John Ross Bradford
MCU Writer
Favorite MCU Movie: Iron Man
Iron Man is my favorite film for more reasons than I can count. Nothing in this movie feels forced - from the visible scale of emotion expressed by Robert Downey Jr., to the rage of Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane that you can almost feel, this movie pulls me in every single time that I watch it. Beyond that, though, watching Tony Stark physically build everything that he puts to use in the film has a certain appeal to me that other films do not. Iron Man is a story about a man who feels the need to step up and fix a problem that he has overlooked for so many years, and you can see so clearly throughout the film that nothing will stop him from doing just that. But most impressively, the first film in the Iron Man trilogy was also the very first building block for what is now the largest superhero franchise in history, yet it manages to tell a very human story that still rivals modern cinema.
Favorite MCU Character: Tony Stark
Of course, my favorite character is Tony Stark, plain and simple. Tony has it all, and I’m not just talking about material possessions. He’s got grit, but he’s also got compassion. He has a level of conviction that can only be rivaled (arguably) by Captain America himself. The most desirable trait in Tony is his will to do what’s right, and the means by which he does so. The blend of creativity and perseverance is nothing short of admirable.
Why I joined The Direct...
I joined The Direct because it’s the perfect meeting place between my two passions - sharing my thoughts through writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I love to make connections between Marvel Comics and the resulting Marvel films, and I hope to be a guide for those who like to look for the little clues and building blocks that Marvel Studios drops along their journey, and the potential they could hold for the studios’ future endeavors.
John's Articles
John's Thoughts
- Other than the Iron Man Mk. 1 that was part of the Marvel Studios 10-Year Anniversary line in 2018, this is the first Funko Pop! ever to be made specifically for the first Iron Man film. Immortalizing Stan's very first MCU appearance thru Funko is something I'm 100% here for!
- Even though Schmidt's appearance being a result of the Tesseract would have been a cool form of foreshadowing for how the Space Stone would eventually zap the villain up into the cosmos, I like that Red Skull's appearance directly contributed to the main character's development instead. The Tesseract has already done enough in the MCU!
- Anyone who knows me knows that I'm definitely scooping up this awesome sculpt! One of the most detailed figures I've seen, that incorporates several of the film's best elements!
- I’ve always loved Hemsworth and Hiddleston in their respective roles, so this obviously feels like a no-brainer to me. But it’s very cool to see that casting these two actors was such an influential decision, so early on in MCU history.
- I've been squirming in my seat from excitement ever since Disney re-hired Gunn to direct the third Guardians film. He invests so much in these characters, and it's paid off big time in every MCU appearance that the Guardians have made! I can't wait to find out more about this movie's release!
- As a fan who's been excited to see Taskmaster since it was first leaked that he'd be appearing in the film, I get even more excited with every little piece of art that makes its way to the world wide web. I'm really looking forward to seeing the MCU adaptation of him!
- I loved what Ryan Reynolds and the people at Fox were able to do with their limited budget for 2016's Deadpool, as well as how they carried on and delivered another quality film with the sequel in 2018. I will be thoroughly disappointed if Marvel Studios doesn't carry on with this franchise, as there is SO much untapped potential!
- As a huge fan who grew up watching the Lethal Weapon films on TV, Stan comparing his dynamic with Mackie to the likes of Gibson and Glover made my heart race! I cannot wait to see what this series brings to the table!
- I've been following Becky Lynch's WWE career for a few years now, and I love the style and swagger that she brings to the ring, so I'm down for whatever form this takes!
- This opening-night Endgame moment that the Russo Brothers shared on Twitter today made me feel like I was experiencing that night all over again, and the fact that Joe Russo took this video himself on his own iPhone makes it 100x cooler!
- I personally love the amount of passion that James Gunn pours into his work, especially with the Guardians characters. The fact that he was allowed to write all of the dialogue for the Guardians in a film like Avengers: Infinity War shows that Marvel Studios trusts him with these characters, and values the talent that he brings to the table.
- I was excited from the start when I saw Harley Keener in Iron Man 3 back in 2013. I was really hopeful to see a young, prodigy-type kid follow in Iron Man's footsteps. Although that role has largely gone to Peter Parker in the MCU, there is still plenty of room in the half-full Avengers squad for another young inventor. I really hope we see further development with this.
- This is the most exciting MCU news I’ve heard in a long time! This, combined with Emily Blunt’s meeting with Marvel a couple months back, is super encouraging to anyone who wants to see her and Krasinski play part of Marvel’s First Family!
- Oh, man. I used to think that this film was so long overdue, but after hearing this info, it only increases my excitement, and reaffirms my belief that this movie will hit so many different points that Black Widow fans have been wanting to see from Marvel Studios. This project will be WORTH. THE. WAIT!
- I've been wanting to see MODOK in the MCU for a LONG time. As crazy weird as MODOK is as a concept, Marvel Comics include so many different interactions between him and other heroes, such as Hulk and Captain America. And his affiliation with A.I.M. could definitely help Marvel Studios create a unique narrative for his MCU debut, and we all know Marvel Studios is so good at doing just that.
- This is super exciting news! Loveness will be a great addition to Peyton Reed’s team for the threequel.
- I'll never enjoy seeing these amazing, exciting Marvel projects be delayed - ESPECIALLY after not having any big MCU material since July 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. However, I know these delays are for good reason, so I'm most interested to see how the release lineups will change (if at all) for films such as Morbius, as well as the many Marvel franchises that it will allegedly connect to.
- This reveal by Hall actually helps make me make more sense of Iron Man 3 as a film. The Iron Man trilogy is by far my favorite of the MCU, but Iron Man 3 has always felt like a project that is just below the level of the two films that came before it. I never understood the direction they took with the Mandarin, but this helps get a better idea of the conflicting views early on at Marvel Studios.
- When I saw this leak, my attention immediately went to the new image of Taskmaster. I think his presence in the MCU is long overdue, but I believe it will be well-worth the wait. The way Marvel Studios is able to so easily modernize this character, and the way they make his copycat nature so recognizable from characters we already know and love, it will be such a delight to see on the big screen.
- I'm so excited to see Yelena in the MCU, especially alongside Natasha. I'm really hoping that their dynamic will reveal a lot about Natasha's past.
- This is obviously very disappointing for any fan of the MCU. However, considering the fragile state that the entire world is in right now, this decision is very clearly made with everyone’s best interests in mind.
- I'm very happy to hear that Cretton took the proper measures to keep everyone safe, and that he was not harmed by this virus. As much as I'm excited for this film, I don't want it to be at the cost of those who put it together.
- I'm so excited to see the role that U.S. Agent will play in the MCU, especially since his debut is AFTER Steve Rogers' character arc came to a close. I have a feeling that much of this upcoming series will revolve around the tension between Walker and Sam Wilson, regarding who the "new Cap" really is in the eyes of the U.S. government, as well as to the American people.
- There are still many places for Red Skull to fit into the modern day MCU, whether he comes back to Earth or becomes more of a cosmic threat. With Marvel Studios leaning towards further exploring the cosmos and the multiverse in a bulk of their upcoming projects, it would be very cool to see them continue to implement a classic Marvel villain in a setting that is very unfamiliar for the character.
- The mysterious figure in the helicopter is very interesting. I've been a big comic reader for a long time, so I'm always intrigued when there's an unknown element in an upcoming Marvel film (character, location, item of interest, etc.) that I don't recognize!
- I love looking at Marvel Studios' earliest ideas for projects like these. Work like this proves that the creative minds behind these movies are not simple or narrow-minded, and have many incredible thoughts and ideas while building these films.
- I'll be very interested to see how closely Sony will position themselves with their own films to those of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Obviously, they share Spider-Man, but I'm very eager to see who shows up where once these lines start to blur.
