Thứ Bảy, 21 tháng 7, 2012

Analysis of Christianity Part 4 - “Salvation and TULIP”

(Previous:  Part 3 - “Basics”)

One of the most heated and controversial debates in Christianity, if not the most heated and controversial, is the doctrine regarding the mechanism of salvation.  The two general sides of this debate are the Reformed or Calvinistic view and the Arminian view.  The Reformed view states that one’s salvation is totally, completely God’s work.  This means He is the one who elects – before the foundation of this world – those He will save.  Thus, there are those who God has willed from the start to go to Hell and those God has willed to be saved from it.  The Arminian view, however, states that salvation is an equal opportunity for everybody.  Man has the capability to choose Christ – thus, salvation – or reject Christ – continuing in the path to damnation. 

With all due respect to my Arminian brothers, let me be frank by saying that they are wrong.  The Reformed view is the logical and – most importantly – biblical view on salvation.  It is clearly stated in the Scriptures that it is God who predestined those people He will save before the foundation of this world; that God has the right to grant mercy to those he wants to; and that it is God who chooses His people, not the other way around.  We have no right to tell God that He is unfair.  God is under no obligation whatsoever to mere Creations like us.  The fact that He would bother to totally complete and secure the salvation of some – by selecting to humble Himself, be reincarnated as Man, and to endure humiliation, torture, and death at the hands of His Creation (How absurd is that!) – portrays His extreme love!  Claiming that all these things that Christ went through merely made salvation possible – without completing anybody’s salvation – and that the salvation of someone is left to his personal capabilities and choices greatly undermines His love and sacrifice.     (To be fair with Arminians, they sincerely think that the Reformed view is actually the one that undermines God’s love instead of the other way around).               

Since I view the Reformed view of salvation as the true Christian view on salvation, it is what I will analyze in this installment.  We will use “The Five Points of Calvinisim” as aid since it’s the summary of the Reformed or Calvinistic view on salvation.  The Five Points is usually referred to by the acronym TULIP (for easier memorization).
TULIP stands for “Total Depravity”, “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Perseverance of the Saints.”            

Total Depravity – Because of the Fall of Man, every human being is a slave to sin.  Man’s free will is dependently limited by his nature.  Thus, having a sinful nature, it is impossible for Man, to actually desire, seek, choose, and follow God.  Left to his own devices, Man is incapable of accepting the gift of salvation. 
Man is also incapable of refraining from evil.  Any “good” or “moral” deeds Man does are wicked in the eyes of God because the motivation of doing these are not for the glory of God but are based on self-centered motivations like personal passion, personal gratification, personal agenda, or personal desire. 
Only when God personally changes a person’s nature would he be able to ask Christ to come into his life and make Him his Savior and King.  Through God’s grace, He changes the heart and opens the eyes of those He elects.  With their new, God-given, and purified nature, by their own free will (because their free will is now enabled by their new nature), they will seek and follow God, accept His gift of salvation, and sincerely do good for His glory. 

Unconditional Election – Before the world is created, God had certain persons in mind that he predestined to be elected to receive mercy and salvation.  This election is not based on any factors or conditions regarding these certain persons.  One is elected by God – not due to anything inherent to him, or any action he does, or any belief he believes in – but solely according to God’s own independent and sovereign will.         

Limited Atonement – Christ’s atonement on the cross was exclusively for His elect only.  It is incorrect to say that God died for all.  Because if God died for all, then all is saved.  Indeed, Jesus’ blood is so precious that it is sufficient to save everyone, since salvation is secured for anybody whom Jesus’ blood is shed for.  But we already established that there are those who will be saved, and there are those who are meant to be damned.  Therefore, the blood of Christ – and the assurance of salvation – is only meant for those that God predestined.   

Irresistible Grace – As already mentioned above, Man, by his own free will, won’t be able to obtain salvation.  And it is only through God’s grace and own action will Man ever respond to Him.  When God opens the eyes and changes the heart of someone, he will be greatly compelled to receive His gift of salvation.  No, it is not violently forced into him against his will.  Since God will make him realize how precious and beautiful the Gift is, he won’t be able to resist it, and will receive it gladly by his own free will (again, as mentioned at the Total Depravity part, since God has already changed his nature, his free will will now choose God).  God gently but powerfully works with someone who He desires to receive the gift of salvation: He softens the heart to repentance, enlightens the mind to understanding, reveal the allure of His grace, and lovingly lead him by the hand to Christ.     

Perseverance of the Saints – Whoever God has elected to receive atonement by Christ’s blood will never lose his salvation.  Once saved, always saved.  A Christian will remain faithful till the end of time.  If there are such Christians who fall away or “backslide” in the faith, it’s either they were not really actually part of the elect (i.e. were not true Christians in the first place) or they will come back to the faith in a future time.  Since it is God who works for one’s salvation, He is the one who will sustain someone He had saved till the End of Age through the sanctification power of the Holy Spirit. 
One Christian writer argued that it is more applicable to term it “Preservation of the Saints” rather than “Perseverance of the Saints”, and I agree.  With “Perseverance of the Saints”, it gives a slight implication that the work is done by the saints.  But with “Preservation of the Saints”, the credit of the endurance of the saints’ faith goes to God, which is the point of the 5th Point in the first place.

Through TULIP, a Christian will greatly appreciate more that he is saved.  Instead of receiving a horrifying eternity in Hell, by God’s grace, he will enjoy an eternity of fellowship with God in Heaven.  (In fact, from writing this, I am being reminded of these truths, renewing my deep appreciation that I am a Christian… that God chose to save an undeserving sinner like me.) 

Reformed/Calvinists and Arminians have always been arguing what is the true view.  And that is not all the doctrinal debates there are.  These unfortunately cause divisions, but, at least, when it all comes to it, all Christians – regardless of doctrinal beliefs – are one in Christ.  And that’s all that matters.  Sincere Christians don’t really intend to cause divisions.  In fact, as much as possible, they aim to be perfectly united in mind and thought.  It just happens that because of human flaws as factors, there are conflicting opinions on what glorifies God.  Still, it is better to err in a belief or practice with a sincere heart that desires to glorify God rather than to err in a belief or practice because of selfish reasons.  Nonetheless, it should be a Christian’s main desire to search for truth, since the truth is still the best way to glorify God rightfully.  And any doctrinal debate among brothers in Christ should be intended to discourse for truth and not to cause more divisions.

(Battling for truth is just one of the battlefronts that a Christian has to fight in.  Which we’ll tackle in the next installment: Part 5 – “Onward, Christian Soldiers”)       

Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 7, 2012

Top 10 Movies of 2012 (First Half Edition)

Once a year is over, I would make a top 10 list of the best movies of the year.  And as I’ve mentioned before, it’s difficult writing a top 10 movies list at the end of the year.  So I’m going to make this list to make it easier for me to recall the movies I’ve watched this first half of 2012 and the fondness and enjoyment derived from them.  Then, once this year ends, I’m going to make another top 10 movies list for the second half of 2012.   Afterwards, the top 10 movies of 2012 would be selected from the two sets.  Not only will it be helpful, it would also cover a lot more movies than before.

Take note that this is the “top ten 2012 movies that I’ve watched in the first half” and not the “top ten 2012 movies released in the first half.”  There are several 2012 movies I haven’t watched yet that is likely to have chance to make it here if I did.  I haven’t watched Prometheus, Ted, Magic Mike, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Sound of My Voice, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and Moonrise Kingdom – movies I want to watch that are likely to be good – yet.  Nor any major animated movies like Brave, Madagascar 2, and Pirates: A Band of Misfits, which all seem great.  So if I’ve watched later on the year such movies released in the first half of 2012, they will be evaluated for the second half list. 

So, now that’s all clear, let us proceed…         

10.) BATTLESHIP

I don’t care that critics ridiculed Battleship.  This movie is definitely underrated (another underrated movie starring Taylor Kitsch will be later mentioned in this list).  I actually found it a fun, action-packed and, most importantly, entertaining film.  Maybe because of the bad reviews, I had low expectations for it, and that’s why I was able to enjoy it more than I should when I found it to be not that terrible as critics believe.  Really, give this movie a chance.

Indeed, the premise seems to be ridiculous because it was based on the game.  And prior to the film, I was really perplexed how the film would make allusions to the game and its mechanics.  But the film did make the connection.  The references were silly, but clever.  That’s the perfect description for it: silly but clever.  Whenever you catch an allusion, you would automatically smile and clap in amusement and say, “That’s silly!  But it’s so silly that it’s clever!”   

The best thing about this movie is the action.  The glory of modern naval weaponry is displayed well here, and it was awesome seeing it used against alien technology.  But, still, it was not enough.  I was expecting an entire naval fleet – to be led by badass Admiral Liam Neeson – against the aliens, but it never happened.  The battle was mostly one ship against the entire alien fleet. 

9.) AMERICAN REUNION

 
This is here mostly because of nostalgia.  For those who followed the first three American Pie films (I only consider American Pie, American Pie 2, American Wedding, and American Reunion as the only movies part of the series), they will find American Reunion a satisfying finale (I believe this is the last one.  And it should be).  Though this is far from the funniest movie in the series, the jokes and crazy misadventures are still nonetheless hilarious.   

As I’ve said, American Reunion’s charm is mainly because of nostalgia.  The central plot is how the gang is assembled once again for their high school reunion, and the movie perfectly makes us feel like we were reminiscing the awesome and crazy days of our youth with them. (Yeah, we kids who grew up in the 90’s have awesome culture!)  But like all awesome nostalgia trips, American Reunion makes you feel old.      

8.) SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE

Marvel does dominate the big screen, but DC owns the animated movie market.  In the first half of 2012, DC released direct-to-video movies Justice League: Doom and Superman vs. the Elite.  Both are awesome movies (based on epic comic book storylines), but the latter is the best between the two.  Based on the “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?” storyline of Action Comics, Superman vs. the Elite depicts Superman’s encounter with a super-powered group who called themselves “The Elite”.  The Elite uses ruthless, violent, anti-heroic methods (i.e. readiness to kill without second thought) in their own crusade against villainy.  This made them at odds with the ever-“Mr. Do-Goody-Goody” highly moral Superman.   The impatience brought by the recurring appearance of villainy makes Superman’s way of unaggressive approach of refusing to kill villains and “letting the law pass judgment” old-fashioned to the public.  They instead dig the Elite’s aggressive style because killing evil people stops evil permanently… or does it? 

The animation is not so good, but the story and theme makes up for it.  This is a highly philosophical movie that would make us question our own ideals.  Is Superman and what he represents still applicable in our modern period?  Or is the anti-hero approach more practical now? 

This movie displays the greatness of Superman’s non-compromising strong character; Supes shines as he upholds doing what is right rather than what’s popular.       

7.) MEN IN BLACK 3

 
I wrote before that this is one of the movies I wanted to be made.  And I was happy, they did make it (next is Bad Boys 3).  MIB 3 is still the wacky, fun action sci-fi movie that I expected it to be.  The time travelling element though is awkward.  I require time travelling stories to be mindblowing, and if it isn’t so, I consider the story a failure.  But, though the time travelling aspect of this movie isn’t the high-standard I require whenever time travel is tackled in fiction, I still found MIB 3 highly entertaining. 

Yep, I’m hoping for an MIB 4.    

6.) THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

 
This movie makes an effort to fill the story with every cliché ever in horror movies.  And that’s the point of it all and what makes this movie great.  The less you know about the movie, the more you will love it once you see it.  I insist you skip reading the summary below and just go ahead and watch the movie.  But if you insist, here’s the movie in a nutshell (warning: spoilers!):
A group of college teens decided to take a vacation on some isolated cabin in the woods.  Unbeknownst to them, they were being manipulated by a scientific project every step of the way.  Annually, this scientific project aims to kill five individuals through a horror scenario.  The college friends’ personalities – by the use of chemicals released in the air or secretly introduced to them – are being molded to fit certain stereotypes (“the Whore”, “the Athlete”, “the Scholar”, “the Fool”, and “the Virgin”) of usual characters/victims in horror movies.  The “cabin in the woods” is a highly high-tech environment which technicians from the scientific project can fully control to set-up the determined horror scenario meant for the victims.  The selection of a scenario, though, is dependent on the victims’ unwitting actions.  There’s a tradition on the project where the technicians would bet on what scenario will be chosen.    In the cabin, there were several horror scenarios referenced by cameos of different plot objects of horror sub-genres.  The group triggered a redneck zombie family scenario and they were killed off one by one.  The last two survivors – the Virgin and the Fool – would find themselves getting inside the facility (by entering the graves of the zombies chasing them).  There, they would encounter plenty of different monsters and villains of horror genres, imprisoned on glass cages.  As a last resort to avoid getting killed by the facilities’ security team, they would release all these imprisoned horror monsters and villains, slaughtering everyone in the facility (this is the most awesome part of the movie).  Deeper into the facility, they would learn what’s it all about.  At the end of the movie, an “Ancient One”, from H.P. Lovecraft mythos, burst out of the ground (I kid you not!).

5.) JOHN CARTER

 
This is the other Taylor Kitsch movie that I’ve mentioned in number 10.  John Carter is the most underrated movie of the year.  Can’t believe such good sci-fi film can bomb terribly in the box office (some said it’s because of poor promotion).   I’ve always asked for more traditional sci-fi movies, and John Carter delivered perfectly.  The story was wacky but a lot of fun.  And the Martian mythos, setting, technology, creatures, and visuals were solid, if not spectacular. 

The movie is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ (creator of Tarzan) Barsom book series.  It tells of a former American Civil War soldier, John Carter, who found himself mysteriously transported to Mars and eventually becoming a hero there.           

4.) THE HUNGER GAMES

Prior to watching the movie, I was never interested with the books.  Yeah, I know that the book trilogy is very popular and beloved.  But I was never moved to take a look.  But after watching the movie, I finally understood why this Hunger Games is believed to be awesome by many.  And they aren’t wrong. 

Again, I haven’t read the books yet so I can’t compare this movie to the literature.  Evaluating it as a movie, it doesn’t really carry a unique theme.  Teenagers fighting to the death (see Japan’s Battle Royal) and TV game shows of gladiatorial combat or hunting of humans (see The Running Man) are not unique concepts.  But still, in spite of this, The Hunger Games was able to perfectly make use of these elements, making them appear as if they’re original. 

I have no complains with how the story went.  The action was perfect.  The drama was intense.  And Katniss Everdeen is a very strong character.  Hands down, she is one of the best female characters I’ve encountered in fiction.  Romance was never a priority for her, it’s all about survival.  Yah, she’s a badass gal alright.

3.) THE RAID: REDEMPTION

This Indonesian movie is the most intense, action-packed movie I’ve watched in 2012 so far.  Hmmm.  Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen such level of gratifying action from an action movie in a while.  Plenty of testosterone-filled and satisfying violence with no terrible, unnecessary shocking gore.  The movie features the Indonesian martial art of “Pencak Silat”, and the combat sequences were the best I’ve ever seen. 

The story and plot was not unintelligent and is actually as exciting as the action.  It’s about a SWAT team on a mission to arrest a notorious drug lord that resides atop an apartment building that he owns.  The apartment building is located at the heart of Jakarta’s slum and its residents are the most dangerous criminals, murderers, and gangsters of the city.  To reach their target, who is located at the top floor, the SWAT team had to infiltrate the building one floor at a time.  With military precision, they stealthily neutralize the residents of each floor by quietly killing them or tying them up.  But their presence was discovered on the sixth floor, and with now exposed, they became trapped inside the building infested with ruthless criminals out to kill them (the drug lord promised free rent to those who would hunt down the cops).  What started as a mission to arrest a crime lord turns into a battle for survival for the SWAT members.

Will they accomplish the mission?  Will they at least escape the building?  You have to watch the movie to find out. 

2.) THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

I have to admit that this could have been rated a bit higher in this list than what it actually deserves because I’m biased, with Spidey being a favorite of mine.  Nonetheless, this movie was amazing.

I’m still disappointed that the first Spider-Man movie franchise had no actual closure.  It’s an incomplete story.  Until now, I’m still disappointed that a Spider-Man 4 never happened.  Still, though wary at first of the reboot, but once I saw the teaser pics of this movie, I became excited and looked forward to it.  And though my expectations were not fully met by the movie after watching it, I still found the entire viewing process an enjoyable and exciting one.  In spite of the first Spider-Man big screen appearance is still running fresh in our minds, we would still find this reboot worth our interest. 

First of all, let me say that I consider the original Spider-Man being a better movie than The Amazing Spider-Man.  It is because I found the first movie carrying the essence of Spider-Man more accurately.  It was also more inspiring and morally rich – as a Spider-Man movie should.  Spidey’s alter ego, Peter Parker, experiences all the problem normal people have: relationship problems, school problems, financial problems, etc.  Problems are almost never absent from Peter’s life.  And as Spider-Man, he is not always an appreciated hero, and is even considered a nuisance by the people that he saves everyday.  He even gets into trouble with his personal life because of his commitment as Spider-Man.  He was dealing with these throughout his life… ever since he first became Spider-Man as a fifteen year older!  But did Spidey ever give up?  No!!!  In spite of all of these struggles, Spidey never lost his cheerful disposition and strong moral fiber.  He never ceased in doing what is right.  He never ceased in protecting and saving people, even if they are unappreciative of what he does for them.  Because he believes that with great power comes great responsibility.  And he puts into heart that God gave him his superpowers, and he sure would have to use them for good no matter what.  Yes, he gets discouraged and is tempted to give up from time to time, he’s human after all.  But he overcomes.  Such an inspiration to see Spider-Man struggling with all these things (especially when he was a teenager!) and coming through victorious above all antagonisms and discouragements that life throws at him.  And all these elements about the Spider-Man character were introduced in the original Spider-Man movie (and by extension, Spider-Man 2).   (That was a long reflection, eh?  But I always love to explain why Spider-Man is awesome.)  Yes, the Spidey in The Amazing Spider-Man also learned about moral obligations, but he never learned this as directly, as immediately, nor as emphatically as his comicbook and Spider-Man movie counterparts.

Nonetheless, The Amazing Spider-Man delivers a more modern and grittier approach to the Spider-Man origin.  It gave fresh life for Spidey in the big screen.  It was an entertaining watch.  It had boring parts, though, and was slow paced at the start (I think it would take one hour into the movie before we see Peter in the Spider-Man costume).  Some parts of the origin also brought some boredom because we already saw these elements in Spider-Man.  But the action sequences though were the best we’ve ever seen from all the Spider-Man films to date.  The visuals and character designs – I love the redesigned Spider-Man costume and the Lizard’s appearance – were stunning (watch in IMAX).        

Andrew Garfield is perfect for the role.  Tobey Maguire had been great and was ideal during his run.  Maguire had the great geekiness factor that Peter Parker is supposed to have – at least, initially.  But once we see Garfield in the costume, we will easily conclude that he is the perfect movie interpretation for Peter Parker/Spider-Man.  Garfield’s physique, demeanor and appearance were perfect fits for Spider-Man than Maguire’s.  He also appeared more youthful than Maguire.  Though he is 28 already, we have no trouble picturing him as a teenager.  On the downside, his version’s a bit jerk-ish though.         

It’s actually great that we have a new Spider-Man movie franchise to enjoy.  And I can’t wait for Spidey to appear in the next Avengers (hopefully).

1.) THE AVENGERS

I’m almost sure that this will also end up as my pick for the best movie of 2012 at year end.  I can’t see any upcoming 2012 film that can beat The Avengers.  Even The Dark Knight Rises might probably end up as runner-up to this epic superhero movie.    

It was breathtaking and exciting from start to finish!  Plenty of clever humor and nergasmic sequences!  The action was terrific, especially the final battle!!!  This was a perfect movie!  One of the best films ever made!  The greatest superhero movie ever!  They deserve all the money this movie generated!  Kudos to Marvel Studios!  Joss Whedon is a genius!  Captain America is awesome!  Iron Man is awesome!  Thor is awesome!  The Hulk is awesome!  Black Widow is awesome!  Hawkeye is awesome!  You probably can derive how much excitement this movie gave me with all these exclamation points!  Saying this movie is epic or awesome or great or terrific is an understatement!

If there were any flaws in this movie, I was blinded by the sheer overpowering awesomeness.  Marvel Studios pulling this off is some sort of miracle.  So unbelievable how Marvel Studios successfully established and assembled these beloved heroes in one Avengers movie.  The last battle alone is worth the price of admission, as the Avengers take on Loki and his army of Chitauris (different in depiction from their Ultimate Marvel origins). 

Before watching the movie, my main question was how such small line-up of Avengers can take on such large scale crisis as an alien invasion.  The answer – how victory was attained – was satisfying.  Captain America called the shots, displaying his tactical genius.  Utilizing Hawkeye’s excellent vantage point vision, he assigned him as “watchtower”, to warn the Avengers of the enemies’ movement behaviors.  He then instructed Iron Man that “anything that gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash”, thus, containing the invading aliens in one area.  He then asks Thor to slow down the arriving Chitauris from the portal with his vast lightning powers.  Then, Cap asks Black Widow to accompany him in keeping the battle on the ground.  Lastly, he instructs Hulk to freelance (“Hulk. Smash.”), creating unpredictable mayhem in the battlefield to the advantage of the Avengers.  The sequences that followed gradually increased in level of awesomeness.

Every one of them was given a chance to shine.  Second-tier Avengers Black Widow and Hawkeye held their own with the Big Four (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk).  All of the Avengers displayed greatness.  But the Hulk steals every scene he’s in.    

I’ve watched this movie about four times already, but I’m sure I’m going to watch it over and over again in the future (waiting for a director’s cut edition).  And the enjoyment will be the same with each viewing.  Will never get tired of it… until a new Avengers movie finally comes out (giving me something to compare with). 

Thứ Tư, 4 tháng 7, 2012

What Marvel Studios Should Do Next After "The Avengers"...

Marvel continues to dominate the market for superhero movies with the mega-epic The Avengers.  In a way, it was a mindblowing miracle for all those super heroes to be brought together in one awesome film.  Kudos for Marvel for setting it all up perfectly ever since they decided to produce their own films instead of licensing them to other studios, thus, finally establishing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – a shared universe or continuity among the Marvel movies, or, at least, by those produced by Marvel Studious.    So, what’s next after The Avengers?  Here are some opinions of mine on how Marvel Studios should proceed…

First, let’s enumerate some of the already announced upcoming films that will be produced by Marvel Studios, which means they will be within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). On 2013, we will have Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, while the only sure movie as of now for 2014 is Captain America 2.  The Avengers 2 will either be on 2015 or 2016.  Though still not sure, Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man are the top two properties that are heavily rumored to be very likely made into movies. 
     
Now, let me share to you the timetable I prefer for “Phase 2”:
2013 – Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Ant-Man
2014 – Captain America 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther
2015 – Incredible Hulk 2, Avengers 2

Marvel Studios currently has a “two films a year” policy, so my first suggestion is that they should make it a “three films a year” policy.  That would ensure that more ground would be covered for Avengers 2 to be set up with less time. 

There are no rumors yet for any other hero aside from War Machine that will make an appearance in Iron Man 3 (with the exception of Ant-Man being rumored of having an end-credit cameo to hype his own movie), so I guess the first hero we can assume that is going to be an upcoming member of the Avengers is US War Machine (who already made an appearance in Iron Man 2.  I was surprised he wasn’t used in The Avengers already).     

In Thor 2, a cameo appearance for a future Avenger should happen, like what was done with Hawkeye in the first Thor movie.  Maybe Valkyrie?  With her connection with Asgard, this is feasible.  How about Spider-Woman?  Tigra?  Hercules?  Namor?  Wonder Man? 
                                   
If they can start production later this year, an Ant-Man movie could come out by December next year.  In Ant-Man, the Wasp should be introduced (I’ve always maintained the opinion that Ant-Man and the Wasp should have been in the Avengers instead of Hawkeye and Black Widow.  But better late than never).  And, maybe, even Ultron and the Vision, too.  Hank Pym creates Ultron (establishing him as the villain of this movie) and then Ultron creates the Vision.  Also, how about Scott Lang?  Scott could be the protégé of Pym in this movie, and in the end, Lang would inherit the Ant-Man persona while Pym would settle as Giant-Man or Yellowjacket.  Excited to see a scene like this in the Ant-Man movie:
     
In Captain America 2, it’s rumored that Bucky will return as the Winter Soldier.  I also want for Falcon (a consistent ally of Cap) to make an appearance here – but it’s not an imperative.

The production of a Guardians of the Galaxy film would expand the MCU greatly.  Aside from the fact that it will give exposure to non-Avengers related characters, a Guardians of the Galaxy movie would also explore the trademark galactic environment of the Marvel Universe.  Take note that Thanos had already made a cameo in Avengers, so it’s perfectly set up for him to become the villain in this movie.  Moreover, the best thing about this movie is we will see Rocket Raccoon in the big screen!


Another Marvel property that is being rumored to have a movie being made on is Black Panther.  And I believe that producing a Black Panther movie is a genius idea.  He’s actually one of the most awesome Avengers ever.  And I really can see him as someone that has what it takes to share the spotlight with the Big 4 of Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America).   And if Marvel Films manages to get permission from Fox, the owner of the license to produce X-Men films, Storm – being Black Panther’s wife and co-Avenger – could make an appearance… but more about licensing issues later.

And before they release Avengers 2 in the summer of 2015, an Incredible Hulk 2 movie should serve as “appetizer”.  I would really want Joe Fixit – the Gray Hulk – to make an appearance here.  This movie should also introduce She-Hulk and the villain should be Red Hulk, who will, in the end, see his wrongdoing and will be held under Avengers’ custody.  Then in the Avengers 2 movie, he will have his redemption by significantly aiding the Avengers on what crisis they would face in that movie.


So then, in Avengers 2, we can have US War Machine, Wonder Man (or Valykyrie, or Spider-Woman), Ant-Man (or Giant-Man/Yellowjacket), the Wasp, the Vision, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Winter Soldier, Falcon, Black Panther, and She-Hulk (or Red Hulk) to augment the roster.  The roster is now crowded, unlike the first movie which only had six Avengers.  So the challenge for the writers is to utilize all of them so well that everybody would have their moments.  I don’t mean all should shine equally in the movie.  Premium Avengers will shine the most, of course. But the rest of the Avengers should not be mere background characters; each one should be significantly remembered.

After Avengers 2, we proceed to a “Phase 3”.  I have no clear timetable suggestion for Phase 3, but the films after Avengers 2should set up TWO Avenger movies for 2018 or, better, 2017.  It is imperative for A Heroes for Hire (Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham are perfect to play Luke Cage and Iron Fist, respectively... especially “the Rock” as Luke Cage.  Just perfect!) movie and a Dr. Strange movie to be made in this period.  And more importantly, Marvel Studios should find a way that will allow them to use characters – X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil – that were licensed to other studios (20thCentury Fox, Sony, Columbia).  They can buy back the licenses or co-produce the movie with these studios… I don’t care what they do, as long as they get it done!

For 2018 (or 2017), as I’ve said, two Avengers movies should be made.  The first is a Secret Avengers movie.  To those of you who aren’t aware of the “Secret Avengers”, this is the black ops arm of the Avengers.  The roster I’m picturing for this movie is going to be made up of something like this: Captain America, Shang-Chi, Beast, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Valkyrie, War Machine, Sharon Carter (should be introduced in Captain America 2 or 3), Ant-Man, and Venom (will explain this later).  Captain America’s going to be the leader… or Hawkeye, if there is no Cap in the movie roster.  This is going to be a darker movie than the usual Avengers movie, because, remember, this is a black ops strike team.  Thus, they need to operate secretly, coldly, and detached.  I.e. plenty of killing.
Let me first explain about Venom being on the team.  If Marvel Studios managed to work together with Columbia, they can produce first a Venom movie prior to Secret Avengers.  But before even that, Venom should be the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, where Spidy would don the black symbiote first, and then after he gets rid of it, it would find Eddie Brock (much like what happened in Spider-Man 3, but cooler and more badass… and no Sandman.  Just pure Spider-Man vs. Venom).  After Spidy beats Venom and the authorities contained/capture him, the post-credit scene will show how some government figures (maybe those shadowy figures that Nick Fury was reporting to in The Avengers) are talking of using it for the military.  In Venom, it will show how the government project on the symbiote went through.  It’s going to be an origin movie on how Flash was chosen to be the operative to host the symbiote.  Eddie Brock could come back as Anti-Venom and be the villain in this movie.  Or Carnage.  Spider-Man could cameo.  In the end scene, Flash could become unstable, which will lead to him being captured by an Avengers containment crew consisting of Red Hulk, Beast, Giant-Man, Captain America, and Thor (lightning to finally subdue the symbiote).  In a post-credits scene, Flash offered to be supervised by the Avengers.   

Yeah, I really like this current Venom.  And I really really want him to be put into the big screen and in the roster of a Secret Avengers movie. 

The second Avengers movie for 2018 (or 2017) is New Avengers.  The movie should follow a similar plot of the “New Avengers” episode of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes animated series:  the Avengers team was thought to be dead (but were actually only displaced in space-time), so a new Avengers team replaced them to save the day for that episode.  The same way, in the movie, the members of the roster in the first three Avengers movies are neutralized – either they were captured by the enemies or was thought to be killed (but will be revealed to be alive in the end).  So a new set of Avengers are assembled to save the captured original Avengers or/and save the world from a threat.  The line-up is going to be made up of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Ms. Marvel, and the Thing.  Daredevil could be a reboot, or Ben Afleck can reprise the role.  But Wolverine should definitely be played by Hugh Jackman.  The design for the Thing in this movie should be more badass than the silly one in the FF movies.  In the climax, the original Avengers are rescued or revealed to be alive, and together with the New Avengers, they fight the enemies in one epic final battle – the greatest battle sequence ever made in movie history! 

I have no more ideas for a “Phase 4”.  Maybe Marvel Studios can end the saga with New Avengers and start anew.  Or they can go on, but I’ve no more clear and solid fantasies for beyond New Avengers.    

And maybe by 2018, DC finally catches up with Marvel in doing superhero movies and by then, a Justice League movie is finally made.  And then an Avengers vs. Justice League movie will be done on 2020. 


OK, all of these are just farfetched fantasies of mine.  Not really feasible.  But I can dream, right?  Still, thinking of the possibilities – though unlikely to happen – makes the geek in me totally excited.