Marvel have differentiated their Cinematic Universe from the one DC are currently trying to build with the likes of Man Of Steel and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy with, amongst other things, a much more happy-go-lucky and, honestly, comic book-y tone. Whereas Warner Bros want you to take superheroes incredibly seriously, with lots of brooding and angst and "realism", each of the films leading up to and including The Avengers had a far more sunny, over-the-top disposition. There are jokes, quips, one-liners, and actual physical comedy in amongst all the badass action. There are high stakes, but everything usually works out in the end. Already, that tone seems to be changing. Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed that SHIELD, and the world of the MCU in general, was a lot more morally complex than originally thought. Iron Man 3 followed up the blockbuster fun of Avengers with a Tony Stark haunted by PTSD. Age Of Ultron looks set to push Stark into an even more precarious position, setting up Civil War to be one of the most dark and cynical films Marvel have made so far. Heroes fighting each other, messy politics, and a whole bunch of violence never seemed on the cards when Thor came out...could Marvel be looking to get in on the Batman V Superman money after all?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
