The Avengers Quadrilogy is Beautiful | Video Essay

I was going to take some longer time off, but I edited the first minute of this essay and just said screw it, I'll make it now.
But also consider this an introduction to a whole other collection of essays I want to touch on from Ultron, a comparison of Steve and Tony's Journey to deconstructing Hulk and Black Widow's journey.
I'm also going back to University, so if enjoy my stuff and want to contribute to the production of more video essays, then please consider supporting me on Patreon:
/ implicitlypretentious
The Angels Weep by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
Prelude No. 18 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: chriszabriskie.com/preludes/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/

[@abhijithis9424]

Best dialogue in the series. "When I look at them, those Gods...." "You don't think they need me" "I think they do, which is a lot scarier"

[@Lowkidoe29]

Abhijith I S sooo underrated

[@abhijithis9424]

It shows the vulnerability and imperfection of the Avengers and humanity and yet they are our best line of defense and they are all a bit broken. "I guess they are my mess" As Barton is the only one with a normal life , he understands this.

[@jmusic9648]

And they needed him

[@TheWooow666]

@@abhijithis9424 "normal"

[@magicoA]

It's all pretty well summed up in Age of Ultron by Cap: "Everytime someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time."

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Damn, I wish i had that clip in there now

[@josephivenegas]

"we create our own demons."

[@travisspazz1624]

Whedon does love his one liners, whether they're comedic or low-key philosophical.

[@ronald8664]

bruh, it was actually in the winter soldier not age of ultron

[@travisspazz1624]

@@ronald8664 he says it at the farm to Tony.

[@tofu_golem]

7:50 this is the irony of Ultron straight from the comic books: he hates humanity but never seems to notice that he shares some of our worst flaws, which may be the most human thing about him.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

And I'd argue that disconnect is what makes him such an intimidating AI psychopath, constantly trying to fill a hole in his digital soul with inadequate solutions. In Age of Ultron, Wanda was one of those solutions and her turning on him hurt him on the emotional level.

[@KnowYourMarvelNews]

Their movies aren’t always perfect or even more than average, but the sheer level of storytelling through them all is incredible and people will try to replicate for the rest of time

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Yeah they're also very sincerely made and I think that goes a long way :)

[@ThejusRao]

HIGHLY disagree. More than half the movies in the MCU are extremely good, and atleast 4 or 5 can be argued as damn near perfect.

[@KnowYourMarvelNews]

Thejus Rao What is there to disagree with? I didn’t dispute that, I fully agree. I said not always. I enjoy Thor TDW, Iron Man 2, and TIH but they aren’t more than just average. Not bad still, but

[@ThejusRao]

@@KnowYourMarvelNews Fair enough. I must've misunderstood.

[@promiseomiponle810]

@@KnowYourMarvelNews what's TIH?

[@Stark-Raving]

Tony runs from his destiny and Steve runs towards his. Destiny finds you no matter which path you take.

[@alexandratrigg4778]

Or to quote Thanos "Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same"

[@ethanhansen1479]

Alexandra Trigg holy cow. That quote summed up the avengers. We see tony make ultron and have ptsd while fearing his destiny. And cap is ready for his and they both got it😱

[@atharva3017]

@@alexandratrigg4778 Or it's inevitable.

[@GeorgeChatzikal04]

"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it"

[@MRawesome202]

@@ethanhansen1479 wait but isnt the idea that giving in to inevitability is how they get the low point in infinity war, and its only because even when they feel as though they have met their destinies they have the strength to keep fighting that they prevail (which they do by time traveling, or literally by reshaping destiny) it seems like that quote if anything is the opposite of what they wanted you to take away from that

[@aaronpaul04]

About a month ago, I commented that this video would happen.... And damn does it deliver

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Aww damn I'm kinda relieved now!

[@KyleHerbert13]

Your videos are an instant watch as soon as I see the notification.

[@SPLNTYR]

Agreed. Honestly we should be saying implicity is beautiful at this point

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thank you to the both of you!

[@Mooseplatoon]

Your section on Thanos neatly illustrates what makes the "Thanos was right" crowd so terrifying. There are a great many people in our society so consumed by pessimism that they consider our species doomed by default, without even bothering to consider the facts.

[@ontos8534]

Well there isnt another way to solve the issue, more resources will just double the rate of over population and the issue would be even worse

[@Hideyoriisdaman]

@@ontos8534 how bout as a phenomenon, life itself needs to learn equilibrium, without it being forced upon it

[@dukeofdenver]

This is lowkey motivational. I'm about to hit the gym

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Holy cow, I'm glad this video came off motivational rather than boring :)

[@jblue1622]

Duke Of Denver Loki**

[@themadtitan7603]

Love the connecting theme of characters creating the things they dread out of fear and anxiety and this theme presented in the quadrilogy is suprisingly summed up best in the weakest entry of the quadrilogy; Age of Ultron in the lines "Everyone creates the thing they dread" -Ultron and "Everytime someone tries to win a war innocent people die, everytime"- Captain America. Fury in Avengers Stark and Banner (mainly Stark) in Age of Ultron Thanos in Infinty War all created outcomes even worse than the ones they were dreading by interfering before whatever they were *fearing* has has occured And this all comes together in Endgame were the heroes have their biggest victory when they tried a solution after the war was over and they experienced their biggest loss.

[@robertwild9447]

At 4:30 "One character is all about how important the human heart is within a body changed by science, and the other character is about how a heart made from science can change a human being". This analysis, followed by Steve's interest in Bruce Banner and Tony's interest in the Hulk is honestly the best compare and contrast between these two characters that I've ever seen, well done! I also saw the Ultimate Avengers animated movie as a kid, which was basically my introduction to these characters. I never could've imagined we'd see such a satisfying, sprawling epic across so many films with these characters. "I am Iron Man" is a quote that has gained so much more meaning after we first heard it back in 2008. Captain America: The First Avenger also ended on a great line that doesn't get enough attention, that also has more meaning now. Fury: "You gonna be okay?" Steve: "Yeah, it's just... I had a date."

[@promiseomiponle810]

Omg fr "I am iron man" really does have more meaning now that I think of it.....it kinda relates to Tony thinking about the future and relying a lot on tech, hence "Iron" being very significant

[@keytotheskies]

You're among the most underrated creators on this platform tbh.

[@promiseomiponle810]

Like fr he actually looks deep into what's going on with these films ...unlike some other creators that just look at the surface with the fact that these movies are made for younger people to be suited for watching and just disregard the thought put into the movies just because of that

[@Ryz414]

I'm like to touch on the fact that Captain Marvel pretty much serves as a great starting point to the Avengers. She was given the her powers by the thing that drives the fear. The Space Stone (tesseract) she also deals with the whole fear of who she really is and what is right and wrong. I like how Fury named the Avengers after Carol. Because she proved to him that even after being brainwashed to be bad a person, they can still become good.

[@bethanychatman9531]

Yep, i liked the movie as well.

[@barisbal7782]

agree. carol danvers was a human being who has nothing exceptional. but she will and confident that not let anyone to limit her. and at the end she got those powers because she was ready to sacrifice herself in order to prevent yon-rogg from using that plane engine for causing more war. vers on the other hand had exceptional gifts but they were majorly be holded back by kree because she let them define her more than she does. shortly, even without any powers, carol was more hero than vers. when tables turned and vers understood that the people who defines her are up to something that she cant be a part of, she stood against kree and learned to be more than kree's vers and embraced carol danvers. CM gave us such a cocrete arc about self realisation, and her character development was undeniable. which is what makes me love about itself and why this movie was far from those repeatitive feminazi crap. solid 7/10

[@lurkerphoenix]

Fear is the struggle of self-concept. That's just...beautifully true

[@markjmacrae]

Thank you, wonderful video! Your passion for the source material and unique insights never fail to make me smile.

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Aww thanks! I'm so flattered!

[@sthurin]

Your video mostly revolves around the characters but I wonder if the way the viewer perceives the characters from the Avengers movies is associated with their relationship with fear. More than ideals, personality or life goals, fear, by default, forces people to hold onto something. Viewers hold onto the characters that share the same struggles with them. For example, I'm anxious and so my fear is projected towards the future much like Tony, who is the character I've always connected the most to. I had never realized this so clearly until I watched your video. Thank you.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

I identify with Steve myself, a man out of time, isolated from others who can relate to me and pushing on regardless because to give up is to fail. There's a sadness about him that I can relate to...and I balled like a baby when he and Peggy got that dance at last.

[@sophiejones7727]

10:05 no, that's not what they were saying. Vision says "a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts". That's not saying "oh well, what are you going to do about it?" that's saying "entropy gives meaning." The fact that everything could change in an instant is exactly what makes moments in life mean something, so ultimately fearing change or even destruction is foolish. Vision has fallen in love with Wanda precisely *because* she's the one person who could literally destroy him. In order to truly love one another, we have to overcome our fear of destruction. Indeed anything truly worth doing comes with risk, from a business venture to buying a present for a friend. Our instinct to avoid risk then is self-defeating. Whether humanity kills itself by being stupid, or saves itself with cleverness: in a thousand years humanity won't be anything like it is now, both biologically and sociologically. Humanity is indeed doomed, but doom is not something to be afraid of.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

As a wise old wizard once put it, all you can do is make the most of the time you're given. Another old man told Tony Stark the same thing in a cave in Afghanistan.

[@dannybenhur6123]

Fear is presented to be something that dislocates the characters with time...Man where do you find this stuff...

[@trequor]

I really wish that people gave more credit to Age of Ultron. I honestly think that it's a better movie than the Avengers. Josh Whedon poured his soul into that movie and it broke him. It's an excellent sequel that establishes the motivations for every avenger. It is the start of the path that leads to Endgame. Without Ultron, Tony Stark would not feel guilty. Without Tony's guilt the avengers would never have been broken

[@barisbal7782]

besides the anticlimactic final battle, that movie is great. solid 8,5/10

[@trequor]

@@barisbal7782 Why do you find the battle anti-climatic?

[@barisbal7782]

@@trequor ultron made himself a vibranium body and introduced it to us such a chill way by destroying his old body. therefore i had high expectation. but besides hiting thor a couple of times they did nothing with it. with the powers that the both sides possessed i expected something longer, rougher and more creative tbh

[@trequor]

@@barisbal7782 Fair enough, the vibranium body didn't have any purpose in the story or that battle. That's a real issue tbh. I thought the battle was epic and creative enough. That slow-mo, circular panning shot of every Avenger fighting in the church is jaw-dropping in my opinion. I love "hold the line" battles. I also thought that it was appropriate that they focus on saving civilians instead of destroying ultron for the most part. It added another element that the first film's climax sort of lacked. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by rougher... unless you mean that the avengers themselves didn't suffer enough damage at Ultron's hands...? Because I'm inclined to agree with that. Quicksilver is killed and Hawkeye is visibly exhausted at the end, but all of the heavy hitters look perfectly fine.

[@barisbal7782]

@@trequor *''the vibranium body didn't have any purpose in the story or that battle. That's a real issue tbh.''* the problem is... i thought it will be. you know, ultron turns the city into a meteor, avengers are coming, etc... i though the purpose of the vibraniım body was putting up a good fight against the avengers. so they dont stop him. *''I thought the battle was epic and creative enough. That slow-mo, circular panning shot of every Avenger fighting in the church is jaw-dropping in my opinion. I love "hold the line" battles. I also thought that it was appropriate that they focus on saving civilians instead of destroying ultron for the most part. It added another element that the first film's climax sort of lacked.''* i have no problem with those things. those scenes are great. but the thing is, saving civillians or beating up minions are just appetisers for me when it comes final climax. and i feel like i was deceived because that vibranium ultron was screaming at me like ''im the final boss, im the main event'' and when he charged against vision and slam his body with telekinesis i was so ready. then in less than 3 seconds later it got melted by the triple ray combo and i was like ''wait was that it?'' *''I'm not sure exactly what you mean by rougher... unless you mean that the avengers themselves didn't suffer enough damage at Ultron's hands...? Because I'm inclined to agree with that. Quicksilver is killed and Hawkeye is visibly exhausted at the end, but all of the heavy hitters look perfectly fine.''* exactly. seeing ultron's kill a hero by using quinjet while there are so many other arsenal the story plot coul provide him as his super powers... it feels like general zod killed someone with a shotgun.

[@LucxyBunny]

This is the first time I'm commenting on your channel, I am thoroughly intrigued and impressed with your video essays and often find myself more inspired to write while listening to them. I love the MCU and storytelling in general and I find video essays and analysis' very helpful when I go through an art block. Somehow, they help me focus on my work. Awesome job with this video! Can't wait to see more of them now that I'm subscribed :))

[@peterpilgrim3377]

bro your videos are beautiful and so soothing thank you for making them

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks for enjoying them!

[@ReneBrain]

Isn't it Tetralogy? at least in german Te·t·ra·lo·gie

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Wow, thanks for letting me know, I just called it a quadrilogy because the aliens box set for the original 4 films was called that. So derp. :p

[@cabrondemente1]

Both terms are correct.

[@carriesnider3209]

Tetralogy is technically correct. While both terms are grammatically present in history it does NOT make them both acceptable. Aliens' franchise used 'quadrilogy' (which even the spell check balks at) as a marketing ploy. The main problem with coining an archaic term is that now people take the next (supposedly) logical step and call two things a duology, or five things a quintology, which are simply wrong. If everyone in the eastern US started calling trees bushes, they would still be trees, and they would be wrong. This isn't a localization either, like a hogie, grinder, sub sandwich, ect., it is simply not in the standardized American lexicon.

[@politereminder6284]

@@carriesnider3209 Language is dynamic. If people started calling trees bushes, they would not be wrong, as long as everyone understood it

[@carriesnider3209]

@@politereminder6284 Language is dynamic, yes, but over a much longer time scale. If a bunch of people in one region have a different term for local things, ie: Submarine Sandwich, Grinder, Hogie, etc, then it is considered a dialect, not new words for old words. Words become archaic when societies advance, not when a media company "coins" a word to sell DVDs. We are talking about 2000 year old plus numerology, not tech words, or portmanteaus, but an entire ancient societies' counting system. NO modern fad changes the correctness of numbers and words we use to label and identify scientific discoveries.

[@pilotflux8005]

I continue to be impressed by your essays; they're what every story analysis I've ever attempted has aimed to be. Keep it up!

[@johnathonhaney8291]

The above actually dovetails with a subtext I bring up all the time when it comes to the Infinity Saga: the decline of American hegemony. Both expanding technology AND overwhelming fear have played roles in this decline and it's gotten to where I don't see anybody in the mainstream envisioning a future where we solve the problems in front of us. That's probably why I despise the doom and gloom (fun fact: "Doom And Gloom" by the Stones is the track playing in the scene when the time machine is being constructed).

[@prettyaverage97]

This video is amazing. It perfectly sums up everything that made the Avengers movies so successful, and how the first one literally kickstarted the MCU-mania. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, the Hulk and Hawkeye will forever be an integral part of who I am as a movie-goer, and as a person. Thanks so much for dedicating such love and passion to these movies and their insane narrative merits.

[@siddsen95]

Your work deserves to be archived in the Library of Congress. Not only did you manage to convey a profoundly timeless message eloquently; it was so beautifully structured around the most influential cultural phenomenon of our time.

[@dannybenhur6123]

12 years ago I thought the same, these characters that are so cinematic can never get into live action because they're obscure....but now even a Raccoon is a Star lol....

[@johnathonhaney8291]

And a tree...don't forget the tree which started as an alien invader just before Marvel's superhero revolution.

[@UltimateVegetto]

10:05, I just noticed the mind stone is glowing up when he comes to the realization "a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts". Wonder if that means anything.

[@kingsleyolaleyereubenwriter]

Your channel is my new favourite. Absolutely exceptional unpacking. I love the way you handle the themes. Brilliant stuff👏👏👏

[@anethkiray]

Your videos help me smile and make me forget about everything that hurts. Thank you so much for making these videos in a passionate manner.

[@mrwhatcanido4942]

these videos are so good. they arn't slow or boring. we love these characters, and love to see you explain that to us and explore them further even more.

[@anoopsingh4825]

It's is a great quadrilogy but it's hard to even consider as that since it builds off of so many other movies as well. Each Avengers movie as felt more like series finales.

[@zuhayrroha4392]

Next video The MCU is beautiful

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Lol the closest I have in mind would be an essay on each phase, where I thread a theme to interpret it as one whole massive unit of story :p

[@zuhayrroha4392]

@@ImplicitlyPretentious Would love whatever you put out You are doing a fantastic job,do what your mind says...

[@Lockn3s5]

It WAS beautiful but Captain Marvel ruined that track record and is the only blemish in an otherwise competent cinematic universe. Yes even Thor 2 doesn't stain that record cause it was still a competent film.

[@elmoisacocainaddict557]

Justin Jimenez captain marvel is not that bad of a movie it’s just not a good character

[@Lockn3s5]

@@elmoisacocainaddict557 No. Any character can be a good character. Miles Morales is actually a terrible character because he's just a tokenized Peter Parker in the comics but Into the Spider-Verse re-imagined him as his own character. The film gave Miles what he was severely missing, individuality. Carol Danvers Captain Marvel is already a bad character but that doesn't mean they couldn't improve on her but nope. They made her worse. That film is propagandized garbage. I hate everything about it. They squandered literally ever potential to tell a good story in favor of gender politics. They knocked down males at every turn. Altered orgins like OG Captain Marvel and turned him into a woman. They had a very specific agenda which was to never allow Carol to be empowered by a male character. So much so she didn't even have a love interest in the film for this very reason. Then when suggested she be a lesbian despite being a straight character in the comics, everyone is on board with that. Monica Rambeau who is the original first black female Captain Marvel and first female to lead the Avengers is reduced to a child who looks up to Carol and they made her father a deadbeat dad who isn't in her life at all. In the comics her parents are still together and very loving and supportive of her. Again the only reason to make this change was to NEVER have a male empower any female in the film. Oh yeah and Nick Fury is in the film but serves no purpose other than to gush over Carol as a way of tricking the audience into liking her because if the most paranoid authoritative figure in the MCU likes Carol than so should audiences. He had no meaning to her story Then there's Carol's arc in the film which basically boils down to she's just perfect the way she is and doesn't need to learn anything other than she's actually more powerful than she thought and the patriarchy is what's holding her back. At no point does the film allow her to be a flawed character. Even when she discovers she's been working for the bad guys the whole time, the reveal isn't used to create an emotional impact. She's fighting and killing her former allies but has no reaction from it? Again cause they wanted to portray her as perfect and protagonists with no flaws are uninteresting. Shit movie. Absolute garbage. The agenda was more important than the story. So it's indeed a huge blemish on the entirety of the MCU because that's the first time they didn't put the character first.

[@UnhipSleetProductions]

Loved this video my friend! Again I always love how in depth you go with these videos. Keep up the great work man!

[@Pinkorchid72]

Funny I actually love to watch your video essays when I’m working out. The music is soothing and helps me focus oddly enough.

[@qemuel]

Very thoughtful and engaging. Your passion for the MCU is a delight, keep up the great work!

[@miker6452]

Wonderful commentary, very well presented. Insightful description of these movies, films that have had a big impact on audiences for the last decade. I also feel the same as you, but in my case I first got into Marvel Comics back in the late 70's, so it's been truly remarkable for me to have finally gotten to see these characters make it to the big screen. And now millions all over the world know what we comics nerds from way back always knew, how fantastic these stories always were. Once again, very well thought out and well edited vid, deserves lots of compliments. Well done.

[@anthonyvillanueva5226]

And this is why Marvel films are cinema.

[@dannybenhur6123]

The background music and the editing and subject of the video....Right upto the mark...

[@charlieboardman2005]

I always counted cival war as an avenger film as well

[@juniorberns]

"Through technology, all things are possible." "No amount of money ever bought a second of time." -Howard Stark "Shit" -Tony Stark

[@tristan.mp4151]

This comment is really late! I'm somehow just seeing this now for the first time, yet after having recently been rewatching the entire MCU chronicles I've discovered deeper themes and multiple-film-crossing storytelling devices that you've highlighted in an incredibly poignant and intelligent way. Thanks for making this! As if I needed yet another reason to continue to reflect on these beautiful films, now I have something to come back to.

[@CJfromSanAndreas]

FEAR is something that drives a lot of us to create the monsters we want to never face. I love that you have encapsulated these negative emotions in a digestible way. I'm glad the algorithm has brought me here.

[@TheRealAdaWong]

Honestly, the Avengers to me is like Homer to the Odyssey. It’s set a standard for storytelling, continuity, and characterization that has shaped an entire art style that audiences adore. I still get chills when I hear “there was an idea” it sits there alongside “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far far away” that instantly beckons one to dream of a world not so far out of touch. Their stories will probably be retold for decades, and I just find that interesting that in a society of uncertainty and advancement, humanity still has passion for a world of fantasy.

[@Jakob.P]

Dang this hit hard. I like these video essays. Their different than any other motivational videos out there.

[@yapdog]

I truly feel sorry for those so-called serious film buffs/moviemakers out there who dismiss Marvel movies. It doesn't take a whole like to just shift your focus a little past the bright colors to see the well-crafted resonant stories being told. Thanx for this video.

[@antoniobrooks474]

yapdog exactly. The whole argument that Endgame isn’t worthy of an Oscar is utter bullshit. It’s the most Oscar worthy movie released this year impo. The character development given to the 6 core Avengers is amazing, the fact Nebula is now is more rounded character than fucking Batman and Superman is embarrassing. Let’s not even talk about the sheer scale of visuals, action sequences, time travel sequences, storytelling, score and cinematography are all great. Not saying Endgame is the greatest thing ever made or that even deserves to win every Oscar but the fact this film will get snubbed in favor of the typical Oscar bait fanfare is proof the Oscars and other awards shows don’t value artistic quality thru visual progression but still feel boring, safe period films will sweep the Oscars smfh

[@johnathonhaney8291]

I don't feel sorry for them in the slightest. Most of those folks spend their whole lives trying to either make or discover some great "serious" project that will be a Godfather, a Citizen Kane, a Sunset Boulevard. But too many want the acclaim NOW, the acclaim and the box office. They forget, if they ever knew, how Citizen Kane did serious damage to RKO Studios, how Wizard of Oz was a total bomb, how It's A Wonderful Life wasn't initially embraced by audiences. It took time and reassessment to make it so, which is also how things like Universal Monsters, Hammer Horror, blaxploitation, kung fu movies and Ray Harryhausen SFX spectacles got the longevity seal of approval. So such folk are worrying over nothing. MCU either has the legs to stand over the long haul or it doesn't (my money being on "has", of course).

[@tskmaster3837]

The hallmark of a good essay is that it makes the reader/viewer think, reflect and reach new conclusions on their on. Fear, fear, fear and then hope..... and even as I write that, Hank Pym's daughter is named Hope so you can see where I'm going with this... Starting with the "time machine" which is a certain extrapolation and use of of Pym tech rather than device in itself. The groundwork for that was Pym's quantum tunnel which he made to save his wife Janet, no grand dreams or visions of how this could change the world, he just wanted to save one person. But the process where Pym learned than Janet was still alive? That was a side effect from when he wanted to prevent his Pym particles from being weaponized. In fact, Pym kept his invention and super hero career so secret that his own alter ego was a myth in his own world unlike Mr. "I am Iron Man". It's clear from start to finish, from his early work with SHIELD to his retirement as the Mad Scientist that his Pym particles and his ant communication devices were only meant to protect and defend, never to kill; It's pretty obvious Pym could create a one shot kill shrink gun among so many other uses and abuses. But here's an interesting wrinkle: We never find out why Pym first started his experiments. We know why Darren Cross was doing it, to sell it as a weapon to Hydra and we know Pym had perfected it but kept it to himself because unlike Stark's tech, it's way out of humanity's realm of experience for safe use. An Iron Man suit is little different than a fighter jet in its purpose but Pym Particles are magic made science. Hell, just look at one of the secondary uses of the "time machine": teleportation. It makes sense logically... you shrink from point A to point 0 and then grow to point B from point 0.... but then you realize those points have x, y, z and time coordinates and while's everyone's arguing over the time travel, the actual more useful part of the technique goes unappreciated, practically unnoticed. Does it matter why Pym first started his work? It didn't before but now that other people used it for their own purposes as well as the world's, I think it matters. Most versions of Hank Pym depict him as a pacifist... with a temper. Marvel Ultimates read that as "wife beating coward" which is an odd spin on it because that means Janet is helpless which is all sorts of wrong. Anyway, this angry pacifist just wanted to show the world that he could do what he said he could do but once he saw what he could do, fear kicked in on what his work would do to the world. Not "could" but what would happen when someone with imagination got hold of the power of size and matter.... I guess the ant thing is more of a party trick but there are a LOT of them. In his own mind, every day he kept his tech secret was another day he saved the world "as we know it". Pym's science is a lot like Strange's magic in that if the masses learned of it, it would change the world but unlike magic, the real trick was thinking it up in the first place. Once that was done, even someone as tech ignorant as Captain America could figure out how to shrink, grow, teleport and time travel.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Well, with all the above in mind, no wonder the MCU version of Pym hated the Starks on principle (or at least Howard Stark; Tony only seemed to get the negativity by reminding Hank way too much of Howard).

[@augustbergh]

Another great essay. Keep up the good work!

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thank you!

[@davincic0der]

Really fascinating take here man, beautiful stuff. As a massive fan of Age of Ultron, it's lovely to see the film getting its dues up here among it's more popular predecessors. I personally find the Vision quote to be much more powerful than a throw away dismissal - the admission that men will fail, that they will die in the end, but that doesn't mean they are without value is more profound to me, and is carried through by the sequels in some ways. Tony fails to stop Thanos. Tony dies. And Tony still saves the world. That's beautiful. That's what I took from it anyway. Thanks for taking the time to look into some of my favourite films and I look forward to checking out more of your stuff.

[@JackDanielThe7th]

Dam you have made videos for so long I appreciate your work

[@AgilityDZN]

It's amazing how a bunch of fictional superheroes, a lot of which could never even fathomly exist in the real world, could create such a real and emotional narrative and create such real... people. Great video, man.

[@Whateveridksomething]

"Everybody creates the thing they dread" ultron

[@lukasaidan]

you out way too much effort in, i love it, i love you,

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks, I wasn't sure if I spent enough time making this so that's very kind of you!

[@deepblume6611]

I hope your channel blow one day...you deserve it

[@chelseaclo3180]

I know I’m late to the party but this is so beautiful!

[@dyckbutt]

Your videos are awesome!!!

[@cameonvassilas5715]

Hope is stronger than fear

[@samjackson9560]

You read far too much into these movies and I love it

[@panokostouros7609]

What I find interesting about the visions Wanda induced onto the heroes in Age of Ultron, is that now with the hindsight of Phase 3's almost nearing completion (still waiting on Black Widow's film), we can see how accurate they've been. Iron Man's vision of universal destruction at the beginning of the film brought on by the traumatic revelation of his misused weapons in Iron Man 1, being fulfilled by the events of Infinity War, Cap's vision of returning to a simpler time and fulfilling his promise to Peggy being fulfilled in the ending of Endgame, Thor's vision of failing as Asgard's king, his initial goal in the beginning of Thor 1, being fulfilled throughout Ragnarok, Infinity War and Endgame, and Black Widow's vision of reconciling her traumatic past (removing the red from her ledger as mentioned in Avengers 1) being (hopefully) fulfilled in her solo film.

[@saraskerritt9262]

This video essay is beautiful.

[@gamebond6248]

Your videos are literally quality content unlike one sided fanboy channels like browntable , Hi-top films and others. Everything you state in your video are facts! You understand art and i am grateful for it. You made me believe that we should be grateful for every movie and cinema. Thank You.

[@avatar11792]

What is the background music playing during the Age of Ultron sequence of this video? I love it! Also, fantastic video as always.

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks! And I'm not sure if it's a video on KZbin, but if you go in the free KZbin library it's called "escape" by house of heaven :)

[@mediaondisplay3089]

Never fear "reading into it" that is what you are best at!

[@Smellmonger]

WHAT A GREAT VIDEO

[@imbaedin]

It's gonna be a 'like' from me dawg

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Oh wow thanks!

[@TheSchaef47]

Tetrology. Greek goes with Greek. #Stannis4eva

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Oh wow, I've never heard of that as a term until now, so I feel kinda dumb. Derp

[@TheSchaef47]

@@ImplicitlyPretentious Nobody has, because a). it's kind of a pedantic grammatical correction (see also: fewer - hence Stannis), and b). the Alien guys called their box set a "quadrilogy" and so now it's part of the zeitgeist.

[@freddyfleal]

I can be wrong, but I think both ways are fine. Tetralogy comes from greek (tetra) while Quadrilogy comes from latin (quadro). At least in Portuguese you can go both ways

[@freddyfleal]

also... if Greek goes with Greek, you can't say "television" for example. (Tele = greek, Vision = latin)

[@JoaoPedro-jr8pf]

Awesome video essay as usual! I'm curious about your process... I wonder if you type out an essay first and then look for the images that suit it best or if you have an outline with key ideas and some images that you wanna use and then the images influence what you are going to say.

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks! And I always write an essay out first; normally like a usual essay, but over time it's become a bit more relaxed where I'm a bit less formal. But after I do the voice over, all the editing is basically unplanned and I just work off of my instincts over what music and clips to use that gives it a flow. This is kinda why I tend to make shorter essays rather than hour long ones. But thanks for asking!

[@JoaoPedro-jr8pf]

@@ImplicitlyPretentious Oh I see. You definitely seem to be on the right path. I also love the sociological insights you bring in, please keep 'em coming! Big fan of the channel.

[@aliciaaltair]

Ok, this one made me cry. I don't even know why.

[@jesussmith8788]

Dude u make vids like ur a mil+ You’ve earned a sub

[@davidbush9274]

Please, can you have your essays written down and published? I know that the music cues and video effects help make your work pop, but the sheer content is so good.

[@wintersoldier164]

The hulk has an arc about self acceptance, in the start of the avengers, bruce doesn't want to be the hulk, he afraid a bit of the hulk, in thor ragnarok, we have a small question that bruce asks himself, is hulk more important than him. We have the famous bridge scene that banner sacrifices himself to be the hulk, knowing he may won't come back. On infinity war we get bruce see how he needs the hulk, that he still wanted to fight, even though he couldn't turn into the hulk, it's part of him, and in endgame we get the end of the arc that bruce accepted himself and hulk, two parts he needed.

[@FranciscoCarlos-lj5yh]

Can these guys who do these video essays have a part in writing the newer marvel movies?

[@JRHorsting]

Well done.

[@BastionNulls]

Thanos snapping away half the universe isn't a plot hole. It's a conscious in-character decision. Thanos doesn't envision himself as a savior; he's not come to make everything better. Instead he sees himself a teacher; his halvening is a lesson: "Waste not. Want not." The idea is that those remaining will learn how to solve their own problems from here on--or else. Whereas if he snaps a magical surplus into existence, he's basically telling the--in his view--wasteful masses, "Take no thought for tomorrow. Keep doing what you're doing. Surely some 'miracle' will bail you out." That minorest of quibbles aside, this is a fantastic video. All your videos are.

[@thesamuellanham]

absolutely insane

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks!

[@mateomartinez5497]

Muy bueno todo

[@joshuam.6027]

Dr. Serizawa: *Beautiful!*

[@ColaDew17]

Wow

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

I'm wowed that you said wow

[@dannybenhur6123]

The Beautiful Video Series...

[@politereminder6284]

Essay Starts at 1:00

[@suntzupup]

You know what is beautiful? This video is beautiful.

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Aww wow, your comment is beautiful!

[@suntzupup]

@@ImplicitlyPretentious you got me spending my entire morning dissecting the role fear and hope plays in my life and in what i see in society. and my hope for society in the face of the spreading fear and anger i see everywhere. thanks!

[@shadowmamba95]

I NEED IT!!!

[@nathandixon2066]

Amazing video

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks!

[@MegaVidFan1]

I am SO glad that I'm not the only person who came up with that answer to "Why doesn't Thanos just double the resources?" Mine wasn't exactly your answer, but it at least magnified his role as the "Mad Titan" because YES! EXACTLY! He doesn't want to, and that's what makes him evil.

[@weanabatschi]

thank you for all that wisdom and love to create this masterpiece. i had many thoughts like yours, before i found your creations. thanks for sharing it with us. i'm gonna enjoy to spend much more time with your amazing videos. and i will support you 👍🏼 you surly live your dream brother, very smart and you have compassion . makes you a good man 🙏 grettings from austria, where i have to deal with my own fear of: where are we heading too, in this c-crisis. in our country. and also in our world. we have to stand up for freedom for all mankind. 🙏 and to rise above our fear 💪🏽✌️❤️🌏 michael seida

[@storytellingsnek5255]

So... I cried.

[@linknetzler8429]

Love it.

[@sychan11]

wonderful video, enjoy!

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thank you!

[@johannsanne5281]

Same dude i ran into the avengers thru ultimate avengers

[@ComicPower]

This is a powerful essay. You may lose some people on the introduction being so long with no dialogue.

[@Bubblegob]

To be fair the Ultimates comics is very cinematic, it's impossible to not recognize Samuel L. Jackson as the model for their Nick Fury. They even talk about the avengers getting a movie in the comic itself so you really can't be blamed to be frustrated at the time.

[@Alassandros]

Creating more resources is not a plothole. Even with the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos said himself that the universe is finite. The Infinity Gauntlet can only reshape what's already there. It cannot make more. Reducing people to ash was just him reshaping them, and served as a disciplinary act.

[@Nonamearisto]

Thanos is also motivated by the universe being grateful to him. He mentions this a few times. "The sun will rise on a grateful universe" and "you should be thanking me!" Reminds me of that South Park episode where Al Gore says that after he kills the (later revealed to be real) menace of ManBearPig, the world will say "Thank you, Al Gore, you're super awesome!" Mind you, even if Thanos' "ManBearPig" was real, killing half the universe won't stop it.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Let's not mince words...Thanos is a narcissist with a savior complex. One could argue that this makes him like Tony but Infinity War pointed up a key difference. Thanos believed so deeply in his mission he'd pull an "Abraham killing Issac" number on Gamora. Tony does everything he can to keep HIS loved ones out of the way and is distraught when he loses Peter.

[@minhucnguyentran8265]

well done

[@ImplicitlyPretentious]

Thanks!

[@ashleydalton4857]

what's the first instrumental called?? it's bothering me that I cant place it

[@mattgilbert7347]

"Phil Coulson represents the human aspect" Oh dear...AOS would like a word

[@Ben10man2]

Steve and Peggy in Endgame made me ugly cry

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Me too, buddy...and I didn't think I had any tears left after Tony's death and funeral.

[@loganstage5418]

I see you altered the aspect ratio for The Avengers (2012) lol, I wish it was framed for that but I guess the larger aspect ratio was meant to reflect the size of the film, with it bringing all 4 franchises into one and all

[@swad2315]

let the hope of humanity reign supreme

[@rigzmoviediaries654]

I love your videos so much I kinda don't want you to get the subs you deserve because I want you to be my special snowflake forever. Nah but fr you deserve a ton more subs