Earth Station MCU

MCU Excelsior - Episode Zero

Hello Marvel Universe!

This is the"trailer" for our new podcast, MCU Excelsior. Expect discussion, opinions, and analysis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and beyond, including movies and TV based on Marvel Comics properties  -- The Avengers, the Defenders, the Revengers, the Guardians, maybe some X-Men, and of course Deadpool. Because Deadpool is awesome. 

Earth Station MCU Episode 62: Agents of SHIELD "No Regrets" and "All the Madam's Men"

Hello Marvel Universe! 
The press tour for Guardians of the Galaxy yielded some really strange promotions, from underwear to insurance to a pop up cafe where the food is strange and the English translations are even stranger. But that's not all the news - there are rumors about new characters for the next season of Luke Cage, as well as speculations on how the writer's strike could impact both the Netflix MCU and Inhumans. On Agents of SHIELD, we continue with the "Framework" arc, continuing what is undoubtedly the strongest season so far. 

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating on iTunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or whatever your podcatcher of choice may be. It helps us to reach new audiences and we'd really appreciate it!

Earth Station MCU Episode 61: "What If" and "Identity and Change"

Hello Marvel Universe! 
After a hiatus to deal with doctoral drama, Jen and John are back to talk about the beginning of the Framework arc, which closes out Season 4 of Agents of SHIELD - just in time for those of you marathoning the season on Netflix! In addition, we talk about the Thor: Ragnorok trailer, possible Jessica Jones villains for Season 2, and Josh Brolin playing dual roles in Marvel movies, with Thanos in the MCU and Cable in Deadpool. 

Earth Station MCU Episode 63: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

Earth Station MCU returns with an episode about everyone's favorite "a-holes," the Guardians of the Galaxy! Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Baby Groot are back, along with Nebula, Yondu, Kraglin, and some new faces as well. There are great tunes, great effects, great fight scenes and space battles...but at heart, this is a story about family: the family you're born with, and the family you choose. Everyone in this story - seriously, everyone - was either an orphan or had a... challenging relationship with the father-figures in their lives. But does this latest venture into the MCU deliver thrills as well as feels?  Tune in to hear John and Jen's verdict!

Earth Station MCU Episode 60: Agents of SHIELD "Self-Control"

Hello Marvel Universe!  On this episode, John and Jen talk about the Agents of SHIELD episode "Self-Control," written and directed by Jed Whedon. And... it's pretty freaking amazing.  But first, there's a whole lot of Guardians of the Galaxy news, including a new ride opening soon at Disneyland in California, but not Disney World. What's up with theme park rights to the MCU characters? Sylvester Stallone's role is revealed, but what about Michael Rosenbaum? Up next after Guardians is Spiderman: Homecoming, but what's this about Sony doing takes-backsies on the webslinger after a second solo film? Is there going to be a Spiderverse separate from the MCU? Stay tuned, true believers!

Earth Station MCU Episode 59: Agents of SHIELD "BOOM" and "The Man Behind the SHIELD"

Hello Marvel Universe!

With the announcement of the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Disneyland (but not Disney World...), John and Jen try to untangle intellectual property rights when it comes to theme park rides. Universal Orlando has Spiderman....but Sony has the movie rights, which they're now sharing with Marvel Studios. Wait, what? We enthuse over concept art for Ragnarok and Black Panther, and remind ourselves that Marvel knows what they're doing, even if the Thor "mockumentary" shorts seem to be at odds with the epic fantasy tone of the series and the dark nature of the Ragnarok plotline. 

 

In the episodes "Boom" and "The Man Behind the SHIELD"...yeah.  A lot of side plots that don't go anywhere, an extended Philinda flashback, and some head-scratcher moments where character motivations don't really seem to make a lot of sense. But there are also some great fight scenes, some good character moments, and a hell of a cliffhanger. How can Fitz and Simmons be sure that they aren't LMDs too? I guess we'll find out next week...

Earth Station MCU Episode 58: Agents of SHIELD "Wake Up" and "Hot Potato Soup"

Hello Marvel Universe!

In this episode of ESMCU, John and Jen talk about two other Marvel TV shows on the horizon: Hulu’s “Runaways” and Freeform’s “Cloak and Dagger”.  These shows aim to bring in a younger audience, but…whatever happened to “it’s all connected?” Next, we recap the Infinity Stones – which ones are found, which ones are still missing, and where might they turn up between now and Infinity War?

In this week’s SHIELD episodes, “Wake Up” and “Hot Potato Soup,” we learn more about Radcliffe’s virtual world, and get to see Patton Oswalt do standup. Radcliffe proves to be even more of a sneaky bastard, and we get a disappointing reveal of who “The Superior” is. Is there another LMD at SHIELD HQ, in addition to Radcliffe and the May-bot?

Earth Station MCU Episode 57: Agents of SHIELD "Broken Promises" and "The Patriot"

Hello Marvel Universe! 

We're back after a longer than anticipated break, ready to catch you up on the last ....quarter season?  The episodes between the winter break and the spring break. We've moved to an every other week schedule, so most of our episodes will cover two SHIELD stories.

But first, John and Jen talk about the news - new announcements about who will be in Infinity War (spoiler alert: EVERYONE), rumors of Peter Dinklage joining the cast, a change in leadership at Marvel Entertainment, and speculation on who Sigourney Weaver is playing in "Defenders."

In the second half, we cover the episodes "Broken Promises" and "The Patriot." The LMD plotline is in full swing, but what happens when your Big Bad gets gacked at the end of the first episode? We're in comic book TV, so you can't keep a good bad guy down. Mace's "big secret" is revealed, and it's basically what we figured it was. But how will this change the team's dynamic going forward? 

Earth Station MCU Episode 56: Agents of SHIELD "Laws of Inferno Dynamics"

Happy belated holidays from Earth Station MCU, as we bring you the mid-season finale of Agents of SHIELD! John and Jen discuss the new Spidey trailer, "Planet Hulk" elements in Thor: Ragnarok, and upcoming toys for Guardians of the Galaxy. Jen dons her cultural studies hat and asks if theme of stealing that runs throughout this episode has a racial undertone or not, because that's what happens when you have four whole weeks of not having to read literary criticism.  Thank you all for your patience as we get back up to speed!

Earth Station MCU Episode 55: Agents of SHIELD - "The Good Samaritan" and "Deals With Our Devils"

Hello Marvel Universe! Sorry for the delay -- we were stuck in the Dark Dimension for a couple months there, but this nice robot lady got us out, and I'm sure everything will be fine. I mean, it's not like she's Ultron....right?  Um...guys?

In this episode, John and Jen review "The Good Samaritan", in which we get a glimpse at how Robbie met the Ghost Rider spirit, and "Deals With Our Devils," which...is pretty much what it says on the tin. In more ways than one.