May 14, 2022 Short 6

I was incorrect when I said that the last Marvel One Shot was All Hail the King with Trevor Slattery. I did not know that this series of Thor shorts with his roommate Darryl were from the Marvel One Shots series, but that is how they were listed on Disney + so I thought I would watch them next.

Chris Hemsworth has a remarkable comedic timing. He is very funny and he has taken Thor in a much different direction than when he started out in the first Thor film. He has truly revitalized the character and he has said that he is much more interested in Thor now than he was before.

This short takes place after Civil War and it is Thor moving into an apartment in Australia with a man named Darryl (Daley Pearson). Thor is upset that neither Cap or Tony Stark called him during the conflict between them and he is trying to go on with his life.

Written and directed by Taika Waititi, this short gives us a definite flavor of how Waititi was going to take the character of Thor with Thor: Ragnarok.

This is a really funny little bit that I assume is outside of the typical MCU continuity. Watching Thor desperately trying to convince us that he was still relevant is so very funny.

May 14, 2022 Short 5

This was the final of the Marvel One Shot series that Marvel Studio produced. It was in response to the remarkably infamous twist from Iron Man 3 where the Mandarin, as played by Sir Ben Kingsley, turned out to be nothing more than an actor playing a part. To many ardent fans, this was a twist that they used to hate on Iron Man 3. To me, it was quite a wild thing for Marvel to pull off.

However, they used this short to bring Trevor Slattery, the name of the actor who pretended to be the Mandarin, back to the forefront. The fact that an actor of such renown as Ben Kingsley would be willing to do this short speaks a lot to Marvel.

The character of Trevor Slattery is a ton of fun, almost in a world of his own. The main purpose of the short was to tell the world that there was still a character known as the Mandarin in the MCU besides the one being played by Trevor Slattery.

We see Trevor in prison banking off his reputation and his ability to do the scary Mandarin voice.

In fact, this one shot would eventually lead into one of the best Marvel films of 2021 in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, where we get to meet the actual Mandarin (though he does not go by that name) and we get a chance to see Trevor Slattery return to the MCU stage and we discover where he has been for all of these years.

Also in All Hail the King, look for a great cameo from Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer.

May 14, 2022 Short 4

Following in the footsteps of Captain America: The First Avenger comes Agent Carter, a Marvel One Shot that proceeded a short run TV series on ABC starring Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter.

That TV series on ABC is one of the most underrated shows in the Marvel canon as it took a character and made her beloved. Hayley Atwell is charming and exceptional as an actress and every bit of it comes through in the series, as well as this one shot.

Peggy is working in the post war age in the intelligence business, a business that did not take well to a woman doing anything of the sort, and Peggy was becoming bored with the monotony of her position. Knowing she was more suited for the field, Peggy wished for an escape from the reports and the behind the scene paperwork she was being given.

When she had a chance to go take care of a mission on her own, she does so with flair and style becoming a special agent who fought side by side with Captain America.

There is a reason why Hayley Atwell keeps coming back to the MCU, most recently in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Captain Carter. She is just awesome and she gets a chance to show that special oomph in Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter.

This was the first one shot to exceed double digits in minutes, and they use every second to highlight Peggy Carter and to provide reasons why we love her.

And I have to say that I felt touched when she pulled out the picture of Steve Rogers as thin, skinny Steve that we saw on her desk in Avengers: Endgame. It is one more awesome connection and a reason why we love the MCU continuity.

Agent Carter should have much more.

May 14, 2022 Short 3

I thought I had seen all of the Marvel One Shots before, but then I came across Item 47 on Disney + and I realized that I had not.

Set after the events of The Avengers (2012), Item 47 was a piece of alien tech left on earth that was discovered by two people who started using it as a way to rob banks. This drew the attention of SHIELD and Agent Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez) and his boss Agent Blake (Titus Welliver).

It is hard to watch this short which made Agent Sitwell into the hero knowing that this could have been Agent Coulson (who died in Avengers) and that Sitwell would be revealed as a mole inside SHIELD for Hydra in the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

It was kind of fun, but with the lack of someone who I really cared about, this one just felt like it was going through the motion.

May 14, 2022 Short 2

Four short minutes of Phil Coulson greatness.

These short four minutes show you everything that we love about Phil Coulson, and of course, the amazing Clark Gregg who portrayed him.

Stopping for gas as the erstwhile Agent of Shield was on his way to see the unmovable hammer that had appeared on earth in New Mexico, Agent Coulson crosses paths with some dimwits trying to rob the gas station.

It was a pity for them.

Phil Coulson was funny, calm and absolutely kick ass.

I am certain that this is one of the reasons why Coulson was brought back to head up ABC’s Agents of Shield TV show.

May 14, 2022 Short 1

The first ever Saturday Short is off and running with the first of the Marvel One-Shots currently on Disney +. It was called The Consultant and it featured the ever awesome Clark Gregg as SHEILD Agent Phil Coulson. I have missed Phil Coulson since the ending of the Agents of Shield and getting a chance to see him again is one of the main reasons why the Saturday Short binge does not have to be shorts that I had never seen before.

I saw this on the DVD of Thor and the short explained the reason why Tony Stark met with General Ross (RIP William Hurt) as the post credit scene from the Incredible Hulk.

This short has very little to do except show off Clark Gregg and Maximiliano Hernandez (who played Jasper Sitwell), both of whom would play bigger roles in the beginning of the MCU.

The Marvel One Shots include more substance as they continue so the next ones will be more than a short scene with two cool actors reprising their characters.