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#bucky and nat bonding over their tragic back stories AND their love of sam
ironhusband · 3 years
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clearly we deserve samnatbucky but alas
Yeah :) Sam deserves to date both Bucky and Nat.
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whatthefoucault · 5 years
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A Chronological List of Works by me, whatthefoucault: the Everything Edition
So it turns out I’ve actually written a very good number of words.  Almost all of the superhero things I’ve written fall into the same timeline/continuity, which I like to call Earth-212, adjacent to a few canons and then sort of also has a life of its own. I wasn’t sure how best to organise this, but here’s an attempt at placing all of these works into a vague chronological order, though almost all of them can be read independently and the reading order doesn’t really matter. Largely stucky, with some other Cap Fam shenanigans, and also a lot of entries for frostmaster and other Revengers business, some Hawkeyes, and various others. Heed the tags in each fic, but bear in mind I’m here for softness, recovery, finding one’s place in the world, and that’s largely what I’m here to write about.  If this list of everything-in-chronological-order is overwhelming and you want to get more specific, here’s:
Cap Fam
Revengers
Miscellaneous
The Stargazer’s Field Guide To Constellations
By the time Bucky happened upon him, doubled over on the front steps of the library, Steve was already as green as a plate of creamed spinach.
And My Heart Beats So That I Can Hardly Speak
Steve doesn't dance, but this was a special occasion.
(A Few Inches Too Far) Underneath The Mistletoe
It was purely by chance that Steve happened upon a scruffy little sprig of discarded mistletoe on their way back from dinner with the Barnes family.
So Take It From Me, Captain America
"Ok, Captain America PSA number four, take one, and... action."
Sextown, U.S.A.
The message was vague on details, but the urgency in Wade’s voice told Steve it was serious, and that he should come alone.
“Help me, Steve Rogers,” he pleaded. “You’re my only hope.”
Steve had to admit that that got to him.
(It would be three months before Steve would see Star Wars for the first time. Needless to say, he was not amused when he did.)
... In which two supersoldiers form a very special bond across several time zones, many states, and more all-you-can-eat breakfast than anyone should ever eat in their life.
Advanced Seminar In Postmodern Cultural Analysis, Lesson Five
In which Steve Rogers and his very good friend Wade Wilson hang out.
The Sand And The Sea
Clint and Kate have not talked about that thing that happened.
Bring Your Silver Arrows
After that thing that happened with Kate, Clint's going through some stuff.
Continental Breakfast Not Included
Sam had definitely asked for separate beds, but they had been driving since before sunrise, and it was almost midnight.
This Is Going To Make For An Interesting Expenses Claim Form
The scene before him as he rushed to the bathroom door, one pant leg still flapping awkwardly underfoot, would have to anyone else been highly out of the ordinary, but they were superheroes, after all.
The Season For Plums
One day, a man went to the market to buy plums. 
Notes From A Dirty Attic
I don't know what I'm doing.
My name is Bucky. I come from Brooklyn. I died in the war.
Particle-Wave Duality
While Bucky is napping, Steve reads to him.
Blackout Nights And Tight Spaces
It was cold, then sleep, but it was different this time. He was dreaming.
Caprine Management
In which Steve meets Bucky's new friends.
Everyone’s A Winner
Little did the Grandmaster know, when he settled in by the pool, that his evening was about to become much more interesting.
The Art Of The Co-Operative Endgame
The Grandmaster surveyed the board as Loki prepared to make his move, and - oh, this was interesting, he thought - there was a very good chance indeed that Loki might actually win.
Moonshakes
"Hey Scrappy," said the Grandmaster, "what do you think of the new guy, uhh, Loki?"
Gamalost
In which the Grandmaster has found the right companion with whom to share one of his very favourite things.
or
When Loki falls out of the sky and into the Grandmaster’s lap, he gets everything he hopes for and more. The more comes in the form of cheese. A lot of cheese.
Two Seat Sofa, Hensta Light Brown
"So..." Steve hesitated to finish the question, "are we dating?"
(In which Steve and Bucky come home.)
I Guess That This Must Be The Place
He closed his eyes, and prayed his words would project over the distance, somehow:
Count down from a hundred, and then come and find me, my sunshine.
... in which the Grandmaster embarks on an intergalactic road trip in search of his love.
A Constellation Of Sunlight, Beneath The Cherry Tree
It was well into the night when they lay together, but it was not until the morning that they made love.
Rugbrød, Fløtemysost, og Molter
There were some things the Grandmaster needed to know about Loki, and it seemed, from the shift she felt in her bones as she awoke, that this was the morning to address them.
No Less Than Three Kinds of Cheese
The sun was out and the park was beautiful, but it was still too cold for a picnic.
Sugaring
Every morning, Steve sets out from the little cabin to tend to their maple trees. 
Solskinnsboller
The fact that no bakery in the entire staggering metropolis he currently called home had ever so much as heard of solskinnsboller was tragic, but Loki was nothing if not resourceful. He would just have to make them himself.
Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs
"What was my grandma's name?" asked Bucky, apropos of nothing.
Syzygy
It was cloudy enough that most people chose to forego the beach that Tuesday, but such things would not deter the Grandmaster and Loki from a day out.
American Globs
Objectively, he knew everything was fine. He knew they were fireworks, and that they were beautiful, and back in the day, he and Steve used to sit under the stars together and watch them light up the sky with wonder and delight.
But time had passed since then.
It’s Like Right Now
Nat and Sam visit a street food market.
Me And My Baby Gonna Touch That Leather
"I think we should fuck," said Bucky, as Steve began climbing back under the duvet.
Say The Magic Word
"Hey, if you're going past the kitchen, do you think you could get me another coffee?"
Two Brooklynites and One Big Apple
“You did good out there today,” Captain America said, brushing a layer of detritus from his unfathomably broad shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”
“Not if I see you first,” replied Miles, fingergunning with one hand as he sent a web rope fwipping off into the distance with the other, catapulting himself away at tremendous speed.
… in which two superheroes battle with bad guys, embark on community art lessons, and a friendship forms along the way.
The Nemophilists
“Conspicuous,” said Steve, apropos of nothing. Bucky was putting away the last of the clean dishes.
“Conspicuous?” asked Bucky, nesting the heatproof glass bowl precariously in a short stack of significantly smaller cereal bowls.
“Yeah,” said Steve, scooping last of the leftovers into a container that, it turned out, was a tablespoon too small. “I’m.”
Nemophilist: (n.) One who is fond of the forest.
The Shape Of A Snake In A Defensive Coil
In which Loki's not very well, and the Grandmaster volunteers a solution.
Long Hair Problems, And How To Outsmart Them
“So I guess we’re not getting up early to line up for brunch?”
The End Of A Century
This is the story of a sister and her brother.
As the shadow of the war fades and gives way to new conflicts, Becca Barnes battles the constraints of the twentieth century: an education, a marriage, a career, with the ghosts of her youth never far from her memory. As the twenty-first century barrels on through its awkward teenage phase, Bucky Barnes builds a new life, with new friends, and a burgeoning relationship with his lifelong companion Steve, the erstwhile Captain America, as they struggle to find their place in the world. The last time Becca saw her brother was on the eve of war; neither of them expected, some seventy-something years, a hip replacement, and one new arm later, to be reunited.
This is a story about family.
And Our Dreams Are Making Us Nice Stories
Steve had been adamant that a party was unnecessary; however, his friends had insisted, bundling into his little Brooklyn apartment with pizzas and a selection of local microbrews and seven-layer taco dip and two dozen supermarket cupcakes emblazoned with the most neon buttercream he had ever seen piped into the stripes of little American flags.
A Ghost That The Others Can’t See
"What'd you tell her about me?"
"Only the good stuff."
From the Mighty Forest of Vacherin to the Belegen Fields
When it came to special events, the Grandmaster did not do understated.
The Littlest Balsam In Brooklyn
In which Bucky and Steve get a tree.
When Life Gives You Limoncello
In which Bucky has baked a pie. 
Blessings
At last, the shape of life after everything had begun to come into focus. Bucky and Steve consider the next steps, and some friends come to visit.
Kinugoshi
When the Grandmaster had suggested somewhere special for lunch, Loki was not expecting a small, four-table restaurant in an unremarkable suburb of Kyoto, but there they were.
Stargazing
"You know what? Let's get out of the city," Steve suggested after dinner.
(In which Steve has a very quiet birthday.)
The Mighty Hrothgar
"Uhh, I dunno about this place, stardust," the Grandmaster said to Loki, his tone hushed. "I've introduced myself to, like, five dogs, and none of them have said a word. Why don't they like me?"
The Fundamentals of Sciurine Linguistics
Sam Wilson was sure about three things: the words Captain America were enough to nab a table for two at the most popular noodle bar in the East Village on short notice, everyone loved a good noodle bar, and ramen was up there with corn on the cob and chicken wings as the worst possible food choice for a first date.
Eight Evenings In The Kitchen
The Barnes-Rogers Hanukkristmas season was always going to be one spent almost exclusively in the kitchen.
Light Showers And A Gentle Breeze
They had been under no illusions that there would be a guarantee of snow, but nothing could have quite prepared them for the abundant, relentless sprinkle of rain.
In which Bucky and Steve go somewhere quiet for Christmas.
Nine And Three-Quarters
"I don't get it, stardust," puzzled the Grandmaster. "It was supposed to be right here. Between Platforms 9 and 10."
Strollin’
"Hot dogs?" asked Steve.
"Hot dogs," agreed Bucky.
The Greatest Thing
In which the Grandmaster plays an early afternoon slot at his very first Midgardian jazz festival.
On A Quiet Morning In The Last Forest In Brooklyn
“We said we wanted to keep the guest list short,” protested Steve. “Just close family, and close friends. Nothing expensive, nothing... tacky.”
“As if you’re one to complain about tacky,” countered Tony. “I got my invitation by group text. Who does that?”
...in which Bucky and Steve get married.
The Witches Of Føroyar
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, nestled in a little cottage just beyond the rocky shores of a tiny, windswept island, lived two very special people indeed. The green witch drew his power from the moon and the stars and the deep, dark night sky; while the gold witch shone with the power of the sun, dazzling and bright. They loved the island and the mountains and the stormy sea, but most of all, they loved each other very much.
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meantofall · 5 years
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so i watched Avengers Endgame yesterday and i have had a lot of thoughts swimming around in my head since yesterday that i need to write them down somewhere. so here goes.
major endgame spoilers ahead!!!
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I will start by saying that I did really enjoy the movie and there were a lot of things that i was screaming with joy about! 
- VALKYRIE!!! Valkyrie and Thor!
- Nat and Steve’s unconditional support of each other in those five years and their friendship/bond in general is EVERYTHING.
- SCOTT LANG IS SO UNDER APPRECIATED AND HE IS THE REASON EVERYONE IS BACK!!! I LOVE SCOTT LANG SO MUCH.
- Carol Danvers being badass! (Even though i feel like we could have A LOT more of her, what we did get was GREAT)
- Steve being worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer (honestly every single person in the cinema screamed at that).
- Scott Lang is Captain America’s BIGGEST fan!! (America’s ASS)
- ON YOUR LEFT!
- Throwback to YOU’RE TAKING ALL THE STUPID WITH YOU.
One of my favourite part’s of Infinity War was Thor’s journey - it was everything I wanted. He was beat down but he rose up stronger and I love that. I think the same thing could have happened in Endgame, because they showed him at his lowest point and in a state of depression. But I don’t think the end was handled well (especially if this is in fact Thor’s resolution which I think it is???) I thought his conversation with his mother would be a turning point in the movie, and I think it was supposed to be.. but it wasn’t translated well later in the movie. Like if he went into that final battle with glimpses of himself (shaved? cut his hair? had a conversation??)... something/anything to translate on screen that he was on the road to recovery. If not in the battle scene, then afterwards with Valkryie / Guardians. Idk i just wanted... something more?
Okay so I have A LOT of Steve feelings. The reason I even started watching these movies was to follow Steve’s story and I love every single minute of it... But that ending.. it just didn’t work for me :/ I went into the movie fully prepared that Steve Rogers was going to die, and as heartbreaking as it would have been I almost think that would have been better than what we got??? OUCH no maybe not, that would actually hurt WAY too much.
Firstly I’m mad that throughout the movie everyone was able to mourn the dusted, except Steve. Scott with Hope, Nebula with Gamora, even Tony who had a life with Pepper and had a daughter was still mourning Peter. But we got nothing about Steve mourning Sam. Nothing of him mourning Bucky. Even Nat was mourning Clint to a certain extent because although he wasn’t dusted it felt like a part of him died in those 5 years (don’t get me started on how much I think it should have been Clint that was sacrificed and not Nat). Even in the final battle scene, we saw those reunions. We had that smile/team up between Scott/Hope, we had that sweet Peter/Tony hug - where was that for Steve? Why didn’t we get a look from Bucky to Steve? Steve telling Sam how much he missed him? I know we kind of got something with the on your left but that was more about all of them coming back rather than a Steve/Sam moment i think?
So yeah, i wasn’t thrilled about that. Instead they had it keep coming back to Peggy. Now don’t get me wrong, I really shipped Steve/Peggy in first avenger, i thought they had a compelling and tragic love story. BUT THIS WAS DEALT WITH IN CAP 2 AND 3!!! He got to talk to HIS Peggy. She told him that she was proud of him, that she had a happy and full life and that she wanted that for him too. He went to her funeral, buried her... so this felt like a backward step for him??
Steve built a life for himself in the current timeline and yes he had a lot of issues with adjusting but he eventually made a family. The avengers were his family. His found family was Sam!! Sam was with him every step of the way. Steve, Sam and Nat were a team. His whole mission in Cap 2 and 3 was to find Bucky, get Bucky back!! Bucky still has a long way to go in recovery, and Steve should be a part of that! Even going back in time, he knew all he had to do was mention Bucky to distract his past self. Bucky was very much a part of Steve’s life and always would be.
So after they came back, he just decides to leave his found family and go back to the past?? It just doesn’t make sense to me. I feel like his love for Sam and Bucky and all the avengers would at this point, outweigh his “what could have been” for Peggy?? I read a post about somewhere about how this movie put more importance on romantic love than platonic love and I think it’s true - the writers think that Steve wasn’t fulfilled until he got his romantic ending (Peggy) even though his platonic loves (Sam, Bucky) were much stronger.
Also, another thing to point out is that I don’t think he would be done with the current state of the world. He was running/part of a support group for people in the five years - bringing the dusted back doesn’t mean the world is suddenly okay again. Steve Rogers doesn’t walk away from a fight, and i don’t know that he would walk away from the world in it’s current state. They just lost Tony. They lost Nat. They NEED Steve. There was a lot of ways to have Steve retire, and put down the shield without him abandoning the life he made here. He could help people in other ways, he could hand over the shield to Sam - and probably have a more meaningful conversation about it than old man Steve whose seemed so disconnected from their world now.
I also had a lot of thoughts about TIME TRAVEL and how damn confusing it is, but i don’t even know how to get into that topic so i’m just going to leave it for now.
I’m going to stop now - and idk if any of what i said even makes sense, and i know some won’t agree with it which is fine. I did only watch the movie yesterday, so maybe on a second viewing i might change my mind on some things.. but this is where i’m at right now.
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themonkeycabal · 7 years
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I watched Age of Ultron this morning to refresh my memory. It was ... a challenge. I took notes. (I actually have a spreadsheet of AoS ep notes, so, yes, notes are a thing I do). Looking at those notes, it seems I yelled kind of frequently. And, I was totally yelling in my mind. This movie falls apart quick. 
Oh well, chore done. *pats self on back*
Below, my notes, if you need your memory refreshed and don’t want to sit through the movie again. See how much I love you guys?
(I did edit for coherence when I decided to post)
• the opening sequence cgi doesn't get any less awful and wow, I didn't realize how stilted the dialogue maybe I'm just predisposed to be touchy about the writing because this movie was not what it could have been
• "okay Jarvis, you know, I want it all. make sure you copy hill at HQ"
• lullaby method for calming hulk
• so much of the bruce natasha stuff is so awkward. or mostly all of it, really. it's frustrating because it didn't serve a big narrative purpose at all. none of us had to suffer through this awkward for any reason.
• steve encounters wanda in the castle as he's trying to apprehend strucker. she just knocks him back, doesn't get in his head here.
• tony finds that they've got a part of a chitauri whale ship thingy
• tony encounters wanda next and has his vision of being in space and seeing all the avengers dead. and dead steve accusing him of not doing enough to save them. Tony Stark extra guilt special, with side of emotional trauma and nearly dying in the vast emptiness of space surrounded by hostile alien forces trauma.
• "a victory should be honored with revels." "who doesn't love revels?" … I'm pretty sure I wrote that (commentary about stilted dialogue comes back to bite me). Okay, not exactly, but pretty close.
**"They are very fond of merriment and revelry," he confirmed with a wry smile.
"Oh my God, dad will love them," Darcy said, choking on a laugh at the thought of it. "There's nothing Tony likes more than merriment and revelry." **
I'm just saying. Also, I wrote it first. Thank you.
• tony wants to have time to look over the scepter until a farewell party. presumably for Thor, who will take it back to Asgard. Though, he then asks Thor if he's staying for the party. So … I'm still not sure what the party is for. Nobody seems to be saying goodbye to Thor much. Also lots of WWII vets — but that's Tony trolling Steve. Still, unclear on the party purpose.
• Twins, orphaned at 10.
Pietro - increased metabolism and improved thermal-homeostasis Wanda - nuero-electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation Hill: "He's fast and she's weird".
• iron legion, still kind of creepy Tony
• Bruce: How's he doing? Tony: Unfortunately he's still Barton. Bruce: That's terrible.
Look! Characters acting like they've known each other for longer than five minutes!
• Helen Cho skin grafting magic machine nanomolecular bonding "his cells don't know they're bonding with simulacra" "she is creating tissue" regeneration cradle
• gem in scepter housing a thinking mind of some sort, program,
"Down in strucker's lab I saw some fairly advanced robotics work. they deep-sixed the data, but I've got to guess he's knocking on a very particular door." "Artificial intelligence" "This could be it, Bruce. This could be the key to creating Ultron"
Tony no!
"I thought Ultron was a fantasy." Oh, Bruce, if only.
• "I see a suit of armor around the world." "Sounds like a cold world, Tony." "I've seen colder." Tony is way way freaked out by space invaders. So much. Like whoa.
He and bruce have three days to try and pull the thinking mind out of the scepter
Integration succeeds on the third day.
• Ultron malfunctions immediately, and attacks Jarvis. Then begins assembling a body from the iron legion assembly underneath the office/lab.
• Poor Rhodey, his tank story falls flat when he tells it to Tony and Thor. But adorable.
• annoyingly (not annoyed at Sam), but Falcon's apparently looking for Bucky. "I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy." Darcy needs to spend more time with Sam Wilson. I think they'd bond over superhero craziness and the wtf of it all.
• Rhodey tells his tank story to non-avengers and it kills. Good job, Rhodey. ILU Rhodey.
• oh god, more awkward Bruce and Nat. Please stop. Though, actually, okay, the bar scene, up to a point, is kind of charming, but then it goes super awkward and uncomfortable and makes me cringe a little bit.
And I don't hate bruce/nat in general, but it's just so forced in this film.
Then Steve comes in to force it some more. Stop, Steve. Please, don't help.
I'll continue to ignore all this.
• Clint is sure the hammer thing is a trick. Then everybody tries. Look, sort of team bonding! Thor's face when it moves for Steve is fabulous.
Anyway, then Ultron ruins everything. And already I'm losing interest in watching this film again.
• Iron Legion co-opted by Ultron. Lots of Ultron blah blah 'you're all killers, I'm a global peace initiative, humanity has to evolve, blah blah, peace through killing the avengers'.
It's funny, Ultron snarks at one point about standing around talking about his evil plan. Except, he monologues like six times in this movie.
• Ultron escapes through the internets, goes to the castle in Sokovia and the advanced robotics works Tony noticed earlier, and begins to assemble his robot army and his robot body.
• Rhodey and Hill realize Ultron could go for nuclear codes
• Thor is unhappy with Tony. Because the scepter got away with a Legionnaire. Like threateningly angry, grabbing Tony by the throat angry. Because we've apparently gone back to them only knowing each other for five minutes. Character consistency? What's that?
And then it's everybody turn on Tony time. Look, Tony makes mistakes, big ones, but this whole scene was obnoxious. Steve: "The Avengers were supposed to be different from SHIELD." *sigh*
"We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but that up there, that's the endgame." Tony continues to be very, very wigged by what's coming from space. He's not wrong, but he's also super traumatized.
Tony: "How were you planning on beating that?" (space invasion) Steve: "Together." Tony: "We'll lose." Steve: "Then we'll do that together, too." GOOD PLAN STEVE! GOSH, GLAD YOU'RE A TACTICAL GENIUS. For real, though, that was a dumb thing to say.
I just really don't care for this movie.
Also Ultron killed Jarvis. (not really).
• Wanda and Pietro summoned to a church by Ultron. Who blah blahs about the church being in the exact center of town "the elders decreed it so that everybody could be equally close to god" Does Ultron think he’s God?
Ultron reveals himself to be a robot.
Wanda says she let Tony take the scepter because she saw his fear and knew it would make him self-destruct. If there's one thing Tony likes more than revels, it's self-destructing.
"Is that why you've come? To end the Avengers?" "I've got to save the world. But, also, yeah."
Did Joss use a cliche generator to write this?
• Pietro and Wanda give their tragic backstory.  Stark Industries shells destroys the apartment building they lived in, their parents were killed. One is unexploded and they spend two days staring at the name Stark.
• Ultron is all over the place, Hill reports. Metal man or men attacking robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs. Wanda and Pietro are involved.
and Ultron kills Strucker. don't care. Except, Strucker probably knew something that Ultron wanted hidden.
• Team bonding by looking through paper files for what Strucker might have known! (not much bonding, but, oh well). Thor seems to like to throw files and bankers box lids. Me, too, Thor. Me, too.
Tony IDs Ulysses Klaue. Black market arms. They met from time to time, but Tony never sold him anything. Steve gives him judging face. Shut up your face, Steve. God. For real, dude. (I love Steve, but he's so clunky in this movie. It's the writing/direction not Chris)
Anyway, they realize Gollum stole vibranium from Wakanda by a brand on his neck. So they go track him down in South Africa. How did the Wakandans let him get away with billions of dollars of Vibranium? I mean, he got caught once, but then he clearly escaped and had a lot of the stuff. How did they not hunt him down? Falling down on the job, T'Challa.
• Ultron, Wanda, Pietro get there first. Don't care. Ultron awkwardly quotes the bible -  "Upon this rock I will build my church" -  because … I don't know. Reasons? He thinks he's God now? Maybe? Earlier he liked the 'symmetry of faith' but it's not really expanded on. Who knows. Joss doesn't. Is it supposed to foreshadow him putting the destructo device in the church? Meh. What a stupidly forced line.
• "Keep your friends rich and keep your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which." Apparently from the Wit and Wisdom of Tony Stark. Okay, Tony. Anyway, Gollum IDs the line, suggests Ultron is one of Stark's robots. Ultron takes exception to that and accidentally cuts off one of Gollum's arms. Whoops.
"Don't compare me with Stark. It's a thing with me. Stark is … he's a sickness."
• Team is moving into tanker Gollum is set up in. Fighting and shenanigans.
• Bruce leaves the safety of the quinjet, after he couldn't get communication with the team to ask if the situation was 'code: green'. This will end badly. Stay in the plane, Bruce. Really, though, why did you get out? Okay, you're worried, but you don't like turning green. Maybe … I don't know. I know Tony's armor gets cell reception — did you try calling him independent of the comms? I mean, maybe try that first. (Bruce did not try that first.)
• Wanda tries to whammy Thor. It doesn't seem to work "I am mighty" until it does and he's in a strange stone hall. Wanda gets Nat next. Tries for Clint, but he electrocutes her in the face. Heh. Pietro knocks him down. And Clint suddenly has two more kids.
Meanwhile Nat is having a vision of ballerinas/her training — ceremony where she is sterilized. For, you know, great angst later.  Elsewhere Steve is at a party after the war. He sees Peggy. Of course. Poor Steve. Thor is attacked by Heimdall. "They see you leading us to Hel."
• Wanda goes after Bruce. Tony calls in "Veronica" as Hulk goes on a rampage and the rest of the team is down. Veronica is satellite launched Hulk containment and HulkBuster Iron Man armor.
Tony and Hulk fight, tear up city streets. Are they in Johannesburg? I am not paying much attention. This movie is boring. … checking … IMDB says yes.
Tony tries to remove Hulk from the city. Lots of property damage. Yikes. They destroy a very large building under construction. Tony finally subdues him.
• Hill reports no official calls for Bruce's arrest but it's "in the air." Also, Stark deploys the Stark Relief Foundation (noted). Hill suggests they should all go dark until Ultron can be tracked down. Everybody's plenty traumatized. And now's the part where I will ignore Clint's family that came out of nowhere! (I know it comes from Ultimates. I also know HOW IT ENDS WHICH IS HORRIFIC)
• Ignoring the family on the farm. "We would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed." SAME TONY.
• According to IMDB Joss had such a hard time keeping all these characters straight. It was a "nightmare". "They're very disparate characters. The joy of the Avengers (he says as he bitches about them) is they really don't belong in the same room. It's not like the X-Men who are all tortured by the same thing, and have similar costumes. These guys are just all over the place, and it's so tough."
I have not, historically, been on the Joss hate train — certainly the Joss disappointment train — but there's something about that statement that makes me grind my teeth. "They have different costumes!" Really? REALLY? DO THEY REALLY? GOSH THAT IS SO HARD! YOU'RE SO RIGHT! AND THE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS HAVE DIFFERENT BACKSTORIES AND MOTIVATIONS? MY GOD! WHAT UNIMAGINABLE MADNESS! HOW DO YOU SURVIVE?
Lazy. That's what it is. It feels lazy. Unpaid fanfic writers manage it and manage it a lot better than this mess. Ugh. Shut up, Joss.
It goes on to say he was so exhausted that he elected not to direct Infinity Wars. Yeah, I think what really happened was that he was given the option to save face and claim exhaustion and walk away. He checked way the hell out of this movie long before it premiered.
(I took an hour long break here to contain my irritation. Surfed the net. Watched some of the All-Star Game. Had a hotdog.)
• Anyway, back to the Barton farm and the family I will ignore.
Thor is having small child-induced flashbacks. He bails the awkward farm for London and Erik Selvig. Smart man.
Meanwhile, Steve looks around, moping about the normal life he'll never have.
Though, okay, Clint having a convo with Laura "Ultron has these allies. They're kids. They're punks, really. AND I WILL ADOPT THEM HONEY! DON'T YOU WORRY! THEY'RE TWINS AND THEY'RE ANNOYING AND I WILL BRING THEM HOME HERE WHERE THEY BELONG! Someone's going to have to teach them some manners. THEY PROBABLY PUT THEIR FEET ON THE FURNITURE HONEY! BUT, WE CAN RAISE THEM RIGHT!
• U-Gin Genetics Research Lab, Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Cho encounters Ultron. Ultron wants her to make him a squishy flesh and vibranium body. He uses the scepter on her.
• Back on the farm. More Nat and Bruce awkward. Pass. Though, they talk about being monsters (if they are), which is a tenuous and somewhat stretched thin theme in this film. Still super forced and anvilicious.
• Elsewhere Steve and Tony split wood like manly men. And argue.
"Every time somebody tries to stop a war before it starts, innocent people die." This line makes very little sense. It sounds profound, but it's not. Even in the context of what he and Tony are arguing about, it doesn't really make sense. So … you should always war? I don't think that's what you mean, Steve.
UGH! This movie could have been much better in so many ways.
Laura, who I don't hate despite my ignoring, interrupts (bless her) and asks Tony to fix the tractor.
• Tony goes into the barn and runs into Fury, who likes to lurk in dark corners, waiting for his moment to make his dramatic, timely entrances. ILU Fury, never change.
"You're not the director of me." Oh, Tony.
Tony tells Fury about the vision he had — where the Avengers were dead because of him and the whole world, too. "It wasn't a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on."
But Fury knows all about guilt and tries to pull Tony out. Good luck, Nick. (it sort of works. ish)
• Thor meets Erik in London. Thor in stealth hoody. "I like the look. If you're going for inconspicuous, though, near miss." I miss you, Erik.
• Back at the farm. Fury is briefing them saying Ultron's building something. Re: Ultron: "He's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit".
Tony asks if he's still going after launch codes, Fury confirms he is but isn't making any headway, Tony is a little baffled. "I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in highschool on a dare". Fury says he contacted people at the net hub "the Nexus" in Oslo. Fury says the codes are being changed, Tony asks, by whom. Parties unknown. Fury says Ultron has an enemy, which is not necessarily the same thing as an ally for them. Except it's totally Jarvis, so you're fine.
Fury gives a "buck up little Avengers; go save the world or Barton's kids are dead" speech. Notably the kids were in the room for a lot of this.
They decide Ultron wants to build a human body that is evolved. And Bruce wonders if anybody's talked to Helen lately. Nope, sorry, Bruce. Everybody but Ultron completely forgot about her.
• Helen is amazed at the binding of the vibranium and tissue cells. Ultron calls vibranium the most versatile substance on the planet "and they used it to make a frisbee." then he gives us a yawner humans are limited and dumb and stupid and whatever else speech.
As a member of the general film and television viewing audience, can I ask that maybe Hollywood screenwriters come up with some new material? This speech is almost literally in every single movie. And I mean actual literally and not Chris Traeger literally.
Anyway, Ultron takes the infinity stone out of the scepter and places it on the new body's forehead.
• Erik takes Thor to an underground cistern or something. Erik calls it the Water of Sight. Thor says in every realm there is a reflection. He wants to return to his vision to see what he missed.
Ultimately Thor sees the infinity stones in his vision.
Ahahah. According to IMDB Joss said he wanted this scene to be longer but Marvel said he could pick one — longer Thor scene and trim the farm, or keep all the farm. He chose the farm. Why not? That whole sequence only lasts for seven uncomfortable, stilted hours. Yes, that's what we needed more of. Good choice.
(I'm not going to say we needed a longer Thor scene, but … ugh this movie)
• Tony in Oslo. "A hacker faster than Ultron? He could be anywhere." (HE COULD ALSO BE JARVIS) He likens it to looking for a needle in a haystack. But, it's easy to find one, you just bring a magnet. Then he attempts to hack the launch codes and waits.
• Back in Seoul, the body will be ready in a few hours, but they can start transferring Ultron's cerebral matrix.
Wanda says she can read "him" (the body, aka Vision). "He is dreaming." Helen says it's Ultron's base consciousness. Wanda drifts over and touches the cradle thingy and gets a vision of planetary destruction.
Wanda confronts Ultron. Ultron says "the human race will have every opportunity to improve." Pietro says "and if they don't", to which Ultron replies "ask Noah." Which, really, doesn't make much sense, either. I mean, I get the likening to the flood, but … what? Who is Noah in this scenario? The new flesh body? And again, does Ultron think he's God? Unclear. Nobody knows.
Oh, I guess not. "When the earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And believe me, he's winding up."
This makes no sense.  
U: "We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak." P: "And who decides who's weak?" U: "Life."
Wait. I thought God was throwing stones?
THIS SCRIPT IS SUCH A MESS.
I didn't hate this movie the first time I saw it, I actually enjoyed myself. Which is the point, so good job everybody. But the second time I saw it, I was pretty meh. And now, I'm kind of starting to hate it. Some movies grow on you after a while, this is not one of those movies.
Wanda sneakily hits Helen with some Scarlet Witchery and wakes her from the scepter-induced brainwashing.
(I took a break for another hour. scrolled tumblr. played fallout shelter. had a yogurt. rubbed my cat's tummy until she bit me. QUALITY TIME)
• ANYWAY back to Seoul. Ultron's done bloviating. Helen stupidly draws attention to herself and pauses the cerebral matrix upload. Ultron shoots everybody. Then completely disconnects himself and steals the body. Oh, because the Quinjet is inbound.
• They drop Steve off like three miles away? Why? He doesn't mind jumping out, you know. The lab's an island, you could have just dropped him in the water. But, it wouldn't give us our nifty location shot. So … okay, I guess.
Anyway, Steve runs fast. He gets to the lab and tends to the wounded Dr. Cho. She tells him Ultron's new body plan, but says Steve can't just blow it up, because the gem is in there and its power is uncontainable. Which is weird because it was contained in the scepter. (Normally, I'd let that go, but this script is such an unholy mess, I'm going to be petty. So there!)
• Clint spots the truck carrying ultron and the body. Steve jumps on it. Action and property damage ensues.
Ultron robot guards fly off with the truck. Nat's inside. She's going to airdrop the body to Clint. During the drop, Nat is grabbed by Ultron.
•Wanda and Pietro see the Avengers on the news and decide to go help out. They confront Ultron on a commuter train. Which is, of course, approaching the end of the tracks. GEE NEVER SAW THAT ONE BEFORE. Somehow the train defies physics and despite running into stuff maintains its momentum in order to crash through a lot of buildings dramatically.
• Back at the Tower …
Bruce is ready to destroy the body. But Tony's all, no wait. I have a new bad idea! (Except it's not really bad, but I can see where people are maybe concerned at this point). Also, Tony reveals he found Jarvis. Jarvis went underground. Tony wants Bruce to put Jarvis into the body, in order to override the ultron bits in the body.
"This is the perfect opportunity. We can create Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality." You know, I have a hard time thinking Tony would be that tone deaf. There surely had to be another way to get the same end result of the creation of Vision. That is such a dumb thing to say. I get that Tony can be blinded by his quest for knowledge of invention, but this is a little beyond blinded, especially after everything else.
"I'm in a loop. I'm in a time loop. This is exactly where it all went wrong." Bruce says the rightest thing in an hour of this film. Good call Bruce. Nothing says a good time like characters having the same argument repeatedly.
"We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. We've gotta own it. Make a stand." REALLY? REALLY TONY?
Anyway —
• Nat is being held by Ultron. Ultron monologues to her.
This doesn't bother me as much as it bothered some. I mean the Nat being held part. The monologuing was super cliched.
Anyway, Nat is 'held' by Ultron. She immediately starts working on a transmitter, knowing Clint is looking for a signal from her. So, you know, she's able to be a sort of tracker to Ultron. So … why break out if that's where the fight's going down anyway? And when Bruce turns up to "rescue" her, her first thing is all "okay, so what's the play?". So … I'm in the 'she got there first and was just waiting for them to show up' camp.
• Bruce has caved to Tony's weird persuasion. Anyway. Okay.
Steve shows up with the twins to try and stop transferring jarvis to the body. Arguing arguing blah blah. Pietro disconnects the power to the cradle. And Clint finally gets his shot in on that speedy little bastard, and he's so proud of himself.
And now there's more fighting. Steve and Tony go at it. Bruce grabs Wanda. It's all very … not interesting.
Clint runs up and he's got to be all "wtf? who do I aim at?" you're the best, clint and my favorite ever. screw the rest of these idiots, I just want two hours of him and pietro and wanda.
Then Thor turns up. He jumps on the cradle, does his lightening thing and directs it to the cradle. And Vision is born. Thor holds everybody off while Vision figures himself out.
Thor then explains the infinity stones. Vision has the mind gem. He also says that's the source of Wanda's powers.
I like Vision. Also he's pretty. And he is worthy. He hands Thor Mjölnir.
And they're off to Sokovia. Because Clint tracked down the signal Nat sent, because she's waiting for the rest of the idiots to catch up. Make it 2 hours of clint and nat and the twins. I'd pay for that.
• They try to evacuate the city. Steve gives his orders and a soliloquy.
"Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world." Well, Nat and Bruce are on the fence about their monsterness. Also, Tony did just have the bizarre bad idea to embrace his inner monster. That happened like three minutes ago. That was such a weird scene, too. Ugh. This movie! Such a mess! (WE MIGHT BE MONSTERS! ARE MONSTERS MADE ARE THEY INSIDE OF US WHAT MAKES US MONSTERS? DO YOU GET IT? DO YOU? DO YOU?)
"This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right." No, Steve, I'm pretty sure that right now, it should be entirely about beating him. "The Earth could be destroyed and we'll all be dead, but we'll rest comfortably in the ashes of the Barton children knowing that we weren't monsters like Ultron thought we were." You can philosophize after you've saved the planet. UGH!!!
• Ultron's hanging out in the church again. Tony finds him. Ultron asks if Tony's come to confess his sins. So … Ultron is a priest/preacher/minister of some type? Are we narrowing down this tortured and tenuous religious metaphor to something almost coherent? It only took 1:39:41.
He liked the symmetry of faith and he's stuck his destructo device in the middle of the church and it's symbolic of … I got nothing. Because Ultron doesn't really mention anything about it again. And he misses the opportunity to rhapsodize religiously when he's fighting the God of Thunder.
Look, go for the metaphor/allegory/whatever, or don't. Just don't half-ass it.
• Apparently this armor is the Mark XLV. (I hope Tony recycles, because those things are expensive and that's Darcy's inheritance he's burning through with FORTY-FIVE suits of armor. Not counting War Machine or the Iron Intern.)
• Vision traps Ultron's matrix to, I guess, the local ultron bot network, so he can't escape through the internets. Did ultron bots elsewhere in the world just drop? Or are they all called to Sokovia for this? I'll assume so. Figure travel time.
• Ultron's device will lift a chunk of the city and then drop it, making a big bomb that will ultimately destroy the world.
• A zillion ultron bots invade the city. And now it'll be six hours of cgi robot battles. I want to take a nap.
• Ultron monologues again. "You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword." So … he's back to maybe being God now? I'm so confused.
"And the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure." Wait, I thought they were your sword? Is it their failure that they've become your sword, or will they fail as your sword?
• Bruce/Nat scenes that actually aren't entirely terrible. I do really like "I adore you" SHOVE. Heh. ILU Nat.
• I never noticed before that Friday has some sort of Irish-ish accent.
• Clint and his new daughter Wanda are fighting off robots and rescuing people. And she's all "how could I let this happen? this is my fault?" and clint gives his inspiring "yeah, it's everybody's fault. chin up kid. the city is flying. I've got like twelve arrows. Go out there and you're an Avenger, let's go kill robots" speech. It was better than than Cap's. (ILU Cap, but you're poorly written in this movie)
Wanda decides to be an Avenger and goes robot smashing and Clint looks at her with such pride. (Well, no, he just nods and tells Cap they're clear)
And then Pietro runs up and calls him old man and Barton Bartons, he takes aim on Pietro from behind. "Nobody would know. Nobody. 'The last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already.'" Ha.
That's always worth watching a couple times. I mean, hey, AoU is not entirely irredeemable. There's good bits. There's just also a lot of not good bits.
• More robot fighting. Stark and Friday are trying to come up with a solution. Tony's got the idea to blow up/vaporize the flying part of the city, to keep it from hitting the ground and, you know, killing the planet.
Fury, always a master of timing, shows up with the primary helicarrier for evac of the city. Pietro is impressed.
And they bring along Rhodey!
• More robot fighting.
• Barton goes to rescue a kid. There's shooting. Pietro saves them by suddenly running slow enough to get hit by bullets. And dies. Because … ? After everything they did to work out the rights to Pietro and Wanda for this film and for the MCU in general, to go and kill one of them off, it's so irritatingly stupid.
• Anyway, it distracts wanda and an ultron hits the destructo device, dropping the city while Tony is busy trying to vaporize it.
• Somehow Hulk ended up on a quinjet. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. And he has it in stealth mode and he just takes off despite Nat's attempts to call him back.
• Vision has a final confrontation with what's left of Ultron. "Stark asked for a savior and settled for a slave." So … he's Jesus? NOBODY KNOWS. Vision saves us all by finishing him off.
• The New Avengers Facility in upstate New York has a HUGE staff. I don't think I ever noticed that, either. Including, Erik Selvig.
• Steve and Tony try to rationalize why Vision can pick up Mjölnir, Thor's just content to ignore them and say Vis can keep the mind gem because he's worthy and such. "Elevator's not worthy."
Thor takes off back to Asgard on account of how all the infinity stones keep turning up. So somebody's mucking about, and by Odin's neckbeard he'll find out what!.
Tony is taking a break from Iron Man-ing. New team reveal — Sam, Rhodey, Wanda, Vision.
• Estimated Time: Three days to try to integrate the Ultron AI. AI attacks at night. Next day they ID Gollum. They arrive in South Africa in daylight, so next next day. Five Days then? Then they arrive at Farm at daylight, early morning. Another day. Fury is there at night. They leave at night. So on to day six. Go to Seoul, and Tony to Oslo. Two more days? Then Vision is born at night and then to Sokovia. Another day.  So … the week and a half of Ultron.
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