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Soon, Iron Man will be a fascist.

Kim Hollis: Marvel is building a brand by using the market penetration of Iron Man 2 as leverage in the upcoming releases of Captain America and Thor, as well as their biggest project, Avengers. How do you think they're doing thus far? What steps do you believe still need to be taken in the process?

Josh Spiegel: The only thing I think Marvel needs to remember is that these movies make money because a lot of people who see them are like me: I've never picked up an issue of Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America. Now, I do read a lot about movies, so I know about who's in Thor and that Chris Evans is playing Captain America, but does everyone in the country know? I doubt it. The post-credits scene in Iron Man 2 was all right, but I had to explain to my wife what it meant, and I'm sure I didn't do the best job, because neither of us know that much about the series. As long as Marvel makes the effort to get these stories known (and frankly, a Thor teaser could've done the trick), they'll be fine.

Tom Houseman: Does anyone else want Marvel to crossover these characters with the other notable new release from this weekend? "The Avengers vs. Babies." I would totally watch that movie.

Michael Lynderey: Basically, outside of the inherent appeal to hardened fanboys, all of these upcoming movies are going to have to stand on their own. These little bits like the post-credits scene in Iron Man 2 aren't going to matter to 95% of the potential audience for Thor, Captain America, or anything else. Iron Man succeeded - and immediately inspired this long-term Marvel plan - because it worked as a superhero film, an action movie, and a character study, and so audiences and critics embraced it. That's the advice I'd give Marvel on all of these upcoming films (not that they need it): yes, please the fanboy base, but ultimately, each of these movies has to be a quality piece of entertainment, because the mass audience that looks for a good time at the movies every summer isn't there for post-credits scenes or blink-or-you'll-miss-it inside references. They're there to get the same kind of experience the first Iron Man gave them.





Jason Lee: I'm a skeptic. Iron Man has certainly made his way into the zeitgeist, but the Hulk? Thor? Captain America? I question the appeal of these properties. To me, they're undeniably second-tier superheroes. I know, I know, you could have made that point about Iron Man as well prior to the first movie, but I wonder about the likelihood that lightning will strike twice for them. I'm thinking that Marvel will continue to be a force to be reckoned with, though not nearly at the pace that everyone is thinking. Except in the video game world (where they're golden).

Reagen Sulewski: There's a lot of angry nerds out there ready to fight you because you called Captain America second-tier. I mean, they can't do much damage, but they're ready to fight. Cap is one of the more iconic heroes out there, and it's sort of amazing that they didn't get around to him right after Spider-Man, for the level of his popularity (he's a little outdated, which might be a bit of a problem, but they've made the right step with starting it as a prequel). Thor, I'll give you, as he's kind of inherently a silly character.

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