Podcast appearances and mentions of dave gonzales

First Dave Gonzales joins Katey to look at how Thunderbolts fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current existential crisis, and whether Fantastic Four later this summer can keep the good vibes going. Then Matlock creator Jennie Snyder Urman and star Kathy Bates talk about how they crafted a legal procedural for the modern era, and why it was good enough to bring Kathy back from the brink of retirement.

TJ Zwarych and Damon Gray of Agents of Fandom are LIVE breaking down the latest MCU hit, THUNDERBOLTS*, in theaters on May 2nd. Join us on Friday at 7pm PT / 10pm ET with MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios author Dave Gonzales for our immediate reactions, full review, and theories for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe going into Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.(00:00:00) Intro(00:03:00) Whatcha Watchin?(00:11:00) Thunderbolts* Spoiler-Free Review(00:20:00) Florence Pugh's Performance as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts* (00:28:00) Lewis Pullman's Performance as Sentry in Thunderbolts*(00:30:00) Mental Health Themes in Thunderbolts*(00:35:00) Will Mel Become Songbird in the MCU?(00:44:00) Bucky Barnes' Role in Thunderbolts*(00:46:00) Taskmaster's Death in Thunderbolts*(00:50:00) Val's Role as the New Nick Fury in Thunderbolts*(00:59:00) Exploring Self-Worth in Thunderbolts*(01:07:00) Thunderbolts* Official Rating(01:13:00) Thunderbolts* Post Credit Scene - New Avengers, Fantastic Four(01:20:00) Will Sam's Avengers Team be the West Coast Avengers?(01:33:00) MCU: The Reign of Marvel StudiosCheck out our interview with THUNDERBOLTS* Director Jake Schreier: https://youtu.be/1uB2vhPxcIU?si=J6Q848O1Ik6Ao_BMCheck out our interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Thunderbolts*: https://youtu.be/E5H5rZZwivsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/agents-of-fandom--5479222/support.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus joins TJ Zwarych of Agents of Fandom to discuss her role as La Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine in the newest Marvel Studios film, Thunderbolts*! She discusses which aspects of Val's character she's most excited for fans to see, her favorite MCU films, which Marvel actors she most wants to work with as well as sharing her theory about a potential relationship between Valentina and Nick Fury.Check out our full Thunderbolts* review here: https://agentsoffandom.com/thunderbolts-review/Don't miss our in-depth breakdown of Thunderbolts* with MCU: Reign of Marvel Studios author Dave Gonzales: https://www.youtube.com/live/XYMPrRSXkJg?si=3eApkxrfPkAVxCWOCheck out our interview with Thunderbolts* Director Jake Schreier: https://youtu.be/1uB2vhPxcIU?si=ulqVqkTQIWV2C3FuBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/agents-of-fandom--5479222/support.

TJ Zwarych and Damon Gray of Agents of Fandom are joined by author of MCU: REIGN OF MARVEL STUDIOS, Dave Gonzales to give their immediate breakdowns for the newest MCU Film, Captain America: Brave New World.(00:00) Intro(03:00) Whatcha Watchin?(05:00) Captain America: Brave New World Spoiler-Free Review(12:00) Thoughts on Sam Wilson as Captain America(22:00) Harrison Ford's Performance as Thunderbolt Ross/Red Hulk(30:00) Does the MCU Have a Villain Problem?(36:00) Danny Ramirez's Performance as Falcon(45:00) Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley - Unsung Hero of Captain America: Brave New World (49:00) Bucky Barnes in Captain America: Brave New World(1:00:00) Where Does Captain America: Brave New World Rank Among Marvel Projects? (1:04:00) Captain America: Brave New World Post Credit Scene - Secret Wars TheoriesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/agents-of-fandom--5479222/support.

When Iron Man hit theaters in 2008, it didn't just launch the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe — it also, with the Pentagon's help, became a bombastic symbol of modern military might in the digital age. Now, can the same comic book character be used to critique the military-industrial complex and the War on Terror?When Marvel wanted to make an Iron Man film in the early aughts, executives turned to a longstanding relationship between Hollywood and the Pentagon, allowing the Defense Department to approve the movie's storyline in exchange for access to military equipment. The U.S. military was able to alter significant parts of Iron Man's script, allowing the film to also serve as a marketing device for the military. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Spencer Ackerman is flipping the script. A veteran war reporter, Ackerman is writing a new Marvel comic book series of Iron Man, in which he's applying the lessons he learned over two decades of covering the War on Terror. Decidedly more critical of the military-industrial complex that the movies championed, the books are reshaping the iconic hero into a parable about the impact of excessive wealth concentrated in the hands of one billionaire, Today on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with Ackerman and Dave Gonzales, co-author of the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios and the host of the podcast Trial By Content, to discuss how the Pentagon pushed Marvel to use Iron Man as a piece of propaganda, and how events like 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars influenced the way superhero is seen today.Read Spencer Ackerman's newsletter Forever Wars by clicking here. 

In our last episode of the year, journalists Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, the authors of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, discuss making a living as a "pop culture pundit," mapping the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the missing "DC vs Marvel" chapter, lessons the MCU might take from recent successes like Deadpool & Wolverine and Agatha All Along, what other franchises might learn from the MCU, what Kevin Feige really does, and what the MCU can teach writers.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By Walt HickeyWelcome to the Numlock Sunday edition.This week, I spoke to Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, coauthors of the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, out in paperback this week.I really loved the book, it dives into what is the main flywheel of mainstream entertainment, for better or for worse, and dives into the fascinating history of the MCU. Whether you're a fan of Marvel movies or just someone living in a world dominated by them, the book is a really interesting look into contemporary filmmaking and the pressures and economics and just simply human scale of these massive operations.We spoke about Marvel's journey from underdog to cultural icon, how its moviemaking process has changed over time, and what it was like covering a narrative that was developing in real time.Robinson and Gonzales can both be found on the podcast Trial by Content, and the book can be found wherever books are sold.This interview has been condensed and edited. Dave and Joanna, thank you so much for coming on.GONZALES: Absolutely.ROBINSON: Thanks for having us.I really, really love this book. So happy to see it out in paperback. I guess I'll just kick it off with an easy one: What were each of your first experiences with Marvel? How'd you get into this?ROBINSON: As in the comic books or the films?Anything.ROBINSON: Anything at all. Gosh, I think X-Men: The Animated Series was my introduction, back in my infancy. It really got into the world they created, the various characters, their character sets, the trading cards, and then everything spirals out from there. That was my introduction.GONZALES: Mine was probably with the comics. I might have had some X-Men: The Animated Series in there, but I got much more into the comics around late 1993, early '94, when I happened to buy a Spider-Man issue that was part of “The Trial of Peter Parker.” Suddenly I had questions: Why was Peter Parker on trial? How many different Spider-Man books were there? Because I bought an issue of The Spectacular Spider-Man, but the next part of “The Trial of Peter Parker” was The Amazing Spider-Man.That led me to get a cubby at my local comic book shop in Louisville, Colorado, which was Time Warp Comics at the time. That was my way in, just being a comic book fan. I also jumped in on one of the longest and mostly considered worst Spider-Man arcs, but loved it. So imagine how good “good” Spider-Man was to me as a child, because I got weaned in on “bad” Spider-Man.Amazing. One reason I really dug the book is that it's about the MCU, but it's also about Marvel, the history of this entire company, and its very different evolution over time, from the '60s to the period of the '90s. What was it like trying to cover not just a film series, but a big franchise with a lot of moving parts as part of an even bigger company with even more moving parts?ROBINSON: A good question we asked ourselves was both where to start and where to end, and where to end was a constant, ongoing question mark. I'll let Dave address that. But in terms of where to start, there were certain things we felt we had to backdate, because there were players involved in the major “How did Marvel Studios come to be?” question and you had to know who they were, why they were important, how did we get here and what were the stakes? Being able to loosely explain who's Stan Lee, who's Perlmutter, who's Avi Arad, who are all these people, helped us tell that story without losing the audience entirely by throwing a bunch of new names at them. Dave, what about ending the book?GONZALES: Oh, ending the book. That was super fun. We started right as Avengers: Endgame was in theaters. I remember seeing Endgame and knowing that Joanna and I were going to work on this, so we started off thinking, what a fantastic hill that Marvel climbed, this interconnected universe with three phases. Everything surely was planned out from the beginning and could only go up from here. The book was originally “The Rise of Marvel Studios,” because we thought surely this was just up and up and up.Then the pandemic hit — which was very good for us, having to write the book and just sit down and figure out what it was. It also gave us and a lot of sources a pause to regain our footing. As Marvel started rolling out, we tried to peg an end date. I wanted it to be Blade to Blade when we started, but Mahershala Ali's project has still not come out, so that became an impossibility. Then WandaVision premiered and suddenly there was this whole other aspect to the story we were trying to tell. So we wanted to do that and just tried to report things as they went along.We were blessed and cursed by the year that we published the hardcover, October 2023. As we were turning in the final part of the book in January and February, a whole bunch of Marvel news started breaking. Ike Perlmutter left Disney; Victoria Alonso, who was a big mover and shaker in Marvel Studios, was let go, so we had to report that out; Jonathan Majors went on trial.It was only in a panic over all those things that I really ended up appreciating what we had done just by thinking of all these topics so thoroughly for several years. Even though we were tacking new endings on, it wasn't that hard to make it feel like it was a whole arc because we were kind of working there anyway. I wouldn't say I'd've enjoyed releasing the first version of this book in one of Marvel's worst financial years and most critical years ever, but I do think it provided an interesting little tie-off or a fascinating ellipses that allowed us to be relevant and, more importantly, in the year 2024, look like we knew exactly what we were talking about in Marvel's rebounds.That's a really good point. When I met you on tour, a key thing you were getting at was that the idea that Marvel has not had a slump before is naive, and also ahistorical. A fun thing about the book is that you go through all these different eras, and sure, there's an easier story and probably a more polished, corporate story that's ever upward, toward Excelsior, all that crap.But you really do cover the pits and troughs of this. There was Iron Man 2; there was Thor: The Dark World; there was that period of time between the assorted Spider-Mans. What was that perspective like, particularly as it was coming out and as you were able to talk about the issues in 2023?ROBINSON: It was important for us, just on a basic journalistic level, to try to tell as much of the story as possible. We're fans of Marvel, of the movies, but as long as I've known Dave, both of us have been people who don't like to feel like we're not being told the whole story. We don't want the PR version of something — we want to know all the messy details as well. And it's not to knock Marvel or have any kind of “gotcha” moment. It's to say, “Okay, they had these various pitfalls, these various problematic people that they were working with, X, Y and Z. Look what they accomplished anyway.” That's the story in broad strokes. It was important for us to be able to acknowledge the stumbles along the way.When we found ourselves in a 2023 space where everyone was saying Marvel is cooked, or Marvel used to know exactly what it was doing from the beginning and now they're just making it up — no, they were always making it up. They just did it so well, you didn't notice. That gave us a better perspective to be able to say, let's just slow down. We were looking ahead to 2024, saying they're only putting out one movie and two shows next year. If those hit, then you'll start to hear that Marvel's back, baby. Then Deadpool & Wolverine makes a gajillion dollars and Agatha All Along is a pretty solid hit for them.So I think that “Marvel is over” narrative that was so prevalent a year ago is now the question, “Is Marvel back?” Looking even further forward at the next couple of big projects coming, I think Captain America: Brave New World is going to be a tough one for them. I don't know if that's going to hit the way a lot of people want it to. I think Thunderbolts is going to be hit for them, and I think The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to be hit for them. They're still getting their bearings, but to your point, it was a bit naive to say they've been nothing but successful and now they've run off a cliff. Dave, what do you think?GONZALES: It was just a less interesting narrative, ultimately. I actually found myself getting less adversarial the more we learned, especially being a fan when all this started around 2008. There was this idea that Joanna was talking about, which is even a fan perspective today, that if something doesn't work out it's because we've been denied something at some creative step. Like, you know what, screw those guys; we want to do Harrison Ford as Red Hulk instead, or something like that.But it's not that at all. There are a whole bunch of different drama and production and business problems, and all these things come together to make these gigantic machines of a movie work. It was really important for us to drill down on Marvel Studios and get into those ups and downs, because a lot of times you can try to compare Marvel Studios to something through contrast, through Warner Brothers trying to do it with DC back in the early 2010s. Everybody started trying to launch an interconnected universe from the first movie, but all you could really say is that Marvel's worked and these others didn't. The details of the alchemy are in the tiny stories and little conflicts. That's why I think they were so important to track, be they how movie stars look or how we use CGI to make movie stars look. Tracking that over at Marvel Studios was just as important as how many movies Tony Stark was going to be in.Can you speak more to how much of this was on the fly? One of my big takeaways from your book was just how much things aren't necessarily set in stone during the production of a movie, and how sometimes one person's smart idea, regardless of where it comes from, can drastically alter what a lot of folks think was written in stone in 2007.ROBINSON: That idea of “best idea wins” — without ego; best idea from whomsoever — was a prevailing concept at Marvel. Kevin Feige was also this really interesting figure that has no comparison at any other studio. He's head of the studio, a creative producer, a storyteller in his own right and someone who wanted to make movies as a kid and thought he would be a director. He wound up an executive, but he has that storytelling sense. When Marvel was putting out fewer films and TV shows — or no TV shows at all and just a few films a year — the process was, “Go shoot your movie. Bring me, Kevin Feige, back the pieces and I'll tell you what you're missing.” They had this built-in reshoot window where you could go and add scenes where he felt like you hadn't really nailed this character, or cut this action out to bump up the action over here a bit more. They had this rough-drafting process with the master editor being Kevin Feige himself. There's no system like that at any other studio.That works so well for them, and in doing so, they're able to cement over the cracks and make it all feel like one smooth story that they're telling, because that refining process is built into their filmmaking process. Once the mandate comes from Disney, from Iger on his way out the door, from Chapek in his seat for a while, that they need to compete with Netflix and all these other streaming services, that they need more and more content — then the pace becomes untenable for that revision process that made them so solid in the first place.You talk about Feige not having an analog. I was really shocked reading the book because there's not even anything recent. You have to go back to Cecil B. DeMille for someone who has that producer, authorial presence. He's really a fascinating figure, and it's a key takeaway from the book that I loved. It really highlights the people who make these movies, not just the corporation. It's actual human beings who do this kind of stuff, often with long continuities. Do you want to speak about some of that?GONZALES: Definitely. Actually, while you were talking, I was wondering if part of the chip on Zack Snyder's shoulder was because someone at some point told him he was going to be a Kevin Feige and he's been chasing that ever since.A lot of the Marvel continuity that's been going on is still going on, even after our new chapter. It's been interesting to see how it's developed. It could be that the best idea wins, but then they also have that old school, in-house process where the starting team is very often the same people and has been since phase one. You put together a bullpen of concept artists, so you're constantly using concept art. Not only is that smart from a design standpoint for making a movie, but then you can have those things scanned and it goes directly into making toys. So at the beginning, there's no fight about bringing on these design creatives super early on.Where we start to see the wear and tear is, as Joanna was saying, with this output increase. All of the pressure starts being put on post-production, which is the place where you can't make more time. The solution is to hire more people, and because of that, the job of keeping things consistent falls to Victoria Alonso.She does a pretty good job considering that she's working a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week work schedule because the industry is so messed up. It was never built to do stuff like this. In a lot of ways, the way the VFX industry is structured is still from the '90s turn of the century, when you would bid on a number of shots to do and get money for that number of shots. You'd have to work those shots until they get approved by the director. There isn't an extra budget, and there isn't an overtime, which was a fine way to do it when there were three or four VFX shots in every movie. But now that we're in the 200s or some such, there's a natural strain put on that, and it's impossible to budget on the VFX side. They have to underbid because there's a limited amount of work. If Marvel decides they don't like you, as much as a third of your entire year's work can just not come to your company.As Marvel ages into it, we get a lot of people who are able to make their careers there, from Kevin Feige to Mary Livanos, who's doing great things on Agatha and seems really close to being ascendant. We have Brad Winderbaum, who's been made head of streaming now to take some of that pressure off Kevin. You have all these great continuities. You're less likely to see continuities in visual effects artists, just because of how they're going recently. When Joanna and I were interviewing people like ILM for Hulk, occasionally we'd do a person that was in three or four movies. Now, like for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there was a team of about 12 people at Framestore who make animals look good. They just come in for that movie to make animals look incredibly good. They did it the whole time, but they're not as legacy as other parts of the Marvel development studios — which I hope will change, because there are some people who are really good at making Hulks. And if you've made Hulks for 20 years, shouldn't those be the people that are making Hulks in Brave New World? We'll have to see.ROBINSON: I love that you mentioned Cecil B. DeMille. As we were putting this whole story together and realizing that they bring all these teams in-house, Dave and our coauthor Gavin and I, we are to varying degrees students of old Hollywood history, and we had this realization that it's just the old Hollywood studio system. You're putting actors under contract for nine movies, all this other stuff, and we felt so smart. Then I was talking to someone who worked at Marvel and they were like, “Oh yeah, Kevin says that all the time.” I was like, oh, I thought we really put something together. But at least we were right! We were consciously doing this.I think that industrial element of it is really interesting. A key thing that changed the way I see the film industry was realizing that every movie is basically a corporation that briefly exists. Every movie is an entire apparatus, with a CEO operation and departments and all that. Then it folds and you move on to the next one.With Marvel, though, the circus never closes; it's just onto the next city. It was really interesting to see its place in the industry. Like Dave was saying, the limiting reactant for some of this is just the number of animators on the earth who are capable of making this kind of stuff. It's so cool to get a look inside this apparatus through the book.ROBINSON: Thank you.GONZALES: What an apparatus. It's really interesting to me, even now, as we are pending the return of the Russo brothers, who are just able to find this and also find the emotion in it.In Endgame, the Tony Stark “I am Iron Man” moment was the last insert. They had to go to dinner with Robert Downey Jr. and Joel Silver and have Silver be like, “You'd be dumb not to do it, Robert,” because Downey didn't want to go back there. He's a weird dude, but for him, it felt like in order to get to what he needed to do, he had to take off a scab that had formed and get back into the character. Whereas the Russo brothers are like, we built a workout system and we have our smoothies and every day is trying to make the machine work. Somehow, through the alchemy of those two things, the machine works, and occasionally we get these story moments that feel like they were created individually for that movie.That, I think, is the mystery that the book is trying to unravel. At the beginning, it's untapped storytelling potential. Everyone's like, if you don't have the X-Men, if you don't have Spider-Man, what do you have? There's so much in just proving that you have good stories. Now that you're the biggest game in town, that idea of, “Are you going to make me feel anything?” is so much different than what the initial promise was, that they're going to bring Thanos to the screen and you're going to understand who he is and what he wants. That was the big lift. Now there's a whole simultaneous saving of the industry, and bestowing status on different actors. There's just so much more mixed up in it now. It's amazing we got where we did.The book is also a really interesting look at the transition from being a super underdog. As you describe in the earliest chapters of the book, Marvel was bankrupt, and all the executives were folks who fell out of the toy industry or Revlon. The folks who were in charge came to it in the manner of somebody accidentally having to join a carnival, and then eventually it becomes the hegemonic juggernaut of everything, in many ways the thing that people stand against. In the book, watching the perception around it change and then internally having to adapt to that change in perception was a really cool tension.ROBINSON: My favorite indicator of that underdog status versus top-of-the-world status versus wherever we are now is the making of the first Iron Man movie. Marvel Entertainment in New York — who was, to your point, chiefly concerned with merchandising and toys — had the attitude, “Okay, go make your cute little movie. If it doesn't cost us any money, you can go do your little cinematic experiment in Hollywood and we don't really care that much. Just make sure you don't spend any of our money. Other than that, go have fun.”And they make Iron Man, and Iron Man is a massive, smash hit, and all of a sudden the people in New York are like, we're forming something called the Creative Committee. We would like a lot of intake. We want to be part of this. This is the big shiny thing, and everyone wants to weigh in on it. So it's really interesting to track this going from a weird little project they were doing out in Los Angeles to The Thing for Marvel. You can track it by who needs to have an opinion about what and when they start to care.GONZALES: One of my favorite moments — it's after the book chapter “Marvel vs. the Creative Committee” — is when Kevin Feige gets on stage himself to unveil the entirety of phase three, which includes Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War and everything. That is such a telling moment for me. He had just won his battles with these behind the scenes. He's fully in full control. Black Panther is coming. Joss Whedon is in the edits for Avengers: Age of Ultron, in the audience, but they already know he's not coming back.There was a version of a chapter in the book that was just me going through that and being like, here's why each one of these announcements is like Kevin Feige spiking a football in the face of someone that told him he couldn't do it. That's still the purest creative energy I've seen. “We could finally do it!” burst out of Marvel. I think they've been more reserved since, even with some big announcements, but I like to go back and look at that just to see the pivot point when Marvel was the underdog. It was like, we want Black Panther, we want Captain Marvel, but the studio won't let us do it. Then Kevin Feige gets up and goes, “Here are the next 10 years of your life.” It's just such a joyous moment.ROBINSON: We love that moment. We talked to people behind the scenes who were working at Marvel at the time about it, and there's a reason that whole presentation wasn't at a Comic-Con. It wasn't at D23. It was its own thing at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, and internally, they jokingly called it Kevin-Con. It was this whole thing, and part of it was that they weren't ready to announce certain things at Comic-Con.But part of it was this moment for Feige who fought various personalities across the various companies to get control of the narrative. And I agree, Endgame is of course in all of history going to be looked at as the pinnacle of achievement at Marvel. But I actually think it might be Kevin-Con at the El Capitan Theater, when Chadwick Boseman comes out and Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are there to anoint him as the future of the franchise. That, of course, comes with its own terrible poignancy. We were really lucky to talk to Chadwick Boseman for the book before he passed away. These were things that happened while we were writing the book. History was constantly happening as we were trying to frame this entire narrative.If there's a protagonist in the book, it feels like it's Kevin, even in the earliest days when he was advising on the Fox products. Having read the book and then seen Deadpool & Wolverine — which, as you mentioned, went on to become a phenomenal financial success — it was really cool to come away with a little more admiration for the role that Kevin had in some of the Fox properties. Seeing that manifest in the MCU was just really nice.ROBINSON: I love that he got to have his Wolverine story, given that it all starts with him in a trailer with Hugh Jackman saying it needs to be bigger, it needs to be bigger, it needs to be bigger. I love that.GONZALES: I don't even know if it's still called that, but Joanna used to call that the “Feige fix-it.” Instead of developing these things by always going forward and introducing younger Avengers, he's actually much more interested in reaching back. There were good things there. Or, I guess the generous way to think about it is rewarding the fans that were around before it was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like, “You didn't waste your time with X-Men: The Last Stand. I know it might have felt like that occasionally, but here's this. Or Andrew Garfield. Yeah, maybe we treated him badly, but don't worry. You didn't waste your time with that because boom, here it is paying off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”Initially there was some hesitancy about Marvel homework. Do I need to have seen these things to do these things? But ultimately, if we're just talking dollars and cents, the nostalgia play has made them a billion dollars so many times that it doesn't surprise me that Deadpool & Wolverine is a huge hit just by being a swan song for the Fox movies.ROBINSON: I was personally incredibly gratified to finally get Channing Tatum as Gambit. That was a very important moment for me.My favorite version of the Feige fix-it was putting the storyline from Thor: The Dark World into Endgame and making Thor: The Dark World, the most universally mocked and reviled MCU film, an integral part of their biggest triumph. All of a sudden that's wrapped into the larger tapestry in a way so you can't just toss it in the garbage and say, oh, don't bother watching Thor: The Dark World — now you have to watch it to understand everything you're seeing in Endgame, which is certainly not a movie you're ever going to skip.It's a magic trick that really works and almost shouldn't work as well as it does. But even how they were able to get the Infinity Stones, almost taking elements of the first couple films that were dropped or introduced somewhat randomly and then doing that. It's a trick that they keep on pulling.GONZALES: Kevin Feige will say this, but we're coming up on 80 years of comic book history, and if there's one thing that comic books do more than any other medium, it's just use the same story. How could you have another angle on this story? They have so much A/B testing on what we like about this character, or what we'll buy about a certain character, it's interesting to see Marvel adapt that along with what sort of story you like on the Hollywood side of it.But yeah, we're going to see Captain America: Brave New World and finally see that Celestial that came out of the ocean in Eternals. Every Marvel property contributes something, we're told. Except the Inhumans; that never happens.The book is MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, and it's a fascinating look at the intersection of the humanity behind these movies and the technology of these movies. And if there's one figure that reminds me of that in particular, obviously, one of the most central people in the Marvel universe is Green Steve. Let's talk a little about him before we wrap this one up.ROBINSON: He's my favorite! Green Steve, a Chippendales dancer that was painted green in order to make sure they understood how the green light on skin would be captured accurately for the Hulk. Green Steve was one of my favorite anecdotes we got, and it was out of the book for a while before we worked it back in. Dave, what do you want to say about Green Steve?GONZALES: I love Green Steve. I love that this bodybuilder from Long Island can technically say he played the Hulk in a sort of way. In theory, because it's a whole CGI character, he might have played the Hulk close to how much Mark Ruffalo played the Hulk in that first movie. I love that story.Pretty early on, we brought in Gavin Edwards, our third author, to help us do a book, since Joanna and I had never done a book before. We were starting to put together the notes and I was like, can we please have a mid-credits scene? Can we just have a chapter in the middle of the notes?ROBINSON: That was Dave.GONZALES: I held onto that for as long as possible. I remember in one of the final meetings after we turned in the draft, we pitched it up to the editor and they were like, “That's really fun,” and I thought, oh thank god. That was a really early idea, and Green Steve fits that perfectly; it's a super interesting story that doesn't really belong anywhere else, but will stick in your mind as, Marvel literally tried everything to make the best Hulk. So I'm very happy that it's the mid-credits chapter — and remains the mid-credits chapter! Even when we added another chapter in, we were like, where does this go? Not before Green Steve.ROBINSON: He's got the final word for sure.Amazing. The book's out of paperback now. Where can folks find it? Where can they find you? And what's next?ROBINSON: “All good and evil news agents.” That's what the Empire Magazine folks say. All good and evil bookstores or any online book purveyor is where you can find our book. Dave does a tremendous podcast called Fighting in the War Room, which I love to listen to, so you should listen to that. And together we do a podcast called Trial by Content that y'all should listen to.GONZALES: Joanna's on a fantastic podcast called the House of R with Mallory Rubin over on The Ringer, where she covers lots of cool pop culture things. If you want to go to a bookstore and don't know exactly which one to go to, you could head to theMCUbook.com. That will forward you to our publisher's website, which has links to your Barnes and Nobles, your Amazons, your Bookshops.org, and will help you track down the book near you. And look for us in a couple more years with something similar.Thanks for coming on.ROBINSON: Thanks, Walt.GONZALES: Thank you.Edited by Susie Stark.If you have anything you'd like to see in this Sunday special, shoot me an email. Comment below! Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for supporting Numlock.Thank you so much for becoming a paid subscriber! Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.numlock.com/subscribe

Dave Gonzales, author of MCU: Reign of Marvel Studios, joins Agents of Fandom to break down the third episode of the newest Marvel Studios series on Disney+, Agatha All Along! Join us for our first reactions, crazy theories, and reviews every Wednesday immediately following the episode's conclusion.(0:00) Intro(2:00) Whatcha Watchin'(9:00) Agatha All Along Review(12:00) Agatha All Along Episode 3 Reactions(15:30) Has Agatha actually Walked the Witches' Road?(20:00) Mephisto in the MCU!(28:00) Is Teen Really Billy Maximoff?(36:00) RIP Sharon / Mrs. Hart(46:00) Agatha All Along Final ThoughtsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/agents-of-fandom--5479222/support.

After last weekend, Marvel movies have grossed over $30 billion worldwide. Where does the franchise go from here? Dave Gonzales is a co-author of “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios” and a return guest to Motley Fool Money. He joins Ricky Mulvey for a conversation on what the latest Deadpool movie means for the state of Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. They also discuss: Ike Perlmutter's attempt to oust Bob Iger Bubbles in comics, movies, and franchises Takeaways from Deadpool's $400+ million opening weekend Heads up: at (18:05), spoilers for Deadpool abound! If you haven't watched yet and want to, save this part of the show for once you're back from the theater.  Companies mentioned: DIS Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Dave Gonzales Producer: Mary Long Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Agents of Fandom are joined by New York Times Best Selling Author of 'MCU: REIGN OF MARVEL STUDIOS' and The Ringer's Dave Gonzales to break down all the Easter Eggs from the brand new 'AGATHA ALL ALONG' trailer as well as to review 'THE ACOLYTE' Episode 7, now streaming on Disney+. (0:00) Intro(3:00) Whatcha Watching(8:30) POTENTIAL DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE SPOILERS(11:00) Agatha All Along Trailer Breakdown(43:00) The Acolyte Episode 7 Review(1:22:00) ConclusionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/agents-of-fandom--5479222/support.

Welcome to Watch. Review. Repeat. This is the podcast where two best friends discuss the latest in film and television and then do it all over again the following episode! Colton and Andrew return to the Wasteland to witness Furiosa's odyssey in George Miller's epic prequel, 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:44 - Colton's Fun Fact About 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'! 00:08:11 - Sigourney Weaver in Talks to Join 'The Mandalorian & Grogu' 00:10:32 - Donnie Yen to Star in 'John Wick' Caine Spinoff 00:13:42 - Cast of Rian Johnson's 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Revealed 00:20:14 - Paramount and Skydance Agree to Merger Terms, But Deal Not Yet Finalized 00:25:11 - James Gunn Confirms 2026 Release Date for 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow' and Writing Team for 'Lanterns' 00:30:03 - Chris Hemsworth to Lead 'G.I. Joe'-'Transformers' Crossover Movie 00:33:35 - 'Megalopolis' Teaser Trailer 00:39:37 - 'Wicked' Official Trailer 00:46:40 - 'Dune: Prophecy' Official Teaser 00:51:53 - 'Longlegs' Official Trailer 00:56:27 - 'Kinds of Kindness' Official Trailer 01:00:23 - 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Official Trailer 01:04:41 - 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (Non-Spoilers and Recommendation) 01:56:47 - 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (Spoilers) 02:27:34 - Listener's Corner ('The Iron Claw', 'Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight', 'Blue Angels') 02:30:34 - Catching Up With Andrew (Baby Bennett's 1st Birthday!, Bahamian Cruise, Minor League Baseball, 'The Acolyte', Magic the Gathering, 'Argylle', 'Trolls Band Together') 02:43:04 - Catching Up With Colton ('Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' (Spoilers), 'The Empire Strikes Back', '27 Dresses', 'Bridgerton', 'Love is Blind' Season 6, 'X-Men: The Animated Series', MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards, and Joanna Robinson, Midnight Suns PS5) 03:05:12 - Conclusion/Outro Visit our website! Support us on Patreon! Thank you for listening, and please send any feedback to watchreviewrepeat@gmail.com! Intro/Outro Credit: Mechanolith Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Agents Of Fandom are joined by author of 'MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios' from the Ringer, Dave Gonzales, to give their reactions to episode 6 of X-Men 97 on Disney+ and discuss episode 13 of The Bad Batch and the new season of Fallout on Prime Video.(0:00) Intro(2:00) Bad Batch(14:12) Fallout(23:10) Dave Gonzales Intro(25:00) X-Men 97Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/agents-of-fandom--5479222/support.

Tyler and Konnery are joined by Tony Stark megafan Jacob Padilla to kick off a brand new miniseries covering the Phase I MCU with "Iron Man"! Together they discuss Jacob's longstanding love for this film, how effectively it kicks off a 30+ movie franchise while still being a great standalone film, Robert Downey Jr.'s star-making performance, Jeff Bridges' menacing Stane, how many times "Back in Black" should have been played during its runtime, and so much more on this Mk I episode of The Friendchise Podcast! What's New: Tyler: The Accountant (Max), Road House (2024) (Prime Video) Konnery: "Do a Power Bomb" by Daniel Warren Johnson, Magic: The Gathering Commander Format Jacob: "The Wind Knows My Name" by Isabel Allende, "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards, and Joanna Robinson Check out Jacob's storytelling podcast, "The Pencil in the Stone"! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pencil-in-the-stone/id1702339742

Welcome to episode #926 of Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast. Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast - Episode #926. A titan of pop culture commentary and a guiding voice in the realm of fandom is the best way to describe Joanna Robinson. With her profound insights into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and a finger firmly on the pulse of the entertainment industry, Joanna's expertise is unparalleled. Her recent book, co-authored with Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards, MCU - The Reign of Marvel Studios, offers a deep dive into the phenomenon that has reshaped global cinema... and turned nerds into the cool kids. Joanna's journey from a senior writer at Vanity Fair to becoming the "Queen of Game of Thrones," as dubbed by SyFy, showcases her unique ability to dissect and discuss complex cultural narratives, making her a beloved figure among fans and critics alike. Her transition to The Ringer, where she appears on shows like The Ringer-Verse and Trial By Content, further solidifies her status as a cultural critic par excellence. I am a comic book collector and lover of all things pop culture. This has not only become big business but a smart industry for all professionals to spend some time thinking about. Our conversation spans the intricate web of strategic decisions that led to the MCU's unprecedented success. From Marvel's acquisition by Disney to the delicate balance of interconnected storytelling and standalone tales, Joanna sheds light on the elements that keep audiences hooked. She also explores the MCU's cultural impact, particularly post-9/11, where a surge in superhero popularity reflected a collective yearning for escapism and heroism. Joanna points out the potential for content fatigue as Marvel's expansive universe grows ever larger across movies, TV shows, and streaming platforms. Beyond the MCU, Joanna and I delve into the broader comic book industry, contrasting Marvel's success with DC's franchise-building struggles and discussing the power of nostalgia in reigniting interest in iconic characters. Joanna emphasizes the untapped potential within Marvel's vast catalog, hinting at exciting directions the studio could explore in the future. MCU - The Reign of Marvel Studios is more than just a recounting of Marvel's rise to dominance - it's an invitation to understand the strategic, cultural, and creative forces behind one of the most influential entities in modern entertainment. Joanna's contribution, alongside her co-authors, offers invaluable insights for fans, aspiring creators, and industry observers alike. Enjoy the conversation... Running time: 59:46. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. Check out ThinkersOne. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on Twitter. Here is my conversation with Joanna Robinson. MCU - The Reign of Marvel Studios. Joanna's amazing podcasts. Follow Joanna on X. Follow Joanna on Instagram. This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'. Takeaways The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a result of strategic decisions made by Marvel and Disney, including the acquisition of Marvel by Disney and the interconnected storytelling approach. The cultural shift towards superheroes can be attributed to a desire for escapism and heroism, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11. Marvel faces the challenge of content fatigue as it expands its universe across movies, TV shows, and streaming platforms. DC has faced challenges in building successful franchises, while Marvel has excelled in creating interconnected storylines. Nostalgia plays a significant role in the success of superhero movies, as audiences connect with iconic characters and stories from their childhood. There are untapped potential assets in the Marvel catalog that could be explored in future projects. Comic books offer a diverse range of storytelling beyond superheroes and can be a gateway to discovering new genres and perspectives. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 01:07 - The Love for Comic Books 03:13 - The Rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe 06:12 - The Cultural Shift towards Superheroes 08:57 - The Acquisition of Marvel by Disney 11:25 - The Marvel Studios Inception Story 15:06 - The Challenge of Licensing Characters 19:23 - The Marvel Cinematic Universe Expansion 23:08 - The Challenge of Content Fatigue 28:28 - The Need for Change in Marvel's Strategy 30:33 - The Difficulty of Replicating Kevin Feige 36:27 - The Haunting History of Marvel's Business Model 38:08 - The Potential of Secret Wars 39:50 - Serialized Movies vs. TV Shows 45:21 - DC's Struggles with Franchise Building 50:30 - The Power and Pull of Nostalgia 54:33 - Unused Assets in the Marvel Catalog 55:51 - Changing Perspectives on Comic Books

This week on the podcast we present an interview conducted last year with the authors of “MCU - The Reign of Marvel Studios” Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales. On this episode we talk with them about their process of writing the book as well as their thoughts on what the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be. This episode is brought to you by Marvel Strike Force! Check out Marvel Strike Force here - https://t.ly/_Urg4 Use promo code - MAXPOOL

Welcome to Watch. Review. Repeat. This is the podcast where two best friends discuss the latest in film and television and then do it all over again the following episode! "Power over Spice is power over all." 'Dune: Part Two', the first event movie of 2024 and the continuation of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's beloved science fiction novel, has arrived. Colton, Andrew, and special guest Henrique Jaime ride Shai-Hulud together and get into full spoilers on the final part of their extensive coverage of 'Dune: Part Two'! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:18 - 'Dune: Part Two' (Spoilers) 01:30:06 - Catching Up With Henrique (Mexico Trip, 'Blue Eyes Samurai', 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training', 'Aggretsuko', 'Classroom of the Elite', 'Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead', LEGO BD-1 and Hogwarts Castle) 01:40:03 - Catching Up With Andrew ('Shogun', Magic the Gatherin, Baby Bennett Update, 'Bluey', 'Jeopardy', 'Wheel of Fortune') 01:48:06 - Catching Up With Colton ('Rustin', 'The Color Purple' (2023), 'Nyad', 'The Crown' Season 2, 'Party Down', 'Celebrity Jeopardy', 'The Floor', Spider-Man 2 PS5, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, Oscars Preparation) 02:00:38 - Conclusion/Outro Visit our website! Support us on Patreon! Thank you for listening, and please send any feedback to watchreviewrepeat@gmail.com! Intro/Outro Credit: Mechanolith Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ For more information on Ink to Film Podcast, check out www.inktofilm.com.

THIS VOYAGE, the Decksperts are back on DECK 78, writer/producer/author MARK A. ALTMAN (Pandora, The Librarians, Free Enterprise), DAREN DOCHTERMAN (associate producer, Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Director's Edition), screenwriter ASHLEY E. MILLER (Thor, X-Men: First Class) and STEVEN MELCHING (writer, Star Wars Rebels, The Clone Wars) as they are joined by the authors of the bestselling new book, The Reign Of Marvel Studios: MCU, JOANNA ROBINSON and DAVE GONZALES to talk about the incredible success of Marvel Studios and their favorite MCU films along with fascinating insights from Ashley Miller about his experience in the MCU as screenwriter of Thor. And don't miss all the great Treksperts Podcast Network shows wherever you listen to podcasts or visit trekspertsplus.com today. Follow us on social at: Instagram: @inglorioustreksperts Threads: @inglorioustreksperts Twitter/X: @inglorioustrek Facebook: facebook.com/inglorioustrek Post: @inglorioustrek

Apparently our own snap lasted longer than anticipated (thanks winter sicknesses.) That's right folks, we're back ot talk the Phases two through four and beyond as we wrap up our time with "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards. How will our intrepid podcasters fair against the insidious intrusions of Ike? The wildly worrysome, patently pernicious Marvel writers program? Or Elias' own tendency to get mired, once again, in contract negotiations?! Won't someone help Jaina out, true believers?!Next time, 2023 is in the books and it's time to see which of those books the crew loved. It's more than you think and less than you'd expect. Unless the answer is 11 and 2/3rds, in which case, good job.

Paul responds to your corrections and omissions from A Beauty and the Beast Christmas, shares an exclusive bonus scene from that show, and reveals next week's movie. Plus, Paul's Picks returns from a long hiatus! So if you need recommendations for books, movies, podcasts, and even cold plunges, Paul's got you covered. PAUL'S PICKS:Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul ScheerMCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, & Gavin EdwardsMy Name Is Barbra by Barbra StreisandAlan Partridge: Big Beacon by Alan PartridgeThe HoldoversKidNuzRenew Therapy Cold PlungesCryospring Cold Plunges This March & April HDTGM is going on tour to the UK & Ireland! Go to hdtgm.com for tix and info.Follow Paul on Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/paulscheer/HDTGM Discord: discord.gg/hdtgmPaul's Discord: discord.gg/paulscheerCheck out Paul and Rob Huebel live on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/friendzone) every Thursday 8-10pm ESTSubscribe to Unspooled with Paul and Amy Nicholson here: listen.earwolf.com/unspooledSubscribe to The Deep Dive with Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Raphael here: www.thedeepdiveacademy.com/podcastCheck out The Jane Club over at www.janeclub.comCheck out new HDTGM merch over at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/hdtgmWhere to find Jason, June & Paul:@PaulScheer on Instagram & Twitter@Junediane on IG and @MsJuneDiane on TwitterJason is not on Twitter

After a week delay due to some personal circumstances, it's time to read the definitive (so far) book about the Marvel Cinematic Universe "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards. What nuggets of wisdom will we learn? How much hot goss will there be? Will Elias ever stop talking about contract negotiations!? Strap in, true believer! You're in for one heck of a ride.Next time, well, it's not quite time to wrap up 2023 but you'll just have to listen to the episode to find out what we're doing. We may even sneak in a post credits scene or two! You don't know. You haven't listened yet.

The Marvel Cinematic University has enveloped both the silver screen and television screens for the past 15 years, and now comes the release of a new book that explores the emergence of this Hollywood titan. MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios recently debuted from authors Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards, and Joanna Robinson, serving as an in-depth, comprehensive exploration into the studio that has come to rule Tinsel Town and even have some fissures within. On this episode of Notably Disney, past guest and fellow Disney connoisseur Derek Lewis joins host Brett Nachman to discuss what readers can expect in the book.  To learn more about the book, check out its Amazon page. Follow Derek on Instagram: @dereknlewis Feel free to reach out to Brett via Twitter/X @bnachmanreports, subscribe to the podcast, and send your feedback to notablydisney@gmail.com 

Long before Marvel was under the Disney umbrella, it was a conglomerate that wasn't terribly interested in making movies. Mary Long caught up with Dave Gonzales, a co-author of MCU: the Reign of Marvel Studios to discuss: - Why making superhero movies wasn't always an obvious decision.  - The success, and future problems, created by “Iron Man.” - How the pandemic changed Marvel. Company discussed: DIS Host: Mary Long Guest: Dave Gonzales Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tune in for the second episode of 2 Cents Critic Merry Month, where the show is covering holiday media throughout December! This week, Arthur brings Andy (Fat Dude Digs Flicks Movie Podcasts) onboard to review and recap Die Hard, the 1988 icon of both action and Christmas cinema. Discussion topics for this episode include comparing Die Hard to the much bleaker Roderick Thorp book it's based on, the hosts' favorite minions in Hans Gruber's gang, the origin of Stockholm syndrome, and Sergeant Al Powell's uncomfy backstory. Directed by John McTiernan, Die Hard stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, De'voreaux White, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Andreas Wisniewski, Bruno Doyon, Joey Plewa, Lorenzo Caccialanza, Gerard Bonn, Dennis Hayden, Al Leong, Gary Roberts, Hans Buhringer, Wilhelm von Homburg, Robert Davi, and Grand L. Bush. Spoilers start at 32:45 Here's how you can learn more about Palestine and Israel: http://decolonizepalestine.com Here's how you can act to help stop Israel's genocide of Palestine: http://linktr.ee/savegaza Good Word: • Andy: Netflix's The Killer and MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards • Arthur: Carmen, In the Heights, and Bed Rest Reach out at email2centscritic@yahoo.com if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello! Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms! Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18 Follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram: @two_centscritic Follow Arthur on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144101970-arthur-howell --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arthur746/message

Mal and Jo are joined by a bunch of Ringer regulars to bring you this year's House of Recommends and give you some great content to consume during the holiday season that you may have missed this year and beyond. Hosts: Joanna Robinson and Mallory Rubin Guests: Amanda Dobbins, Rob Mahoney, Ben Lindbergh, Dave Gonzales, Zach Kram Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Social: Jomi Adeniran Addition Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Best of Dave Gonzales: #6 Daily Devotions from Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. Tim Dodson is the lead-pastor of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. These devotionals are designed to take the listener through the Bible verse-by-verse.

Welcome to Level 7! The Agents of Fandom are live to break down the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels with the author of 'MCU: THE REIGN OF MARVEL STUDIOS' Dave Gonzales.

Best of Dave Gonzales: #5 Daily Devotions from Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. Tim Dodson is the lead-pastor of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. These devotionals are designed to take the listener through the Bible verse-by-verse.

In this week's episode of The Discourse, your host, Mike D'Angelo and Playlist Editor-in-Chief jump on the mic to talk with Joanna Robinson, one of the writers on the new book “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios” co-written by Dave Gonzales and, Gavin Edwards. Given everything that's happened/happening to Marvel this year, this all and this weekend—the flop of “The Marvels,” the Studios lowest-grossing opening ever and their first major failure in, well, forever—the book and the conversation, is timely. Robinson is a veteran journalist who has worked for Vanity Fair, many other outlets and currently works at the Ringer. For the book, her Gonzales and Edwards interviewed over 100 people and sources to tell the Marvel Studios story, from the early days of Stan Lee and producer Avi Arad, the pre-inception of Marvel Studios (when Marvel had movies and characters scattered all over at places like Universal, Paramount and of course 20th Century Fox), the big gamble of making Marvel Studios with Kevin Feige, all the risks they took and more. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theplaylist/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theplaylist/support

When Avengers: Endgame surpassed Avatar as the top-selling global release of all time in 2019, it looked like Marvel Studios was invincible.However, fast forward four years later and the picture looks very different.The unfortunate mix of a global pandemic, A-list actors (temporarily) hanging up their capes, and a push to streaming has resulted in superhero fatigue with critics, audiences, and industry professionals losing faith in the franchise machine.The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “The Marvels,” bombed over the weekend, clocking lowest the MCU box office debut in the studio's history.On the latest episode of Yeah, That's Probably an Ad, Adweek's Europe brand editor, Rebecca Stewart is joined by senior producer, Al Mannarino and co-authors Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, who along with Gavin Edwards recently released MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, the unauthorized, behind-the-scenes look into the franchise.During the conversation, they discussed the Marvel marketing machine, where Marvel's brand downturn started, and how it can retain audiences who are losing interest in the IP itself.Are you looking to take your media strategy to the next level and make an impact with millions of customers? Walmart Connect harnesses the massive reach of America's number one retailer.¹ They can help you connect with Walmart's 139MM weekly online and in-store customers², to find the ideal audience for your message, at scale. Walmart Connect offers media solutions for advertisers of all sizes, on and off Walmart's digital properties and in their stores. From cost-effective Sponsored Search and self-serve Display ads on Walmart's site and app, to connected TV and offsite media across web and social, to in-store activations and live events, Walmart Connect can help you deliver the right content to the right Walmart customer at the right step of their shopping journey. Their Closed-loop Measurement uses Walmart's proprietary customer purchase data to track the impact of your campaign on sales, not just on Walmart's site and app, but also in their stores. For some campaigns, they can even provide rest-of-market data that tracks the impact on sales at other retailers. Visit WalmartConnect.com today and see how they can help connect you more meaningfully with Walmart customers. Sources: ¹ Fortune, August 2023. ²Walmart internal data, January 2023. No endorsement of third-party data sources. They also unpack recent successful marketing efforts from Marvel, including the brand partnership with Mcdonald's and the Disney+ series Loki, and if a rebrand or relaunch is in Marvel Studios' future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of Dave Gonzales: #4 Daily Devotions from Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. Tim Dodson is the lead-pastor of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. These devotionals are designed to take the listener through the Bible verse-by-verse.

Jason, Maddy, and Kirk pull out their flashlights and go spelunking in the Dark Place for this week's episode, all about the wonderful new game Alan Wake 2. They talk about the increasingly fascinating Remedyverse, the game's Resident Evil inspirations, and try to figure out if Mr. Door was supposed to be played by Lance Reddick. One More Thing:Kirk: Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)Maddy: Quiz Lady (2023)Jason: MCU (Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards)LINKS:Variety on the turmoil at Marvel Studios: https://variety.com/2023/film/features/marvel-jonathan-majors-problem-the-marvels-reshoots-kang-1235774940/Polygon feature on Blue Eye Samurai director Jane Wu: https://www.polygon.com/23945186/blue-eye-samurai-action-jane-wu-animationSupport Triple Click: http://maximumfun.org/joinBuy Triple Click Merch: https://maxfunstore.com/search?q=triple+click&options%5Bprefix%5D=lastJoin the Triple Click Discord: http://discord.gg/tripleclickpodTriple Click Ethics Policy: https://maximumfun.org/triple-click-ethics-policy/

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards https://amzn.to/3SwQYwy INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A superb chronicle of how Marvel Studios conquered Hollywood…. This definitive account of the Hollywood juggernaut thrills." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review The unauthorized, behind-the-scenes story of the stunning rise―and suddenly uncertain reign―of the most transformative cultural phenomenon of our time: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Entertainment was a moribund toymaker not even twenty years ago. Today, Marvel Studios is the dominant player both in Hollywood and in global pop culture. How did an upstart studio conquer the world? In MCU, beloved culture writers Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards draw on more than a hundred interviews with actors, producers, directors, and writers to present the definitive chronicle of Marvel Studios and its sole, ongoing production, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For all its outward success, the studio was forged by near-constant conflict, from the contentious hiring of Robert Downey Jr. for its 2008 debut, Iron Man, all the way up to the disappointment of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and shocking departures of multiple Marvel executives in 2023. Throughout, the authors demonstrate that the original genius of Marvel was its resurrection and modification of Hollywood's old studio system. But will it survive its own spectacular achievements? Dishy and authoritative, MCU is the first book to tell the Marvel Studios story in full―and an essential, effervescent account of American mass culture. Show Notes About The Guest(s): Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzalez are authors and podcasters who have worked together for over a decade. Joanna has hosted podcasts about film and television for years and wrote for Vanity Fair for eight years. She is currently at The Ringer, where she continues to podcast about film and television. Dave has been writing about film for the internet for 15 years and has a passion for the business of storytelling in the entertainment industry. Summary: Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzalez join Chris Voss on The Chris Voss Show to discuss their new book, "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios." The book provides a comprehensive overview of Marvel Studios, from its inception in 2008 with the release of "Iron Man" to its current status as a cultural and financial powerhouse in Hollywood. The authors delve into the business deals, creative decisions, and behind-the-scenes stories that have shaped Marvel Studios into the success it is today. They also explore the impact of Marvel Studios on the film industry and its ability to captivate audiences with its superhero movies. Key Takeaways: Marvel Studios started as a scrappy underdog, leveraging lesser-known characters like Iron Man and the Hulk to build its brand. The success of Marvel Studios can be attributed to its ability to push boundaries and take risks, such as casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. The creative committee at Marvel East Coast, led by Ike Perlmutter, initially had regressive ideas about representation in superhero movies, but Marvel West Coast eventually broke free from their influence. "Guardians of the Galaxy" was a turning point for Marvel Studios, proving that audiences were willing to embrace unconventional characters and stories. The future of Marvel Studios lies in its ability to continue pushing boundaries and telling fresh, engaging stories that resonate with audiences. Quotes: "We got as close as we could to current events as we could, including things that happened over the summer of this year into the book to try to explain how a superhero movie studio could take over Hollywood for well over a decade." - Joanna Robinson "Marvel Studios will finish up movies weeks before they release because that's what worked for them on the first Iron Man." - Dave Gonzalez

Joanna is joined by Dave Gonzales to tackle the penultimate episode of 'Loki' Season 2! They break down their initial thoughts on what happens to Loki when he time slips through dying timelines in an attempt to rescue his friends (07:33). Then they dive deep into the episode itself and examine all of the emotional beats that bring Mobius, OB, and Sylvie together (14:00). Later, they give their thoughts on wig watch and all the theories leading up to the finale. Host: Joanna Robinson Guest: Dave Gonzales Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal Social: Jomi Adeniran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Media recs: Joel: The Killers of the Flower Moon available in theaters Night of the Living Dead available on Max In the Mouth of Madness available on Criterion Dawn of the Dead not available streaming Werewolves Within available on Hulu Only Murders in the Building available on Hulu Ahsoka available on Disney+ Star Wars Visions available on Disney+ Reservation Dogs available on Hulu Sparkle: The Burial available on Amazon Prime Ratcatcher available on Criterion Heart of a Dog available on Criterion Tremors available for rental Strange Way of Life available in some theaters The Human Voice available in some theaters Safe available for rental Skinamarink available on Hulu Aliens available on Max Dicks: The Musical available in theaters Dark Winds available on AMC and Max BoJack Horseman available on Netflix Derry Girls available on Netflix The Golden Bachelor available on Hulu Love Is Blind available on Netflix His Dark Materials available on Max Wheel of Time available on Prime Bob's Burgers available on Hulu MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards, and Joanna Robinson

Best of Dave Gonzales: #3 Daily Devotions from Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. Tim Dodson is the lead-pastor of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. These devotionals are designed to take the listener through the Bible verse-by-verse.

Best of Dave Gonzales: #2 Daily Devotions from Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. Tim Dodson is the lead-pastor of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. These devotionals are designed to take the listener through the Bible verse-by-verse.

In 2008 — the same year that Robert Downey Jr. appeared in the action comedy “Tropic Thunder,” for which he would earn his second Oscar nomination — he also appeared as the billionaire inventor and unlikely superhero Tony Stark in “Iron Man,” the debut feature from the upstart Marvel Studios.Downey lost the Oscar (to Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”), but Marvel won the day. In the 15 years since “Iron Man” came out, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded to 32 films that have earned a staggering $26 billion and changed the world of moviemaking for a generation. In a new book, “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios,” the writers Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards explore the company's scrappy beginnings, phenomenal success and uncertain hold on the future, with lots of dish along the way.On this week's episode, Gonzales and Robinson join the host Gilbert Cruz to talk all things Marvel.

Best of Dave Gonzales: #1 Daily Devotions by Pastor Tim Dodson of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. Tim Dodson is the lead-pastor of Believers City Church in Menomonie, WI. These devotionals are designed to take the listener through the Bible verse-by-verse.

On this episode, Joe Pardavila steps away from discussions about business books to explore the world of show business. Specifically, he takes a deep dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) by examining the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. This fascinating book by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards includes insider interviews with over 100 people involved with Marvel Studios, from studio head Kevin Feige to star Chris Hemsworth. It reveals how Marvel transformed comic book characters into successful cinematic icons, going from a struggling studio to Hollywood royalty.To discuss the book and their passion for Marvel, Joe welcomes co-authors Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales onto the podcast. As accomplished writers and podcasters themselves, Robinson and Gonzales provide unique insights into the creative processes behind the MCU's massive success. Together, they give listeners a rare glimpse behind the curtain, unlocking the secrets of how Marvel achieved its phenomenal cinematic reign. Tune in to hear key details about Marvel's journey from bankruptcy to billions, what it takes to bring these stories to the big screen, and hints about what's next for Marvel's beloved superheroes. This entertaining and enlightening episode is a must-listen for fans eager to unmask the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"The Reign of Marvel Studios" is a brand new book from MCU experts Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards. In it, they give a thrilling and comprehensive look at the MCU's rise to power as well as some of the untold behind-the-scenes stories. This discussion and the book itself is for MCU and non-MCU fans alike and you won't want to miss this chat.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Agents Of Fandom are back with a bonus edition of the show and were joined by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, the minds behind MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios.

You've gotten iconic podcast host and the SyFy dubbed "Queen of Game of Thrones" Joanna Robinson's analysis of television and film on Vanity Fair and The Ringer as well as her many popular podcasts such as "Trial By Content" and "The Ringer-Verse" but you probably haven't heard her recount how the Indigo Girls was an important part of her musical development as a teenager? On this episode we get "Closer To Fine" with Joanna, dig into her favorite comfort shows as a kid and explore how she was able to hone her analytical abilities when it comes to decoding the messages behind your favorite shows. (Pro tip: It helps to read books.) We also play a round of CHANGE.DORK where we debate the merits of the Liberty Mutual insurance commercials (not a sponsor), discuss if televisions should be allowed in the common areas of dormitories and Vanessa fills us in on her obsession with the musical merits Skyrizi's "Nothing Is Everything" commercial. From cappuccinos at Lilith Fair to the cultural impact of My So-Called Life, this episode is a certain to become a viral sensation. Don't forget to pre-order Joanna's book McU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios, which she co-wrote with Gavin Edwards and Dave Gonzales, coming out on October 10th!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're bringing in the big guns to talk the latest installment of Secret Invasion! Co-authors of the upcoming book MCU: THE REIGN OF MARVEL STUDIOS Dave Gonzales & Joanna Robinson join the show to break down the new revelations and big conversations of episode two, and also discuss their process of researching and writing their book. PRE-ORDER THE BOOK: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631497513 Follow Dave: @Da7e Follow Joanna: @jowrotethis JOIN OUR PATREON: Patreon.com/mcuniversitypod BUY MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/user/marvel-cinematic-university Follow the show: @mcuniversitypod (Twitter/Insta) Follow AC: @anthonycanton_3 Follow Jake: @thejakechristie

Joanna Robinson is joined by Neil Miller and Dave Gonzales to breakdown the newest ‘House of the Dragon' teaser trailer. They discuss where the story comes from (3:00), the familiar characters, scenery, and weapons seen in the trailer (15:00), and they each pick the moment they enjoyed the most (29:00). Hosts: Joanna Robinson, Neil Miller, and Dave Gonzales Associate Producer: Mike Wargon Social: Jomi Adeniran Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joanna is joined by her 'Trial by Content' cohost Dave Gonzales to dive deep into the third episode of 'Moon Knight' (03:17). They discuss the latest struggles with Mark and Steven while also taking a look at the trial hosted by Gods and avatars (31:35). Later ,they answer your mailbag questions with Jomi (61:48). Hosts: Joanna Robinson Guest: Dave Gonzales Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Social: Jomi Adeniran Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joanna is joined by her 'Trial by Content' cohost Dave Gonzales to dive deep into the third episode of 'Moon Knight' (03:17). They discuss the latest struggles with Mark and Steven while also taking a look at the trial hosted by Gods and avatars (31:35). Later ,they answer your mailbag questions with Jomi (61:48). Hosts: Joanna Robinson Guest: Dave Gonzales Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman Social: Jomi Adeniran Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every Tuesday, Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Neil Miller will debate one topic relating to film or television. Then, after a lively tussle, they will create a final poll featuring each of their arguments as well as a listener-submitted take. You will decide the ultimate winner! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Storm Podcast co-hosts Neil Miller (Film School Rejects) and Dave Gonzales (Fighting in the War Room) make their Screen Drafts debut, drafting the best LegaSequels (sequels made 10+ years after their predecessor) ever!

"The Reign of Marvel Studios" is a brand new book from MCU experts Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards. In it, they give a thrilling and comprehensive look at the MCU's rise to power as well as some of the untold behind-the-scenes stories. This discussion and the book itself is for MCU and non-MCU fans alike and you won't want to miss this chat.