10 Things I Hate About The Marvel Cinematic Universe

10. Overegging The Pudding

I’m all for a little tongue-in-cheek humour in my superhero flicks, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is nailing the Distinguished Competition as far as comedy goes. In their central four Avengers (Downey, Evans, Hemsworth and Ruffalo), they’ve got actors who can really deliver a one-liner as well as hit the emotional beats.

But then there are the sidekicks and supporting cast that do nothing but wisecrack and pratfall. Was Eric Selvig really necessary beyond the first Thor movie, and was Darcy Lewis necessary at all? Did Scott Lang’s gang of semi-amusing buffoons add anything vital to Ant-Man beyond an amusing montage? Did Happy Hogan bring anything important to his role as Stark’s comedy chauffeur? Because Iron Man certainly doesn’t need a bodyguard.

It’s even affecting some of the villains, too. Loki’s caustic jibes and arch taunts made the character more charming than intimidating, and he was supposed to be the MCU’s central villain of 2011 and 2012.

Worse, while I loved James Spader’s vocal delivery (who wouldn’t - the man’s voice is like a chocolate liqueur), Ultron’s constant sarcasm and droll witticisms detracted significantly from the menace the genocidal AI was supposed to exude. He needed more Skynet and less Marvin the Paranoid Android.

I’m not suggesting snipping all attempts at levity - in the right place, the right line can bring the house down without deflecting from the mood. But we don't need constant snark and scintillating repartee to prove that these movies aren’t DC’s melodramatic bleakfests.

Frankly, it’s beginning to detract from the narrative. I enjoyed Guardians Of The Galaxy as a silly space opera, but at no point did I take any of those characters seriously as career criminals or as heroes seeking redemption, as I was supposed to.

Tony Stark's irritating banter, in particular, has been wearing thin for a long time. Just because Robert Downey Jr can deliver a mocking putdown like few others in cinema doesn't mean that Stark needs to be an obnoxious human punchline in every scene.