MCU - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com The comics criticism you crave Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:07:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/comicsxf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cropped-orange-favicon-2.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 MCU - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com 32 32 107498702 Marvel’s Wonder Man surprises as actor’s tale, rom-com https://comicsxf.com/2026/02/05/marvels-wonder-man-surprises-as-actors-tale-rom-com/ Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=55853 Marvel's Wonder Man is a story about acting, and about how being different can isolate you from the world around you, and what it takes to let someone in.

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]]> 55853 Ironheart and Eyes of Wakanda are good Marvel Studios shows that deserved better from Disney https://comicsxf.com/2025/08/05/ironheart-eyes-of-wakanda/ Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=53696 I’m an ’80s baby, raised on bad sitcoms and movies with heavy-handed messages (and great soundtracks). The idea of Blackness then was still shrouded in otherness: Most programs either sought seamless integration with some small Black aesthetic flairs, or played up those Black aesthetics for comedic impact. So many of those shows seemed to be...

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]]> 53696 B- and C-list characters deliver a solid B+ MCU movie in Marvel’s Thunderbolts* https://comicsxf.com/2025/05/11/thunderbolts-review/ Sun, 11 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52457 After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Schreier and stars Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, Russell Wyatt, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman. NOTE:...

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]]> 52457 The Absolute Mess of Loki Season 2 https://comicsxf.com/2023/11/02/the-absolute-mess-of-loki-season-2/ Thu, 02 Nov 2023 18:50:24 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47038 I recall really enjoying the first season of Loki. Fast on the heels of the mostly successful WandaVision, Loki starred Tom Hiddleston as the titular god of mischief on a timeline-tripping adventure involving a love interest who was also an alternate version of himself, an animated clock, secret jet ski aficionado Owen Wilson, and a...

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]]> 47038 An Uncanny Finale in Ms. Marvel Episode 5 and 6 https://comicsxf.com/2022/07/22/an-uncanny-finale-in-ms-marvel-episode-5-and-6/ Fri, 22 Jul 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=42189 Kamala’s past and present collide, as does her home and heritage. A trip to the past helps her understand who she truly is, just in time for her to return — first to the present, then to her home — to ensure the safety of everyone she holds dear. Ms. Marvel has adapted a lot...

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]]> 42189 We Go On The Road in Ms. Marvel Episode 4 https://comicsxf.com/2022/07/05/we-go-on-the-road-in-ms-marvel-episode-4/ Tue, 05 Jul 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=41874 Bye bye New Jersey, hello Karachi! Kamala and her mother travel to the other side of the world to find out more about Kamala’s roots, and the true source of her power. Once she gets there, though, Kamala finds that the mystery goes even deeper than she suspected — and just who are the Red...

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]]> 41874 What Goes Up, Must Come Down in Ms. Marvel Episode #3 https://comicsxf.com/2022/06/28/what-goes-up-must-come-down-in-ms-marvel-episode-3/ Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=41738 The cat’s out of the bag — or the djinn out of the lamp. Kamala’s no alien, Asgardian, or even Inhuman, it turns out her legacy’s a lot more complicated than that. When a group of djinn known as the ClanDestine ask for Kamala’s help to go home, Kamala has a big decision to make....

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]]> 41738 This Superhero Stuff is Hard in Ms. Marvel Episode 2 https://comicsxf.com/2022/06/22/this-superhero-stuff-is-hard-in-ms-marvel-episode-2/ Wed, 22 Jun 2022 19:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=41612 Kamala Khan is working to figure out her new powers, but life gets in the way. A new boy at school, supporting her best friend as she runs for the Mosque Board, finding out the secrets of her family and the true origin of her powers — all covered here, in Night Light, episode 2!...

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]]> 41612 Ms. Marvel Tumbles Stylishly Into the MCU https://comicsxf.com/2022/06/13/ms-marvel-tumbles-stylishly-into-the-mcu/ Mon, 13 Jun 2022 18:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=41446 It’s not easy, being Captain Marvel’s biggest fan when your parents would rather you stay home and study during your chance to miss the world’s first Avengercon. Kamala Khan is not about to let that stop her — but when a family heirloom grants her powers, Kamala finds that she might just be closer to...

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]]> 41446 New Avatars and the End of Things in Moon Knight Episode #6 https://comicsxf.com/2022/05/05/new-avatars-and-the-end-of-things-in-moon-knight-episode-6/ Thu, 05 May 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=40521 The skies have turned, backwards and forwards, and the moon has shown us (nearly) all of its faces. As gods are released from their stony prisons, the battle for the souls of mankind takes place among the pyramids. Who rises, who falls, and what choices do our heroes make in this final fight for free...

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]]> 40521 Balance in All Things in Moon Knight Episode 5 https://comicsxf.com/2022/04/28/balance-in-all-things-in-moon-knight-episode-5/ Thu, 28 Apr 2022 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=40374 Are Marc Spector and Steven Grant stuck in the afterlife, forced to relive their memories in an attempt to become whole and balance the scales? Or has Marc truly imagined everything, and is really a man coming to grips with his delusions in a psych ward? Wherever the answers lie, they’re all dwarfed by the...

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]]> 40374 Let’s Go a Little Off Kilter in Moon Knight Episode 4 https://comicsxf.com/2022/04/25/lets-go-a-little-off-kilter-in-moon-knight-episode-4/ Mon, 25 Apr 2022 18:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=40308 Khonshu’s rewound the sky, Steven’s deciphered the clues, and Marc and Layla have punched nearly everyone who’s gotten in their way. There’s only one thing left to do: race through the final resting place of the goddess of Ammit to find the statue holding her prisoner. That’s right — it’s a tomb raiding episode. Pack...

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]]> 40308 The Gods Have Forsaken Marc in Moon Knight Episode 3 https://comicsxf.com/2022/04/18/the-gods-have-forsaken-marc-in-moon-knight-episode-3/ Mon, 18 Apr 2022 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=40158 Arthur Harrow’s got the upper hand, and in that hand, the scarab. The release of the goddess Ammit, and the deaths of millions who will be judged unworthy for crimes they haven’t yet committed, is nigh. The minds that make up Moon Knight are running through Cairo, trying to track Harrow down, but his trail’s...

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]]> 40158 The Mr. Knight of it All in Moon Knight Episode 2 https://comicsxf.com/2022/04/08/the-mr-knight-of-it-all-in-moon-knight-episode-2/ Fri, 08 Apr 2022 17:30:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=39992 Steven Grant is slowly, but steadily, starting to get some answers about the voices in his head, and the life they’ve been living with his body. As the mystery unravels, Grant may come to wish he’d never found out about anything in the first place—but first he has to deal with the woman calling herself...

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]]> 39992 Losing Time in Moon Knight Episode #1 https://comicsxf.com/2022/03/31/losing-time-in-moon-knight-episode-1/ Thu, 31 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=39480 Steve Grant is a man who lives in terror of what happens if he closes his eyes for a moment too long. Sometimes, it seems he ends up sleepwalking. Other times, it finds him in towns he does not recognize, blinking in and out of brutal violence he is not equipped to handle, with blank...

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]]> 39480 The Sinister Six Draft https://comicsxf.com/2022/01/03/the-sinister-six-draft/ Mon, 03 Jan 2022 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=37050 Did you enjoy Spider-Man: No Way Home? Well, join us as we delve into the Multiverse as some of our writers draft their ideal Sinister Six. This post went up early for patreon subscribers. If you’d like to become a patreon, please click this link! ComicsXF is creating Independent Comic Book Journalism | Patreon

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]]> 37050 Is Spider-Man: No Way Home a Christmas Movie? https://comicsxf.com/2021/12/24/is-spider-man-no-way-home-a-christmas-movie/ Fri, 24 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=36578 You’ve probably seen countless articles and YouTubers digging into the new Spidey flick. No Way Home is a bonafide hit with enough cameos and reveals to make your head spin, so it makes sense that the oversaturated market of explainer videos and Easter Egg hunters are out in force fighting for clicks. But one question...

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]]> 36578 Hawkeye Should Be Fun! A Guide to Marvel’s Everyday Schlub https://comicsxf.com/2021/11/29/hawkeye-should-be-fun-a-guide-to-marvels-friendly-everyday-schlub/ Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=35484 People only familiar with Hawkeye from his appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be surprised to hear this, but Hawkeye is supposed to be a fun character. While the MCU Hawkeye is largely dour and grimacing — a family man capable of cracking the occasional wry joke, but someone who takes his job pretty...

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]]> 35484 Eternals Assemble! Why Eternals and Avengers Just Can’t Stay Together https://comicsxf.com/2021/11/05/eternals-assemble-when-the-celestials-warriors-joined-earths-mightiest-heroes/ Fri, 05 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=35094 Disney’s The Eternals represents perhaps the biggest swing of all from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an attempt to adapt a relatively obscure batch of sci-fi space-god characters from a ‘70s era comic by Marvel founding father Jack Kirby, then sell that adaptation to viewers in a post-Avengers world. Much like the MCU, the Eternals and...

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]]> 35094 Sunday Editorial: The Spectacular Spider-Folk https://comicsxf.com/2021/09/12/sunday-editorial-the-spectacular-spider-folk/ Sun, 12 Sep 2021 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=33573 The following first appeared in the ComicsXF newsletter. You can get early access to our editorials, a roundup of the week’s best content and get to know the members of the ComicsXFamily by subscribing right here. To my sons, Spider-Man isn’t a character. In a weird way, coming full circle from his days on Toei-produced Sentai...

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]]> 33573 Secrets of Shang-Chi https://comicsxf.com/2021/09/03/secrets-of-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-ten-rings/ Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:30:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=33292 We explore the secrets of Shang-Chi ahead of the Marvel Studios release "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"

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]]> 33292 What If… Roy Thomas Created the MCU’s Next Hit Series? An Interview With The Comics Legend https://comicsxf.com/2021/08/09/what-if-roy-thomas-created-the-mcus-next-hit-series-an-interview-with-the-comics-legend/ Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=31895 Marvel Comics’ What If…?, appropriately enough, was born from a moment of pivotal decision. After two years as the top editor at the House of Ideas, preceded by the better part of a decade as the right hand man to Stan Lee, Roy Thomas had stepped down from his position at the helm of the...

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]]> 31895 All Things End in Kang in Loki Episode #6 https://comicsxf.com/2021/07/16/all-things-end-in-kang-in-loki-episode-6/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=31038 Loki and Sylvie have had enough of being told who to be, their lives lost in the shadow of the supposedly Sacred Timeline. They’ve fought through twists, turns, betrayals, apocalypses, their very selves, and even world consuming monsters at the dumping grounds of all variant timelines. They’ve pulled every last trick in their arsenal to...

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]]> 31038 Briefly, Black Widow https://comicsxf.com/2021/07/12/briefly-black-widow/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=30747 It’s taken eleven years, eight MCU appearances, one pandemic and the death of the character, but Black Widow is finally getting her own solo film! Even better/sadder, Black Widow also represents the first MCU film entirely directed by a woman, Cate Shortland (Anna Boden previously co-directed Captain Marvel with Ryan Fleck). Thanks to her long...

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]]> 30747 Self Love at the End of the World in Loki Episode #5 https://comicsxf.com/2021/07/12/self-love-at-the-end-of-the-world-in-loki-episode-5/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=30741 It’s a Loki extravaganza, as we discover that pruned Variants are not erased from existence, but are instead shunted off to a distant future at the end of the Sacred Timeline to be eaten by smoke monster Alioth. Scores of Variants have fallen to Alioth, but Lokis? Lokis survive – and in the nightmare of...

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