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Marvel One-Shots

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Marvel One-Shots
File:Item 47.jpg
Comic-Con poster for Item 47
Directed bySee below
Screenplay bySee below
Produced byKevin Feige
StarringSee below
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
2011–present
Running time
4–14 minutes each
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Marvel One-Shots are a series of direct-to-video short films produced by Marvel Studios, set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They are included as special features in the MCU film's Blu-ray and digital distribution releases, and are not included on the DVDs.

The first two films star Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, and offer up self-contained stories about a day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The third film stars Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Bradford as a down-on-their-luck couple who find a discarded Chitauri gun after the events of The Avengers. The fourth film stars Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. The fifth film stars Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery after the events of Iron Man 3.

Development

In August 2011, Marvel announced a couple of short films would be released direct-to-video. Co-producer Brad Winderbaum said "It's a fun way to experiment with new characters and ideas, but more importantly it's a way for us to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe and tell stories that live outside the plot of our features." The first two films were made in conjunction with The Ebeling Group, being directed by Leythum and written by Eric Pearson.[1]

Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito reiterating this idea stating that the goal of Item 47 was to "expand the world and show you the more human elements of it". He continued that Marvel is wrestling with the idea of introducing established characters who may not yet be ready to carry their own feature films in future One-Shots, saying, "There’s always a potential to introduce a character. We have 8,000 of them, and they can’t all be at the same level. So maybe there are some that are not so popular, and we introduce them [with a short] – and they take off. I could see that happening".[2]

In July 2013, D’Esposito said he considered making stand-alone shorts for several characters, including Loki, a young Nick Fury, and Black Panther. Regarding Loki, D’Esposito said "Being on Asgard is very difficult for us to do in a short. It’s just impossible for us cost wise. The short would be 30 seconds, and it’s over. One shot of Loki on Asgard." On Fury and Black Panther, he remarked "It’s very complicated to do: who plays those characters? And designing the costume, getting it going … We tried. We were there in development, and we tried, but they were very difficult for all the reasons I gave. And we don’t want to do something that’s half baked because it’s not good for us and it’s not good for our fans."[3] During the Agent Carter panel at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, D'Esposito stated it is being considered to bring the shorts to the theaters, appearing before features.[4]

In October 2013, Ben Kingsley said he was working on a secret project with Marvel involving "many members of the crew that were involved in Iron Man 3,"[5] later revealed to be the short All Hail the King.[6] In a February 2014 interview with Total Film, Drew Pearce mentioned other shorts that he wrote that never came to fruition including ones based on Sin, Crossbones and Damage Control.[7]

Films

Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter Producer Home media release
The Consultant September 13, 2011 (2011-09-13) Leythum[1] Eric Pearson[2][8] Kevin Feige Thor
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer October 25, 2011 (2011-10-25) Captain America: The First Avenger
Item 47 September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25) Louis D’Esposito[2][8] The Avengers
Agent Carter September 3, 2013 (2013-09-03) (Digital)
September 24, 2013 (2013-09-24) (Physical media) 		Iron Man 3
All Hail the King February 4, 2014 (2014-02-04) (Digital)
February 25, 2014 (2014-02-25) (Physical media) 		Drew Pearce[6] Thor: The Dark World

The Consultant (2011)

At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced that The Consultant would appear exclusively on the Thor Blu-ray release on September 13, 2011. It was directed by Leythum and written by Eric Pearson, with music by Paul Oakenfold.[1] Clark Gregg and Maximiliano Hernández return to portray Agent Phil Coulson and Agent Jasper Sitwell, respectively, from the films.[1][9] They are joined via archive footage by Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / The Consultant, William Hurt as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky in his Abomination form.[9] Co-producer Brian Winderbaum said the producers "wanted to paint a picture of S.H.I.E.L.D. pulling the strings and being responsible for some of the events seen in the films. What better character to represent this idea than Agent Coulson, the first S.H.I.E.L.D. agent we were introduced to in the first Iron Man film?"[1]

Set after the events of Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk,[1] Phil Coulson informs Jasper Sitwell that the World Security Council wishes Emil Blonsky released from prison to join the Avengers Initiative. They see him as a war hero and blame the devastation in New York City on Bruce Banner. The Council orders them to send an agent to ask General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross to release Blonsky into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. As Nick Fury does not want to release Blonsky, the two agents decide to send a patsy to sabotage the meeting. At Sitwell's urging, Coulson reluctantly sends "The Consultant": Tony Stark. As partially depicted in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk, a disgraced Ross sits drinking in a bar, when he is approached by Stark, who annoys Ross so much that he tries to have Stark removed from the bar. In reply, Stark buys the bar and has it scheduled for demolition. The next day, Coulson informs Sitwell that their plan worked, and that Blonsky will remain in prison.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (2011)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer was included on the Captain America: The First Avenger Blu-ray release on October 25, 2011.[10] It was directed by Leythum and written by Eric Pearson, with music by Paul Oakenfold. The short stars Clark Gregg reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson.[1]

Set before the events of Thor,[1] Phil Coulson stops at a gas station on his way to Albuquerque, New Mexico. While Coulson shops for snacks in the back of the station, two robbers enter and demand the money from the register. When the robbers ask whose car is outside, Coulson reveals himself, surrenders his keys, and offers to surrender his pistol as well. As he is about to turn over the gun, Coulson distracts the robbers and subdues both men in seconds. He then nonchalantly pays for his snacks while subtly advising the clerk not to mention his involvement and leaves the station.

Item 47 (2012)

Item 47 was released on Marvel's The Avengers Blu-ray on September 25, 2012. The film stars Jesse Bradford and Lizzy Caplan as Bennie and Claire, respectively. The film also sees the return of Agent Sitwell, played by Maximiliano Hernández, and introduced Agent Blake, portrayed by Titus Welliver. It was directed by Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito and written by Eric Pearson. The film has a runtime of 12 minutes, longer than the previous films, which were no longer than 4 minutes.[2]

Bennie and Claire, a down-on-their-luck couple find a discarded Chitauri gun ("Item 47") left over from the attack on New York City in The Avengers. The couple use it to rob a few banks, which draws the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., which assigns agents Sitwell and Blake to retrieve the weapon and "neutralize" the couple. Agent Sitwell tracks the couple down to a motel room, which is wrecked in the subsequent confrontation with all the stolen money blown to pieces. Instead of killing the couple, Sitwell invites them to join S.H.I.E.L.D., with Bennie assigned to the R&D 'think-tank' to reverse engineer the Chitauri technology, and Claire becoming Blake's assistant.

Agent Carter (2013)

Agent Carter, released on the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray release on September 24, 2013, as well as part of the digital download release on September 3, 2013, sees Hayley Atwell reprise her role as Peggy Carter.[11] The short also sees Dominic Cooper and Neal McDonough reprise their roles as Howard Stark and Dum Dum Dugan, respectively, Chris Evans via archive footage as Steve Rogers / Captain America, and introduces Bradley Whitford as Agent Flynn and Shane Black as the Disembodied Voice.[12] It was directed by Louis D’Esposito and written by Eric Pearson.[8]

The film takes place one year after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, in which Agent Carter, now a member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, is stuck compiling data instead of working field cases. One night while alone in the office, the case line rings, informing Carter of the location of the mysterious Zodiac. She goes to the location, and is able to retrieve the serum single-handedly. The next day, her misogynistic boss, Agent Flynn, reprimands her for not going through the proper procedures to complete the mission. Carter explains that the mission was time-sensitive, but Flynn is unmoved, dismissing the indignant Carter as an "old flame" of Captain America's who was given her current job out of pity for her bereavement. As Flynn heads to his office, the case line rings, this time with Howard Stark on the other end. He tells Flynn to inform Carter that she will co-head the newly created S.H.I.E.L.D. and that Flynn must personally assist Carter with her things. In a mid-credit scene, Dum Dum Dugan is seen poolside with Stark, marveling at two women wearing the newly created bikinis. Dugan asks Stark if he invented them, to which Stark replies "No, the French".

All Hail the King (2014)

All Hail The King was released on the digital download release of Thor: The Dark World on February 4, 2014, and on February 25, 2014 for the Blu-ray release.[13] The film stars Ben Kingsley reprising his role as Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3, Scoot McNairy as Jackson Norriss, a member of the Ten Rings terrorist cell posing as a documentary filmmaker,[6][14] Lester Speight as Herman,[14] and Sam Rockwell reprising his role as Justin Hammer.[15] The short is written and directed by Drew Pearce, the co-screenwriter of Iron Man 3.[6]

Trevor Slattery, having been captured at the end of Iron Man 3, is now being held in Seagate Prison. At the prison, he is living luxuriously, having his own personal "butler", Herman, as well as other inmates who act as his fan club and protection from other inmates. Looking on at the attention Slattery receives in the cafeteria, is Justin Hammer, who wonders what makes him so special. Slattery has been talking with a documentary filmmaker, Jackson Norriss, to chronicle the events of the Mandarin situation seen in Iron Man 3. Norriss, trying to learn more about Slattery personally, recounts his past from his first casting as a child as well as starring in a failed CBS pilot. Norriss eventually informs Slattery that his portrayal has angered some people, including the actual Ten Rings terrorist group, which Slattery did not know existed. Norriss tells him the history of the Mandarin and the terrorist group, before revealing that he is actually a member of the group. The real reason for Norriss interviewing Slattery is to break him out of prison so he can meet the actual Mandarin. Hearing this, Slattery still has no idea the full ramifications of his posing as the Mandarin.

On Rockwell's cameo, Pearce stated that "I floated it to Marvel, wrote a tag, got his people on board. Then it looked like he wasn't going to be able to do it, as he was in Canada shooting the Poltergeist remake and then, while he was in post-production, he read it and I got a phone call saying that Sam would like to speak to me. So I got on the phone with Rockwell, and he said that if we could shoot it in an hour, on a Sunday lunchtime, in Toronto, then I am in." Pearce headed to Canada and painted a wall to match the shot from the Los Angeles shoot and "Rockwell came in and just nailed it."[16]

Cast and characters

Further information: List of Marvel Cinematic Universe cast members

List indicator(s)

  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
  • A V indicates a voice-only role
  • An A indicates the actor or actress appears via archived footage from previous films.
Character The Consultant (2011) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (2011) Item 47 (2012) Agent Carter (2013) All Hail the King (2014)

Introduced in films

Emil Blonsky
The Abomination 		Tim RothA V [9]  
Peggy Carter   Hayley Atwell[12]  
Phil Coulson Clark Gregg[1]  
Dum Dum Dugan   Neal McDonough[12]  
Justin Hammer   Sam Rockwell[15]
Steve Rogers
Captain America 		  Chris EvansA [12]  
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross William HurtA [9]  
Jasper Sitwell Maximiliano Hernández[9]   Maximiliano Hernández[2]  
Trevor Slattery   Ben Kingsley[6]
Howard Stark   Dominic Cooper[12]  
Tony Stark
The Consultant 		Robert Downey, Jr.A [9]  

Introduced in One-Shots

Agent Blake   Titus Welliver[2]  
Bennie Pollack   Jesse Bradford[2]  
Claire Wise   Lizzy Caplan[2]  
Agent John Flynn   Bradley Whitford[12]  
Disembodied Voice   Shane BlackV [12]  
Herman   Lester Speight[14]
Jackson Norriss   Scoot McNairy[14]

Reception

Cindy White of IGN called The Consultant "intriguing" and said, "The snappy dialogue seems to fit right in with what we expect from a Joss Whedon-ized Avengers movie."[9] Scott Chitwood of ComingSoon.net said, "Considering a third of this is a rehash of an old bonus scene and the other 2/3 is Coulson sitting and having a chat, this is a pretty big disappointment."[17]

R.L. Shaffer of IGN called A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer "fun".[18] Zachary Scheer of Cinema Blend said, "The short is as hackneyed as that title. It's about four minutes of Coulson being a badass, if the definition of 'badass' is "performing needless slow-motion action stunts and then pausing to consider something normal people would consider -- like which donuts to buy."[19]

Andre Dellamorte of Collider called Item 47 "silly".[20] William Bibbiani of Crave Online said, "The short is largely a success: [Maximiliano] Hernandez, [Jesse] Bradford and [Lizzy] Caplan are all in fine form although, [Titus] Welliver seems saddled with a little awkward dialogue, particularly in regards to Coulson, which doesn’t entirely sell."[21] Spencer Terry of Superhero Hype! said, "[Item 47] is easily the best one they've done, and I think that can be attributed to its length seeing as it's three times longer than the other One-Shots. With a longer run time, the short film doesn't have to rush to show us everything that it wants to - we get a clear understanding of both the S.H.I.E.L.D. perspective of the events and the robbers' point of view."[22]

Andy Hunsaker of Crave Online said, "Agent Carter is a fun treat which could lead the way for some female-led Marvel films and, if nothing else, it gives its title character the send-off she deserves."[23] Scott Collura of IGN said, "Atwell's Carter is the big-screen female superhero we've all been waiting for. She kicks so much ass in this short story with such aplomb, using not just brawn but also brains, and it's all very clever and fun."[24] Rosie Fletcher of Total Film said, "Atwell makes a perfect femme fatale-come-special agent, and this '40s noir-style short looks great and packs some euphoric action moments."[25]

IGN's Cliff Wheatley gave All Hail the King a 9.4 out of 10. He said that it's "a return to the loveable personality of the hapless Trevor and a step forward for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has its twists that should satisfy both lovers and haters of Trevor Slattery. But it’s the approach that Pearce takes with the material, from the kung-fu movie style credit sequences to the light-hearted tone that takes a sudden and jarring turn. Kingsley once again shines in the role of Slattery, aloof and ignorant, but more than happy to slide back into Mandarin mode if it will please his adoring fans. Pearce does go for some of the same jokes from Iron Man 3 in a sort of referential way, but it’s nothing too damaging."[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Strom, Marc (August 2, 2011). "Marvel One-Shots: Expanding the Cinematic Universe". Marvel.com. Retrieved September 26, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Breznican, Anthony (July 3, 2012). "First Look: Marvel unveils top-secret 'Avengers' short film 'Item 47' -- Exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 13, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Breznican, Anthony (July 17, 2013). "Marvel One-Shots: Might 'Agent Carter' clear way for Ms. Marvel, Loki, young Nick Fury, or Black Panther?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  4. ^ Collura, Scott (July 19, 2013). "Comic-Con: We Have Seen Agent Carter, the New Marvel One-Shot -- and It Rules". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  5. ^ "Kingsley for 'secret' Marvel job". Belfast Telegraph. October 22, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e Breznican, Anthony (January 9, 2014). "Marvel One-Shot: First Look at Ben Kingsley's Mandarin encore in 'All Hail the King' short film -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Risley, Matt (February 6, 2014). "All Hail The King: Drew Pearce Interview". Total Film. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b c Manning, Shaun (July 22, 2013). "SDCC: MARVEL DEBUTS ATWELL'S "AGENT CARTER ONE-SHOT"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g White, Cindy (August 29, 2011). "First Impression: Thor 3D Blu-ray Special Features". IGN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Own Captain America on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download Now". Marvel.com. January 13, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Strom, Marc (July 24, 2013). "Agent Carter Lines Up Her One-Shot". Marvel.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Fletcher, Rosie (July 19, 2013). "Marvel's Agent Carter reaction: Comic-Con 2013". TotalFilm. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  13. ^ Venable, Nick (January 2, 2014). "Thor: The Dark World Hammers Home A Packed Blu-ray Set This February". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ a b c d Filipponi, Pietro (February 3, 2014). "MARVEL ONE-SHOT - ALL HAIL THE KING OPENS THE DOOR TO A DEVILISH, DARKER MANDARIN STORYLINE [REVIEW - ★★★★]". Gotham News. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b Costain, Kevin (February 7, 2014). ""Marvel One-Shot: All Hail The King" – Review". Movie Viral. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Plumb, Ali (February 24, 2014). "Drew Pearce On Making Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King". Empire. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Chitwood, Scott (August 29, 2011). "Thor (Limited 3D Edition) (Blu-ray)". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Shaffer, R.L. (August 29, 2011). "Thor (Limited 3D Edition) (Blu-ray)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Scheer, Zachary (August 29, 2011). "Captain America: The First Avenger [Blu-Ray]". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Dellamorte, Andre (September 20, 2012). "THE AVENGERS Blu-ray Review". Collider. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Dellamorte, Andre (July 14, 2012). "Comic-Con 2012 Review: Marvel One-Shots: Item 47". Crave Online. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Terry, Spencer (September 20, 2012). "Marvel's The Avengers Blu-ray Review". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Hunsaker, Andy (July 20, 2013). "Comic-Con 2013: Marvel's 'Agent Carter': Happy Ending or a New Beginning?". Crave Online. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Collura, Scott (July 19, 2013). "Comic-Con: We Have Seen Agent Carter, the New Marvel One-Shot -- and It Rules". IGN. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Fletcher, Rosie (July 20, 2013). "Marvel's Agent Carter reaction: Comic-Con 2013". Total Film. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Wheatley, Cliff (February 24, 2014). ""You'll... never..." and so on". IGN. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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