Today’s fantastic feature film isn’t a feature film at all – we’ve got five “Marvel One-Shots,” short films released as special features on various Marvel DVDs. Where do these all fit in, and why haven’t we seen more than five? Read on for the answers!
- The Consultant. If you’ve wondered how Tony Stark got to his
postcredits cameo for The Incredible Hulk,
The Consultant has your answer – he’s
a patsy, sent by Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell to sabotage the World
Council’s attempt to get Abomination on the Avengers. So much clicks into place
here – Stark’s recruitment, apparently too early, of the Hulk is here recast,
and we know the World Council has been infiltrated by Hydra, so it makes sense
to see them pushing this shadowy agenda. Plus it’s a real treat to see Coulson
and Sitwell working together (even though we know the latter is Hydra) in a
very mundane fashion, sipping coffee at a diner while guarding the sanctity of
the free world.
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer. Okay, this
might be my favorite One-Shot, set between Iron Man 2 and Thor (as the title
indicates). We get to see Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) in action, playing with
the effortless charm and unassuming physical dexterity required to rescue a gas
station from an everyday holdup, even without the help of his firearm. It’s the
intrusion of the super on the quotidian, a recurring theme in the MCU, and it’s
shouldered by Gregg’s endearing portrayal of a man who’d rather contemplate
donuts than deadbeats, but he’ll happily work on both if the occasion calls for
it. Did this short demonstrate the potential for Coulson to lead Agents of SHIELD on ABC? It wouldn’t be
the only One-Shot to spin-off into the television realm.
- Item 47. A worthy epilogue to The Avengers, Item 47
puts Jasper Sitwell on the tail of two civilians (Lizzy Caplan and Jesse
Bradford) who’ve recommissioned an inert Chitauri weapon to aid them in a
series of bank heists. It’s also the short that introduces us to Felix Blake
(Titus Welliver), a recurring figure on Agents
of SHIELD. But why we haven’t seen more of Marvel’s Bonnie & Clyde
(here, Claire and Bennie – the initials can’t be an accident) is our loss.
Depicted as entering SHIELD by the end of Item
47, Claire and Bennie’s fate remains to be revealed. Did they fall to
Hydra, as Sitwell did? Or are they still among the angels? Heck, are they even
still alive?
- Agent Carter. Though Thor’s
Hammer is a personal favorite, Agent
Carter is ostensibly the greatest One-Shot, not least because it led to a
television show of the same name. We get to see Hayley Atwell strut her stuff
as Peggy Carter, stick it to the patriarchy, and save the day while sidelining
postwar sexism. No wonder they greenlit this for two full seasons! It’s
infectiously fun, too, with a compelling narrative that sees Peggy pick up a case.
Its microcosmic nature, which sees Peggy promoted to the head of SHIELD in
twelve minutes, doesn’t quite jive with the canon of the series, but no one
says she has to accept right away. Bonus points for the post-credits shot of
Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) appreciating the innovative swimwear known as
“the bikini.”
- All Hail the King. To those who, like me, were less than enthused about the decision to turn The Mandarin into a farting drug-addled Brit, you’re in luck – All Hail the King revisits Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) in prison to reveal that there’s a real Mandarin out there who’s none too pleased about the (mis)use of his moniker. Now, it’s unlikely that this’ll ever really be followed up on in great detail, but it does draw a bit more connective tissue between Tony Stark’s abductors from Iron Man and the true Mandarin. But it’s always a treat to see Sir Ben in his element, and a nod to Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) confirms that maybe, just maybe, Marvel isn’t done with those Stark nemeses.
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