# (MCU) Are we just wasting our time with spaceships? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 18, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742 "2022-12-18T16:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/21 "2022-12-18T20:55:43Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > In my opinion, Love and Thunder makes a lot more sense if you think of the story as being told by Korg- as an unreliable narrator. That might have worked if they had cast Michael Pena in the role. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/22 "2022-12-18T21:07:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Gotta come down on the side of Waititi. The MCU **needs** its goofier side. … Even the heaviest drama has lighter points and comic relief. I don’t have a problem with a dramatic movie having its comedy moments. But they shouldn’t be comedy movies. Comedic relief only works when the overall tone of the movie is serious. Keep Thor and Jane as serious characters. Let Korg and Darcy be the wacky sidekicks. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/23 "2022-12-18T21:13:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But they shouldn’t be comedy movies. This is where we differ greatly. **Why not**? The source material is what again? Real Life has enough drama for me, thank you very much. I watch movies for pleasure, not personal growth and enlightenment. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/24 "2022-12-18T21:24:01Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Real Life has enough drama for me, thank you very much. I watch movies for pleasure, not personal growth and enlightenment. I watch movies for pleasure too. I don’t seek personal growth or enlightenment from a movie. _Blazing Saddles_ is a great movie. But _The Searchers_ is also a great movie. And _The Searchers_ wouldn’t have been a better movie if John Ford had cast Milton Berle as Ethan Edwards and thrown in some fart jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/25 "2022-12-18T21:58:04Z")
I know I started asking about goat-powered starships… But I thought the emotional balance of the movie was fine. In essence, this was more a romantic movie than an action movie. I felt for Thor with his “hidden heart”. They never mentioned it, but it must be a problem for beings that live thousands of yers to fall in live with beings that live tens of years. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/26 "2022-12-20T22:04:31Z")
Up until Love and Thunder Asgardians in the MCU were aliens ancient humans worshiped as gods. L&T changed them to actual deities and didn’t think through the consequences of that at all. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/27 "2022-12-20T22:07:48Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > L&T changed them to actual deities and didn’t think through the consequences of that at all. I wish they’d left the gods out completely. It just complicates it too much. I thought Thanos was too much, and now we have Zeus and…maybe Allah and Jesus. If not, that’s even worse! Not to mention the god of dumplings! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/28 "2022-12-20T22:10:18Z")
That’s not new to Love and Thunder. “Are you the god of hammers!?”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/29 "2022-12-20T22:30:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I thought Thanos was too much, and now we have Zeus and…maybe Allah and Jesus. But Zeus was important because Hercules was a member of the Avengers for a long, long time. His absence (to me at least) has been pretty noticeable and I’m glad they’re bringing him in finally. I don’t see any contradictions here though. I read Marvel comics for a long time, and the way they handled “gods” was much the way that _Stargate_ and similar science fiction stories have. They are powerful aliens that in the past (and to a lesser extent, the present) have used those powers to set themselves up as gods and have people worship them. It’s not all that different than when power-hungry supervillains create cults or conquer nations and gain worshippers. Even benevolent superheroes like Superman (in the DC universe) are seen as messiahs if not actual gods, even if it’s against their own wishes. I see no inconsistency between gods in the MCU being aliens with high technology, inherent superpowers, and magic, and _also_ being gods worshipped by followers. Rather than being inconsistent, it’s pretty plausible. Getting back to the main topic, I don’t see the issue with space travel being made available through means other than spaceships, but there also being the existence of spaceships. Some characters have superspeed while others drive vehicles. Some characters can fly in space (and survive it) through their own power, while others need a ship of some kind. One doesn’t make the other moot. The only time where I get annoyed is when someone like Superman gets a vehicle. I mean, why? Why does he have a “Supermobile”? [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Supermobile_Action_Comics.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Supermobile_Action_Comics.jpg) That’s just lazy. Or Spider-Man’s motorcycle. He lives in New York City and can swing from building to building with incredible speed, far above traffic, and he needs ground transportation so that he can deal with gridlock like other New Yorkers?! [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/c6/8b/71c68bf2940f1ae3f66f6f94d6e9fd44.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/c6/8b/71c68bf2940f1ae3f66f6f94d6e9fd44.jpg) Granted, I know that the whole point is to sell toys, but it still rubs me the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/30 "2022-12-20T22:31:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Are you the god of hammers!?”. Eh, the Asgardians are a bit full of themselves. They believe their own press, 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/31 "2022-12-20T22:39:27Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > That’s just lazy. Or Spider-Man’s motorcycle. He lives in New York City and can swing from building to building with incredible speed, far above traffic, and he needs ground transportation so that he can deal with gridlock like other New Yorkers?! Oh, you youngsters. Back in the 1970s, he had the [Spider-Mobile](http://www.spidermancrawlspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/spider-mobile-1.jpg), a souped-up dune buggy. [![](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/8/8e/Spider-Mobile_from_Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_600._001.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151105162458) ](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/8/8e/Spider-Mobile_from_Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_600._001.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151105162458) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/32 "2022-12-20T22:56:23Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Back in the 1970s, he had the [Spider-Mobile](http://www.spidermancrawlspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/spider-mobile-1.jpg), a souped-up dune buggy. Oh crap, I remember that thing. A buddy even had one as a toy (and a helicopter). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/33 "2022-12-20T23:02:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > > Thor has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters, and Taika has taken advantage of Chris Hemsworth’s (and Tom Hiddleston’s) comic skills, which hadn’t been evident in earlier films. > > I disagree. I feel Taika Waititi has taken the franchise in the wrong direction. Waititi makes good comedies but these are movies that shouldn’t be comedies. _Ragnarok_ was about the death of Thor’s father and the destruction of his home. _Love and Thunder_ was about reconnecting with the love of his life as she was dying. The villains in these movies were people who were seeking murderous revenge for what they saw as betrayal. These are stories that would have been great dramas but instead were good comedies. The Russo brothers, Ryan Coogler, and Jon Watts understand this. Waititi does not. I disagree. I think Ragnarok had just the right amount of comedy to offset some of the more dramatic elements. L&T went a little too “all in” on the goofball humor. Plus there was a lot of other stuff wrong with it. Like why did Thor end up adopting Gor’s daughter? I know he’s a nice guy and all, but there was never anything to indicate she or Gor were anything to Thor (other than a sympathetic antagonist in Gor’s case)… ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/34 "2022-12-20T23:15:45Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Like why did Thor end up adopting Gor’s daughter? Well let’s see, Thor had recently lost his brother, father, mother, just about all of his closest friends from Asgard (as well as Asgard itself), and then Jane. And here’s this little girl who had also lost everything that he can relate to and empathize with. My WAG is that she filled a huge void in his life, giving him a family again, and it was as much for him as for her. ETA: Wait, I forgot we weren’t in the Love and Thunder thread. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/35 "2022-12-20T23:17:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > Like why did Thor end up adopting Gor’s daughter? > > Well let’s see, Thor had recently lost his brother, father, mother, just about all of his closest friends from Asgard (as well as Asgard itself), and then Jane. And here’s this little girl who had also lost everything that he can relate to and empathize with. > > My WAG is that she filled a huge void in his life, giving him a family again, and it was as much for him as for her. I know why in theory. I just think it sort of felt tacked on at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/36 "2022-12-20T23:22:31Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I just think it sort of felt tacked on at the end. Yeah, it was more of a stinger than a conclusion to the film. I think there were good reasons for it, but by glossing over the part where Thor made the decision, told the girl he was going to take care of her, set up their household, and so on, it came on suddenly. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/37 "2022-12-21T01:32:27Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > A buddy even had one as a toy I think I did, too. Matchbox size. ---
**Author:** ![lum\_s\_husband](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lum_s_husband/32/3698_2.png) [@lum\_s\_husband](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lum_s_husband)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/38 "2022-12-21T02:51:40Z")
That would be spider sized. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/39 "2022-12-21T03:21:44Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Eh, the Asgardians are a bit full of themselves. They believe their own press, Again, just going from Ragnarok, he and the other Aesir not only had powers in their own right (i.e., not derived from their weapons or other tools), but they’re explicitly said to derive those powers from the faith of their people. If that’s not a “god”, then it’s close enough that we shouldn’t quibble over it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742/40 "2022-12-21T14:39:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Waititi makes good comedies but these are movies that shouldn’t be comedies. I disagree. This is also the guy who made [one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen recently](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunt_for_the_Wilderpeople) about 2 people dealing with the sudden death of their respective foster mom/wife. He realizes laughter leavens tragedy very well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcu-are-we-just-wasting-our-time-with-spaceships/976742.md?page=3)