But, would the Earth of the MCU already have/know about super heroes in the century before Iron Man, even if they had Cap's stint in the 40s?
Well, there was Hank Pym in the 80s. Also, remember what Nick Fury said to Tony Stark, "You think you're the only superhero in the world? You just stepped into a larger universe, you just don't know it yet."
I've seen some theorizing online that she might kind of end up taking on a leadership role as Iron Man fades into the background, and if that is the case this is a good way to make her the experienced veteran on the team. If she's superheroing on a regular basis between this one and her Avengers appearance then I think she might possibly be the most experienced Avenger overall.
Hank Pym who was so small only selected folks in SHIELD/Hydra knew he existed. My guess is that since the Skrulls can pass as human that Carol Danvers is in some sort of X-Files investigation before the Kree encounter her. My guess is that the story ultimately ends in space after her enhancement without a very public scene in New York City.
The 90s practically are a different world compared to today. The internet was in its infancy, only rich and important people had cell phones or people who needed one for work related reasons. Depending on when in the 90s this takes place, todays young people most likely won't recognize what they see in the movie. It's funny, only the other day I was thinking how lost someone from even the late 90s would be if they were deposited into the modern world. As soon as they hear people casually talking about taking pictures with their phone, the 90s guy would probably be like "what hell happened to cameras?" To say nothing of how they'd react to terms like "tweet" or "Google" being used in everyday sentences.
Yeah, the world was very different in the 90s. Not just technologically, but socially, too. We take it for granted now, but the hyper level of connections people have with each other is vastly different, ranging from emails and texts to social media and smart phones. The way we communicate now is vastly different from the 90s. And then you also add, at least from the US perspective, 9/11 which also greatly changed how we see the world.
^ I see the 90s as the heyday of Human civilisation: great strides were being made to forge peace and conclude long-lasting conflicts (Dayton Agreement, Ulster), the Cold War was over, society could progress through peaceful means (gay characters first appearing on TV, Sex and the City). Plus, it seemed to become all sweet and fluffy (bubblegum pop, always pristine and cheerful USS Voyager). Then 9/11 changed the world because civilisation as a whole was being targeted. I'm not saying we're in decline - far from it - but innocent no more. Thus, I wonder if a 90s period piece can really recapture that spirit of 'like in a womb' preachiness the (Western) world was in - without presenting it as cheesy and it's inhabitants as clueless weaklings. Colour me intrigued.
I have to say, that's a massively naive assessment of 90's geopolitics. How about the Gulf War? Ethnic cleansing in Eastern Europe, Myanmar and throughout sub-Saharan Africa? Just because Western Europe and the US were (briefly!) having an OK time of it, doesn't mean human civilisation was entering a golden age. Ain't no such thing.
But the machines chose the 90s as the Matrix's wallpaper. Although it's possible that The Matrix is only New York, but the relative size of 40 Earths.
The only "issue" may be that this comes out only 4 months after X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and some people will be like "oh, another superhero movie set in the 90s" and do the usual moaning that superhero movies are all the same etc
That was explicitly stated to be an intentionally flawed world because the virtual utopia they tried was a flop. Plus, so far as we know, that period was only in used as a model in that particular iteration. It's implied previous versions included things like werewolves, phantoms and vampires. Apparently the machines keep changing it up. I'm not so sure that's going to be much of a concern since the time period isn't the draw in and of itself. Also, X-Men's batting average is *way* lower than Marvel's and will struggle to compete directly, regardless of similarities.
True. The USA is always at war. Plus, the general trend was one of improvement: ethnic cleansing was consigned to the poor countries rather than being a widespread issue. Europe in general enjoyed peace for the first time once the Commies gave in. Because the movie is set in/made by the US, the West's situation will likely feature more prominently than the Third World.
So as long as all the terrible things only happen in poor countries, human civilisation is just hunky-dory? Well of course you're right, how very silly of me to think otherwise! Honestly, I can't see geopolitics featuring very prominently in either movie. It's a backdrop at best. We're much more likely to see flannel shirt, slow dial-up internet and everything ending with the letter 'X' jokes than social commentary on the Clinton years.
Exactly, on both points. On TV Tropes, it's called "Creator provincialism." If the movie is/was set in former Yugoslavia or Rwanda, then the ethnic cleansing might be relevant to the plot. In the same way that a period piece in Georgian England (ITV's Lost in Austen) can focus on the romantic aspects of its era because colonialism is outside its scope.
I don't remember the 90' being naive and optimistic? I think that was the 80's when people still believed in the American Dream. I think the early 90's were quite cynical which is why Generation X is know for being sarcastic and anti- establishment. "X-Files" whole deal was built off that lack of trust. At some point it did change when the internet became a bigger deal and the music started going from Grunge to Boy Bands. Jason
Another thought I recently had. Isn't it funny we now think of the 1990s as a primitive past compared to back in he day when the 90s were considered a distant future of advancement where we would have colonised space, created genetically enhanced supermen and sentient AI?