Hayley Atwell’s first appearance as the Strategic Scientific Reserve agent turned co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. was in Captain America: The First Avenger and right out of the gate, she established herself as one of the best ‘love interests’ of the superhero genre by being a love interest who was more than capable of taking care of things herself. Literally, her first scene in the film sees her punch a soldier right in the face when he tries to hit on her. She soon befriends Steve Rogers prior to his transformation into Captain America, admiring his intelligence, honesty, and bravery despite his scrawny build. This friendship soon leads into a romance that sadly ends in tragedy. In what is easily the most emotional scene of the film, Steve sacrifices himself by crashing the Red Skull’s plane into the Arctic while Peggy talks to him over the radio, trying to figure out a way to get him out of the situation. Obviously, we know that this didn’t end up killing Steve; it’s just that it led to him being frozen in time for nearly 7 decades (Saddest line in the entire film? “I had a date…”). Thankfully, for Steve, he learns that Peggy is still alive by the time that he’s thawed out, resulting in an emotionally heartbreaking scene in Winter Soldier in which the two are reunited but, sadly, Peggy is starting to suffer from Alzheimer’s. She finally passes away in Civil War, as her niece, Sharon Carter, delivers a touching eulogy at her funeral that inspires Cap to stand by his stance on the controversial Sokovia Accords (“Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, ‘No, you move’”)

2 years after the release of First Avenger, Atwell reprised her role as Peggy in one of Marvel’s One-Shot short films, Agent Carter, which was released on home media alongside Iron Man 3. The critical success of that short immediately led to the development of a TV series based around everyone’s favorite SSR operative, Marvel’s Agent Carter. Aired during the midseason break of Marvel Studios’ other ABC show, Agents of SHIELD, the series gave Atwell a true chance to shine in the role of Peggy, who in the show, set one year after the events of the film, continued to work for the SSR while also struggling to cope with the sexism of the era. But, even though she frequently found herself being undervalued by other members of the SSR, she truly proves herself by being the one who is primarily responsible for taking down the organization’s enemies. Really, the moment that truly defined her as one of the best characters in the MCU occurs in the Season 1 finale, ‘Valediction’. After taking down the organization known as Leviathan, Peggy earns the respect of her colleagues but the media ends up giving fellow SSR agent Jack Thompson the credit instead for stopping them. However, Peggy assures fellow agent Daniel Sousa that it doesn’t matter to her if she gets credit for what she does because no matter what, she ‘knows her value’. And that, ultimately, is why Peggy is one of the brightest stars of the MCU; she’s a strong-willed, no-nonsense woman in a time when no one expected much out of her. And while it’s sad that Agent Carter ended up getting canceled after only two seasons, especially after Season 2 ended on an unresolved cliffhanger, Peggy’s impact as a role model to women is undeniable.           

HUGH JACKMAN – WOLVERINE (X-MEN FILMS)

And finally, we bring it all back to the one whose tenure in the role of his iconic character is coming to an end this weekend with Logan; Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Though it’s interesting to note that when the original X-Men film was being made, Jackman wasn’t the first one that director Bryan Singer cast in the role. Dougray Scott was initially cast in the part before turning it down due to scheduling conflicts with a different blockbuster from that year, Mission Impossible 2. And with no disrespect to Mr. Scott, I think we can all agree that this was ultimately for the best. Because even though there may have probably been some dissent from some comic book fans due to a 6’2’’ Broadway star playing a character that’s 5’3’’ in the comics, Jackman absolutely nailed it in the role, from the stubborn attitude to the moments in which he’s fueled with berserker rage. Now, obviously, as many have pointed out, the films’ overt focus on Wolverine and his story sometimes led to the underdevelopment of other characters, particularly Cyclops (James Marsden), who was mainly there to be part of the love triangle that Wolverine and Jean Grey were also involved in. Nevertheless, it was never too much of a big loss thanks to Jackman’s consistently excellent performances in the role. It’s easy to see why he became the definitive star of the franchise, appearing in almost every single film in the series up until Logan. And whenever he wasn’t in a lead role, he just made an awesome cameo, like in First Class, where he tersely rebuffs the offer of Xavier and Magneto to join them, and Apocalypse, where he’s unleashed in his Weapon X form upon the forces of Colonel William Stryker. That and his scene in Apocalypse ends with a hilariously meta quote from Cyclops (“Hope that’s the last we’ve seen of that guy…”).     

If I had to pick Jackman’s best performance in the role (pre-Logan, even though by the time this is posted, I’ll have already seen the new film), it would have to be in Days of Future Past. And the main reason why is because this could’ve just easily been another case of Wolverine hogging the spotlight, as the film sees him being the one that is sent back in time instead of Kitty Pryde like it was in the comics (or Bishop in the case of the 90’s animated series). However, the film does explain the logistical reasoning behind this as it’s established that Wolverine’s healing abilities make him the only one who’s capable of surviving a trip that far back into the past. Not only that, but it’s also fun to see the hot-tempered Wolverine try and be the ‘patient and peaceful’ time-traveler who must convince people that he’s from the future, which obviously doesn’t always go well (“Peaceful thoughts…”). But the coolest thing about Wolverine’s role in the overall story is that he’s ultimately not the main character. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a vital part of the story but in this instance, it’s a much more reserved role compared to the other films. Ultimately, Jackman ends up being the bridge between the original series and the First Class-era films and because the film basically serves as a send-off for the cast of the former, he lets the First Class-era stars like James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender lead the way. So, in short, while it may not have always been a smooth journey (*cough* Origins *cough*), Jackman will forever be known as one of the most iconic casting choices in the history of the superhero genre.

And those are 10 (technically 11 since I paired McAvoy and Fassbender together) of my personal favorite casting choices in the superhero film genre. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with some of your favorite superhero casting choices, especially if they’re ones that I didn’t mention here.

Agent Carter: Season 2 'Review'

(Due to the fact that I would basically be repeating myself over and over again with each successive season of the multiple comic-book TV series that I’ve already done reviews for, this ‘review’ of the second season of Agent Carter, as well as a forthcoming post on Season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and basically any future post for a superhero/comic-book show season (save for the first season of shows like Supergirl and Luke Cage), will not be done in the traditional style in which I do my reviews. In other words, this is going to be more like a series of observations made in regards to what happened this season.)

(Also I will be discussing spoiler-heavy moments from this season so SPOILER ALERT!)

Amidst the midseason break of Season 2 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel Studios debuted their second big TV series in the form of Agent Carter. Set in the post-WWII era a year after the events of 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, the show saw First Avenger star Hayley Atwell reprising her role of SSR agent Peggy Carter, Captain America’s key ally and love interest. And thanks to its excellent period setting and production design, as well as Atwell continuing to be terrific in the role of arguably the best female lead in the entire MCU, the first season of Agent Carter was another solid success for Marvel Studios, keeping AoS fans like myself very much entertained until the show returned that March. And now, here are we again in the midst of a midseason break for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Season 2 of Agent Carter. This time around, everyone’s favorite ass-kicking SSR agent leaves the confines of New York for the glitz and glamour of the City of Angels, Los Angeles, as she combats a new threat in the form of Whitney Frost (Wynn Everett), AKA Madame Masque in the comics. So with that said, how did this show’s sophomore season turn out?

*Season 2 of this show, as expected, carries a lot of the same great elements of the first season. The period production design is terrific, with this season actually managing to outshine the first thanks to its Hollywood setting. The series also continues to maintain the same great light-hearted atmosphere and humor that has defined the MCU from the very beginning, primarily as a result of the ensemble cast’s excellent camaraderie. And of course, Hayley Atwell is once again terrific as Peggy as is the rest of the ensemble, particularly James D’Arcy as Jarvis. The camaraderie between Peggy and Jarvis is just as great as it’s ever been.

*On that note, Jarvis was quite frankly my favorite character from this season as he had one of the most emotional arcs of this season’s overall storyline. This season finally introduced us to his wife Ana (Lottie Verbeek), who unfortunately ended up getting shot by Whitney Frost in Episode 7, ‘Monsters’. While she does survive this, this also results in her and Jarvis not being able to have children. Definitely the most heartbreaking moment of the season, this leads Jarvis to seek revenge on Frost in Episode 8, ‘The Edge of Mystery’, but this ultimately ends up risking the mission when he and Peggy are captured by Frost and her henchmen after he tries to kill her. The argument that the two have afterwards in the next episode, ‘A Little Song and Dance’, while walking through the desert leads Jarvis to finally take responsibility for his actions, namely the fact that he keeps tagging along with Peggy because he’s clearly gotten bored with just being Howard Stark’s butler, to be there for his wife. And yet ultimately Ana comes to accept that Jarvis should be out there helping Peggy.   

*Whitney Frost is a pretty damn great villain for this season and Wynn Everett is excellent in the role. Frost is pretty much the perfect foil to Peggy as she too finds herself combating the sexism of the time as the actress wife of prospective senator Calvin Chadwick. She is also shown to be quite the engineering prodigy, something that wasn’t expected out of women at the time. But once she kills Chadwick in Episode 6 after he betrays her during a meeting with his organization, the ‘Council of Nine’ (better known as the ‘Secret Empire’ in the comics), she very much takes control of the situation, resulting in an excellent adversary for Peggy to face this season. Speaking of adversaries…

*While she doesn’t play as big of a role in the plot this season compared to the last, the scenes where Peggy interacts with Dottie Underwood are easily some of the best moments of the season, from their tussle in the first episode of the season, in which Peggy apprehends her during an attempted bank robbery, to the point where Peggy is forced to break her out of prison to help her deal with Frost. Just like in Season 1, Dottie serves as an excellent foil to Peggy, just like Frost this season, and it’s always great seeing Atwell and Bridget Regan work off of each other.

*While the show is still very much entertaining to watch, I do feel that this season suffered a bit of terms of its plot. I can’t really explain why but occasionally there were a few dull points in the story and even a bit of repetition in terms of how certain episodes played out. At the very least, this season impressively managed to get by without having to overly rely on the MCU films. The only real connection made to the films this season was the introduction of the substance known as ‘Zero Matter’, or as it’s known in the comics, ‘Darkforce’, which will certainly be featured in the upcoming Doctor Strange. I’m aware that some people are rather critical of this show and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. referencing the MCU films a lot but quite frankly I’ve never had a problem with it as I felt this helped these shows stay connected to the MCU films in a way that the DC films never do with their shows, though it should be noted that Arrow and The Flash do maintain a fairly strong connection with each other with their cross-over episodes.

*Also contrary to popular opinion is the fact that I wasn’t too bothered by this season focusing in on Peggy Carter finding a potential love interest. While she is very much one of those female leads that is in no way defined by a romance, at the same time that doesn’t mean that she’s hampered by a romantic relationship when she ends up in one. After all, the ‘romance’ between her and Cap in The First Avenger was so well done that they’re still the best ‘couple’ in the MCU in my opinion. Anyway, the relationship that forms between Peggy and scientist Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin) was a pretty nice one as the show ends up combatting not just the sexism of the time but also the racism of the time as well. At the same time, a closer relationship starts to form between Peggy and Agent Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj), which of course ends up forming a love triangle between the three. Again, I didn’t mind this because at the very least Sousa has proven himself to be the only major SSR male that Peggy frequently interacts with that does 100% respect her, especially when compared to Agent Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray), who of course spends a lot of the season conflicting with Carter, partially due to his friendship with his boss Vernon Masters (Kurtwood Smith in an excellent supporting turn).

*If I had to pick my favorite episode from this season, I would have to go with Episode 6, ‘Life of the Party’, for its premise in which Peggy is forced to work with her mortal enemy, Dottie Underwood, and all of the great dynamics that occur between characters in this episode, including Jarvis ‘manning up’ when he ends up partnering with Dottie while at a campaign event for Chadwick.

*Also, Episode 9 has a full-blown musical number. No I am not kidding. To be more specific, this was a dream sequence that Peggy had after getting knocked out at the end of the last episode. This moment features plenty of cameos from the rest of the cast, along with the brief return of Lyndsy Fonseca as Peggy’s friend Angie from last season. Admittedly this actually doesn’t contribute anything to the plot but as someone who is a fan of musicals, I didn’t mind this at all. Though I will admit it was still a very unexpected moment.

In Conclusion: Save for the occasional lull in the plot, Season 2 of Agent Carter is another highly enjoyable entry into the MCU canon thanks to all of the great things that made this series great in the first place, most importantly Hayley Atwell continuing to be terrific in the title role. The 40’s esque adventures of this show serve as a nice contrast to the modern-day exploits of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Unfortunately, low ratings and the fact that Hayley Atwell has recently signed onto another show for ABC may mean we won’t be getting a Season 3. And the thing is… Season 2 ends on a fairly big cliffhanger, as Agent Thompson ends up getting shot by a mysterious figure who then proceeds to steal what was meant to be a ‘damaging’ file on Peggy, so it would be disappointing if this is how the series ends.

(Note: Take this next statement with a grain of salt but despite what I just said about the unlikelihood of a third season, there are rumors that the series is going to be renewed.)

Season 2 Rating: 4.5/5

Agent Carter (2015): Season 1 Review

We all know that in terms of the current ‘Marvel-DC’ debate, Marvel currently, and to be honest probably will always have, the edge when it comes to films thanks to the massive critical and commercial success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, in terms of TV shows, that edge definitely belongs to DC at the moment. Sure, Marvel has had done quite a few shows before, but most of them have been animated whereas the majority of their live-action shows were made more than 3-4 decades ago. Nowadays, DC currently has two of the most well-regarded comic book shows on TV right now in form of the CW’s ‘Arrow’ and its recent spin-off, ‘The Flash’. Marvel, on the other hand, is slowly but surely starting to take a stab at the world of TV. Their first major live-action show since the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, debuted in September 2013. And while I will always defend the show’s initial run as being better than what the internet put it out to be, unfortunately it didn’t really gel well with audiences early on due to overly high and unfair expectations. Thankfully, that didn’t last too long as the big HYDRA reveal in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ carried over into ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and gave the series new life, now allowing it to stand toe-to-toe with ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’. And really, the fact that the show is connected to the MCU means that it has an advantage that clearly ‘Arrow’ and ‘Flash’ won’t ever have in that it’s able to play off of key moments from the MCU films.

There’ll be a few more MCU-set TV series coming out over the next few years, primarily in the form of a group of shows based around ‘The Defenders’ which will be featured on Netflix, with the first of these shows, ‘Daredevil’, set to debut this April. But amidst the mid-season break of Season 2 of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, Marvel brings out their newest show in the form of ‘Agent Carter’, centered on arguably the best non-superhero female lead of the MCU films, Agent Peggy Carter. Originally debuting in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, Peggy Carter proved to be one hell of a female lead, primarily thanks to both the brilliant performance by Hayley Atwell in the role and the solid romantic chemistry between her and Chris Evans (Captain America). That great chemistry was the main reason why the finale of ‘First Avenger’ was emotional as it was. But that wasn’t the end for Miss Atwell in the MCU. Two years later, she got the chance to prove that she could hold her own as a main character through the Marvel One-Shot short film, ‘Agent Carter’, which debuted as a special feature for the Blu-Ray of ‘Iron Man 3’. That of course led to the creation of an ‘Agent Carter’ TV series and because of Atwell’s terrific performance in the role, along with really strong writing that offers a very cool retro spin on the MCU, ‘Agent Carter’ immediately makes a great impression as a top-notch comic book-themed TV series.

The series takes place after the events of ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, following Captain America’s heroic ‘sacrifice’ when he crashed the plane he was on into the Arctic. Of course, we all know what ‘really’ happened but at the time, he was believed to be dead. One year after the end of World War II, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), still mourning Steve’s loss, now finds herself stuck having to do routine office work for the SSR while also having to deal with being in the male-dominated workforce of the 40’s. However, when Peggy’s old ally, inventor Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), is framed for allegedly supplying weapons to enemies of the U.S., he enlists Peggy’s help in order to prove his innocence. With the assistance of Stark’s personal butler Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy), Peggy begins to search for Stark’s missing inventions, and her investigation eventually has her going up against a mysterious organization known as Leviathan. But because Peggy is doing this behind the backs of her SSR co-workers, she frequently runs the risk of being discovered by them as they too investigate into the case, namely to try and find Stark.

One of the reasons why I loved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ from the get-go was that it was a comic book show that wasn’t primarily about superhero main characters; it was instead from the perspective of non-superhero characters and I felt that it helped give the show a nice down-to-earth tone even though it was a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The same can definitely be said with ‘Agent Carter’ and while there have definitely been plenty of great emotional moments in ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ over its current 1 and a half season run, ‘Agent Carter’ admittedly has done a much better job early on in terms of offering a very grounded perspective on the MCU while also giving us some effectively emotional moments. Yes, Peggy Carter is quite the badass when it comes to combat but that doesn’t mean she’s just a straight-up ‘action heroine’. She’s still just a regular human being and the show has done a great job at showing how she handles the lifestyle she goes by and how it impacts those around her. In the very first episode, her roommate, who had nothing to do with Peggy’s situation, is murdered by an assassin who was hunting for her. Two episodes later, one of her SSR co-workers ends up getting killed and we see how this tragedy really affects everyone at the SSR, even Peggy despite the fact that the agent never treated her that well. I guess you could say Peggy is probably the better example of a relatable character in this world of heroes compared to the team on ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

The production design for the show is spot on, capturing the feel of the 40’s quite well in regards to set and costume design. Plus, the fact that the show is set in the 40’s really helps distinguish it from most of the shows currently on TV today, just like how ‘The First Avenger’ definitely felt different from the rest of the MCU films for also being set during the ‘World War II’ era. Visuals, action sequences, and the overall direction are also solid too and the overall tone of the show is a good mix of light-hearted fun and serious drama, which in my opinion is Marvel’s greatest advantage over DC at the moment. Sure the show hits the right notes emotionally when it needs to but it’s not all dark and gloomy, like the route DC is apparently taking with their Cinematic Universe. But on that note, ‘Agent Carter’, despite being a part of the MCU, doesn’t do ‘too much’ in terms of staying connected to it. But in most people’s eyes that’s actually a good thing. Because that was one of the biggest problem a lot of people apparently had with ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’; it referenced the MCU ‘too much’. While I never had a problem with that, because otherwise it wouldn’t seem like the show as connected to the MCU at all, ‘Agent Carter’ probably fares much better because it isn’t as reliant on referencing the films. But of course the references are still there, like the introduction of the program that trained Black Widow, represented here via one of the main villains of the season, a seemingly innocent girl named Dottie who initially befriends Peggy before revealing her true colors.

As I already noted, the best part of the whole show is Hayley Atwell as Peggy, as she’s the one that really gives the character both her emotional strength and composure, especially in scenes where the odds are against her. A key element of the show is the ‘buddy cop’-esque relationship between Peggy and Jarvis. Atwell and James D’Arcy (the latter of whom, according to my friend Matt, ‘reminded him of Benedict Cumberbatch’ which, I’m not going to lie, is a pretty accurate comparison) have solid camaraderie and D’Arcy is definitely a stand-out amongst this cast being quite frankly the literal example of an ‘average joe’ that is caught up in a crazy situation; in other words, a lot of the best comedic moments in the series come from him as a result of how he handles some of the situations that he and Peggy get into. Because a lot of time is spent with them, early on some of the other main members of the cast, specifically SSR agents Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray) and Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) and SSR Chief Roger Dooley (Shea Whigham) were rather indistinguishable from one another. Thankfully, as the series went on, they each had their own moment to shine, like in Episode 5, ‘The Iron Ceiling’, when Thompson tells Carter about a mistake he made during the war and in the penultimate episode, ‘Snafu’, where it is revealed that Chief Dooley has a bit of a troubled family life along with a key heroic action he does that I won’t spoil here for anyone who hasn’t seen the show. 

Despite all of the comparisons that I made between ‘Agent Carter’ and ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ in this post, the latter is still my favorite show on TV right now. But ‘Agent Carter’, another Grade A effort from Marvel Studios in terms of giving us a comic-book inspired TV show that wasn’t primarily centered on a superhero, is arguably even better, especially from the get-go whereas ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ did take a little while to really get going. It’s not just because of excellent production design and solid direction that makes this series great. It’s really thanks to Hayley Atwell’s brilliant work in the role of Peggy and excellent writing that gives us a fantastic female lead that, to quote the consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, is ‘a person first and an action hero second’. DC may be the ones who’ll end up releasing the first major female-led superhero film of the modern superhero film era, but Marvel Studios has already given us a bunch of fantastic female characters these past few years, from Black Widow to the ladies of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, despite the fact that they’ve yet to do a female-led superhero film (though they will soon enough with ‘Captain Marvel’). In just a brief season run of 8 episodes, ‘Agent Carter’ definitely made quite the first impression and hopefully we’ll get to see more of Peggy Carter’s adventures down the road.

Season Rating: 4.5/5