Saturday is for shitpollsting about MCU

[lunabee34]

Poll #21443 the preferred term is master of the mystic arts

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27

View Respondents

Clint Barton's secret family is

View Answers

an awesome reveal that adds to his character
4 (16.0%)

really getting in the way of my Clint/Coulson
3 (12.0%)

probably dusted :(
11 (44.0%)

improbably secret
14 (56.0%)

really refreshing since most of the other characters seem to struggle with interpersonal relationships
9 (36.0%)

something else I will tell you in comments
4 (16.0%)

How much do we want to see Pepper as Rescue in Endgame?

View Answers

to infinity and beyond
12 (48.0%)

the mostest
8 (32.0%)

more than chocolate
14 (56.0%)

gimme, gimme, grabby hands
14 (56.0%)

not at all
2 (8.0%)

When Thor makes love to his sweet rabbit,

View Answers

it brings Loki back to life
1 (4.8%)

they must endure and overcome the xenophobia of most of the galaxy's heroes
1 (4.8%)

Shuri makes Rocket some badass weaponry as a present for the ensuing wedding
11 (52.4%)

no one expects the pregnancy
13 (61.9%)

Natasha is better as a redhead.

View Answers

yes
26 (100.0%)

no
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[kore]

I am loving these polls! They're so fun.

I LOATHED the farm as Whedon's kind of mid-life crisis urban dude fantasy, but it has real and intriguing potential (and even actual-actual) in other directions.

My headcanon is, if it's flipped so Laura is Barney's widow, and Clint is taking care of his brother's family, then you can still have Clintasha and an OT3 if you want! Although I do really like the nearly-canon OT3 in Ultron, too, it's one of the few things I like about the damn movie, and that still permits for Clintasha and a fandom OT3. -- I like that "disaster Barton" has a real home, I love Linda Cardinelli, I love how Nat has apparently successfully kept the secret for years and years, and how they NAME A KID AFTER HER. Nat is so isolated in the comics, and connection/found family is a huge thing for her in the movies. Old Man Barton's Farm is possibly one of those things that can look nuclear and vanilla from the outside, but meet the different needs of people actually in it, and I like how fic can explore that from all different kinds of angles.

I even love all the fanon about it, stuff like how Laura gave Nat the necklace, or Laura and Nat got together first, or Laura was at SHIELD, or Clint brought Nat to the farm after bringing her in from the cold, or how Nat brings Wanda to meet them after AoU, whatever. I do really dislike how Whedon sets it up as the mid-life crisis cliche thing in the film (will Clint quit his dangerous job? WTF is Tony making that awful joke about making PEPPER live on a farm? WHY does Laura get the horrible line about "Soooo Nat and Bruce"? HOME RENO??). And why THAT SCENE, the one where Nat says she can't have kids and is a monster (I know, I know, not how Whedon meant it, but it still NEGATES the whole setup we've just seen where she's Auntie Nat??) And why is the baby a son. In like every single sff series/movie where a woman is pregnant the result is a boy. Why, just why. A girl could still have the goddamn middle name of Petra or even Pietra, it would be fine.

(Also nobody can convince me Nat would SUGGEST DITCHING EVERYONE ELSE IN HER LIFE for Bruce while standing in the NURSERY of her found family OT3. Just....why, Whedon? So badly done. sigh.)

[lunabee34]

Oh, those are all really interesting possibilities! I would read lots of fic of all of that.

I like the farm because it gives Clint stakes the others don't have. None of them are married; none of them have kids. I don't by any means think those are the only important relationships someone can have, but I like that it makes what might hurt him or break him different than what might hurt or break another Avenger.

[kore]

I really didn't personally like what Whedon did with the farm/wife/kids, but something about Clint having those hidden ties (and Nat knowing about them) really is so appealing, since a lot of the other Avengers are so cut off (Steve, Thor, and they even have Tony lose Pepper for a bit). I think there's a small chill niche where people write Laura fic, I'll have to get down some of my ideas....

[tabaqui]

I totally am behind that. She's Barney's widow, or she's Clint's half-sister or something. But the whole sekrit!hidden!!family!!! out on the farm? Was utterly ridiculous.

But then - most of AoU was utterly ridiculous, so.....

HOMG, yes, Natasha and Bruce's whole...thing...was so very stupid and weird and out there. Like the Sharon/Steve kiss - shoehorned in, incredibly ridiculous, totally without story/plot merit. Yuck.

(I'm late to this discussion, but I just had to jump in.)

[kore]

But then - most of AoU was utterly ridiculous, so.....

TRUE STORY

HOMG, yes, Natasha and Bruce's whole...thing...was so very stupid and weird and out there. Like the Sharon/Steve kiss - shoehorned in, incredibly ridiculous, totally without story/plot merit. Yuck.

Like I saw one person on Tumblr say, the last time we saw Nat and Bruce together in any way, she was TERRIFIED of him. He was CHASING her. She can persuade Bruce, but nobody can persuade or reason with or whatever with the Hulk. (Altho then in the very same movie he can understand and respond to Steve's commands, and also save Tony, so IDEFK.) And then we jump to the lullaby thing which would have to be probably practiced, and who came up with it and why, and all that? The team movies notoriously aren't about characterization, but this is where that started to be a big problem, because you can't just whip out a complicated relationship like that and call it done.

[lunabee34]

There is no late on this journal! It is for all time! :)

I also did not like the Sharon/Steve kiss which I hate because I did like Sharon a lot and feel like her character got short changed. I liked her as Steve's neighbor and even as a potential love interest; I liked her as one of the few who stood up for what's right at Shield.

The kiss was just awkwardly done.

[musesfool]

I was more annoyed that it spiked Clint/Natasha, and mostly worried that they only existed to get killed (as per the Ultimate comics).

[lunabee34]

*Nods*

I was really worried she was just going to die as well. I was glad that didn't happen.

I like Kore's suggestion upthread that it's really an OT3 (which I know that threesomes don't fix everything for everyone, but I like it in this case).

[notasupervillain]

Secret family is only an interesting character trait if is secret SECOND family. Otherwise, you just suck at communication with your friends.

[lunabee34]

Heeeeeeee.

[kaleecat]

I have so many problems with the writing in AoU and bad actions that got hand waved away. The whole Thor grips Tony around the neck and lifts him is just ... Flames burning on the side of my face.

Fair warning I am soooo dug into salty team iron man firs so that probably colors my in retrospect opinions on films.

I'm with Kore on the serious disconnect about Clint's secret family and farm. But I really like the family thing going with Laura, Clint and Natasha. In my fan brai, though, the true story is that it was always Clint/Phil and Laura/Natasha. They all want kids so Laura is the surrogate/mom and the latest baby is Natasha's embryo with Phil's sperm (because Laura knows he's still alive and when it comes out .....

I've missed Pepper so I really want her to have screen time in Endgame. Unfortunately with the cast of thousands I'm dubious. Also if they kill Tony Stark then : one, Marvel has idiots doing writing as that character &RDJ are the ley line of the universe & even cameos would pay off; and, two I'm going to go bonkers.

The Thor thing - I guess he called Rocket a rabbit? Is confused so moving on.

Natasha looks so so much better as a redhead! The blonde might have worked but the styling was wretched. And the blonde bob in Endgame ads isn't much better. SJ is lovely so it takes work to make her hair be so bad IMO.

Huh guess I had a a lot of opinions on the Marvel thing.

PS- damnit I forget this was DW with my severely limited icon choices! Haven't loaded any of my Marvel snaps. ☹️

[lunabee34]

Yes! In Ragnarok, he calls Rocket a sweet rabbit and they get a shit ton of screen time together (waaaay more than I expected), and I think a lot of people came out of the moving low key shipping it, or at least BFFing it.

I like her better as a redhead, too, which is weird since I think she's actually a natural blonde (or at least I have often seen her blonde, and it looks good on her).

[kore]

I do think she's a natural blonde! From what I've seen she tends to wear her hair very short, almost in a buzz cut (maybe partly because she has what, three? kids). So her Marvel hair is always awful wigs. Or so people tell me, the way I can tell if someone's wearing a wig is if it slides off their head.

[kaleecat]

She is a natural blonde so IDK what is up with that.

Huh totally forgot that part. Well I’m rewatching before A:E so ...

[kore]

I'm with Kore on the serious disconnect about Clint's secret family and farm. But I really like the family thing going with Laura, Clint and Natasha. In my fan brai, though, the true story is that it was always Clint/Phil and Laura/Natasha

I have to rewatch the whole thing one of these days (LOL) because I was so charmed by Cardinelli and totally down with "of course Nat could be part of the OT3/Nat and Laura could be a couple!" even before I read any fic. There must be some chemistry sparking away there!

Oh man I totally doubt they will kill Tony, because for one thing they set him up as Peter's mentor, and Iron Man was the first of the films, and he's still kind of like the throughline. Or maybe I'm just so resigned to them killing Steve I don't want to consider it. They better not kill Steve AND Tony.

[lunabee34]

IDK, my money is on both Steve and Tony dead. I don't want them to die, but I am convinced they will. Tony seems more of a goner to me than Steve. I think Steve might live and pass on the shield. IDK

[lyr]

While I did vote that Clint having a secret family is kind of refreshing given how shit the other heroes are at interpersonal relationships, I have to also say that I did find the way his family was portrayed as boringly stereotypical. I mean, could they have looked more middle-America, nuclear posterfamily, and heteronormative? That's why when I wrote them I made Laura and Clint queerplatonic partners. And also, of course, because I think my life choices should be reflected in more stories.

[lunabee34]

*high five*

I am always for more life choices being reflected in more stories.

I am just really hoping his kids and Scott's daughter haven't been dusted. I know they'll be coming back, but that is so traumatic.

[kore]

NOOOOOOOoooo not Cassie. //is so attached to the idea of the Young Avengers movie someday

[lyr]

Oh, I bet they have been dusted. That's how we'll build the emotional stakes for Clint and Scott.

[kore]

That's why when I wrote them I made Laura and Clint queerplatonic partners

Do tell! I love stories where Clint and Laura's setup is actually subversive.

[havocthecat]

I do not hate Clint's secret family, unlike, oh, everyone else I have ever talked to on the internet about it. FUCK IT. I AM FOR IT. Why does everyone have to be a giant codependent fuckup that can't have a relationship with anyone but another Avenger to save their life? Why should Clint be unable to get his head screwed on straight? Why is a fairly average looking woman with no discernible talents and a couple of kids supposed to be Joss Whedon's masturbatory fantasy except that she just pops up to get in the way of a bunch of pairings? Why can't Clint have a healthy relationship?

Just because a canon ship shows up for Clint doesn't mean I can't ship him around the block five times before Sunday in fanfic.

I may be exhausted and tactless because I've spent four hours dancing (okay, I know I am), but honestly, a canon ship for Clint is not that big a deal.

[lunabee34]

*nods nods*

We're pretty much on the same page about this. I've always been a multi-shipper, so to me it just opens up more possibilities for fic for Clint.

I also like that she's kind of a cipher, so you can write any kind of background you want for her.

[independence1776]

For Clint's family, I went with probably dusted, improbably secret, and something else. That something else is "gets in the way of Clint/Natasha/Loki." Because my tiny OT3 remains my tiny OT3. But I've also read and adore the lone Clint/Laura/Loki fic, so…

It's not that I hate the secret family-- I don't. I just think it was improbably secret and not really a good sign that Clint hid his family from his team. Something's screwy there.

[lunabee34]

Yeah, I think it's a bit improbably secret, too, but I don't necessarily think it means anything too bad that he hid them from the team. I suspect after Loki mind controlling him, he's really wary of having them known.