Phaneron

Answer: No, they are part of the multiverse. The MCU is just one of those universes within the multiverse.

lionhead

Answer: I almost think the best way to refer to them would be to call them "MCU-Adjacent." Both answers nail it - they're not part of the MCU universe itself, but are canonical to it and co-exist alongside it thanks to the establishment of the multiverse. And considering the "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" trailer teases Patrick Stewart as (presumably) Professor X, I think we could probably also apply this to pretty much any other Marvel adaptation ever made that was not made by Marvel Studios itself. It all co-exists and is all canonical to each other through the use of multiverses/alternate timelines/alternate dimensions.

TedStixon

Answer: Their respective movies themselves are not retroactively part of the MCU franchise, but since characters and events from those films crossed over here, they can be considered canon to the MCU's overall narrative.

Phaneron

Answer: No. It's explained that they are from another universe, and were sent back to their universes at the end of the film.

gobylo

25th Feb 2022

Venom (2018)

Answer: Possibly, but very unlikely. The mid-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Eddie Brock telling his bartender that he intends to go to New York to "talk to this Spider-Man guy" (paraphrased), which would suggest he's never heard of Spider-Man before, and if he occupied the same universe as the Andrew Garfield version, he would definitely know who Spider-Man is, not least because Eddie is an investigative journalist, and Spider-Man would undoubtedly be one of, if not the most, famous persons on the planet.

Phaneron

Answer: No, it's established that Tom Hardy's Venom is in a universe of his own. The mid-credit scene of "Let There Be Carnage," shows him jumping into the MCU and seeing Spider-Man for the first time. At the end of "No Way Home," he wants to go to New York, but is pulled back, but leaving a piece behind. Somebody will be Venom in the MCU, maybe rich kid Eddie Brock, his arrongance would be perfect for Venom.

Venom, as in the symbiote, knows who Spider-Man is and has been to multiple universes. It's Eddie Brock that seems unaware of Spider-Man. Although there was that "incident at the Daily Globe", which in the comics is what started Brock's hatred of Spider-Man.

Bishop73

Answer: I agree it's unlikely he's in the Garfield universe. At the time of the film, Tom Holland was already Spider-Man. It would be different if this Venom film came out before 2016. But the Symbiote has been to other universes in the multiverse as explained in "Venom: Let There Be Carnage", so it's possible it's been to the Garfield universe and could be the same one from the Maguire universe.

Bishop73

25th Feb 2022

The Simpsons (1989)

You Only Move Twice - S8-E2

Question: I, like Marge, don't know much about football. Why is Homer disappointed to own the Denver Broncos team? I know his first choice was owning the Dallas Cowboys, but he seems to especially dislike the Broncos.

Answer: I don't think the writers had anything particular in mind when choosing the Denver Broncos to be the butt of the joke. But I wonder if it's meant to be a clue where Springfield is. But, while this episode did air late 1996 when the Broncos had a winning season, given the amount of time needed to produce the episode, it was written when the Broncos were a mediocre team at best. From '92-'95 they had a 32-32 record and never finished higher than 3rd in their division. And the Cowboys and Broncos are in separate conferences, so they're not particularly rivals. But as Phaneron points out, the Broncos ended up winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the following 2 season after this episode aired, so Homer is a very lucky guy.

Bishop73

Probably also worth mentioning that by the time this episode had aired, the Broncos had an 0-4 record in the Super Bowl, and to this day I believe they hold the record for most Super Bowl losses.

Phaneron

The Buffalo Bills also had an 0-4 record at the time of airing having lost 4 straight years.

ctown28

The Vikings are also 0-4 in the Super Bowl. The Patriots have 5 losses (although only had 1 at the time this episode aired).

Bishop73

True, and they would have been a funnier pick for Homer to end up owning, given that two consecutive of those four Super Bowl losses were to the Cowboys. Although Homer fantasizing about being John Elway in the episode Cape Feare makes his disdain for the Broncos rather funny.

Phaneron

Question: When Clyde is about to die from the bomb, why didn't he just end the call on the phone he was calling from? He could have probably cancelled the detonation.

tetracore99

Chosen answer: Unfortunately, that wouldn't have done it. Once the phone on the bomb received the signal there was no going back.

Phixius

Oh, and you know this how?

Because that's generally how cellphone bombs work. Nobody's on the other end to answer it, so it's not triggered by being answered. As soon as any call signal is received, game over.

Unless I'm misremembering, when they find the bomb at city hall, the bomb expert even mentions that the bomb can't be disarmed once the call goes through.

Phaneron

16th Feb 2022

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Question: Why did Peter decide to abandon the black suit? I mean, what was the reason for Peter to free himself from the symbiote suit?

Answer: After he struck Mary Jane in the jazz club, he finally came to the realization that the suit was having a negative influence on him and making him aggressive.

Phaneron

1st Jan 2022

The Prestige (2006)

Question: Why was Angier's first name of Rupert in the novel changed to Robert for the film?

Phaneron

Answer: I learned the answer to this today while reading the novel, in which Angier states that the name "Rupert" attracts amused inquisitiveness from Americans, so while traveling in the United States, he goes by Robert or Robbie.

Phaneron

18th Jan 2022

General questions

I saw a movie or TV show back in the early 90's when I was a kid. I only remember one scene because it scared the crap out of me. I believe in the scene, an older man (probably 60's?) was fed feet-first into a shredding machine or large wood-chipper and killed. It was outside. The camera was inside it looking up. And I think there was a woman behind him who either pushed him in, or was trying to get him out. He was awake, shouting and struggling. Ring anyone's bell? (And it was not "Fargo.").

TedStixon

Answer: This might be from the TV series Friday the 13th. The episode is called "Root Of All Evil." The plot of the episode deals with a cursed mulcher. Anybody that gets thrown into it is killed and money is expelled from the other side. The richer the person is, the more money that comes out. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD9XnWh5Mx4.

Holy crap! I think that's it! Quickly scanned through the episode, and it seems to (mostly) match up with what I remember. Not exactly, but considering how young I was, I could just be misremembering it. Additionally, since I was born in '88 and probably saw it when I was 3-4 years old (so '91-'92ish), it would also line up because the show ran until 1990 and was likely still on the air in re-runs.

TedStixon

In fact, I'm 90% sure the death at 31:13 in the video is the exact scene I'm remembering. The only difference is that it's a man and not a woman who pushed him in, but that just could be my memory being dodgy since I only saw it once about 30 years ago. Thank you! I think you got it.

TedStixon

You're welcome.

Answer: I know there're several films where someone has died in a wood-chipper or similar device. License to Kill (1989), Bond is dangling over a shredder and Dario is standing over him. Pam shoots Dario and Bond pulls him into the shredder.

Bishop73

That's a good example, but it's not the scene I'm looking for. It's hard to give details due to the 500 character limit. But the scene seemed to be outside during the daytime (I think there were trees in the background), I think the old man who died was wearing a flannel shirt (that could be wrong), and I seem to recall him having like gray or white hair. I think the woman was trying to save him.

TedStixon

I don't know the film you're talking about, but have you tried looking up "woodchipper" or "body in a woodchipper" in IMDB's plot keywords? The latter has 13 movies listed.

Phaneron

Yeah, I've scoured IMDB for it, but the problem is almost everything I run into is either from the year 2000 or after (like I said, I saw this in the early 90's on TV), or just not the movie/show I'm looking for. I'm assuming it might have been like an obscure episode of a TV show or movie that might not necessarily have a plot keyword attached.

TedStixon

Question: If Jonathan and Mr. Ages were the only mice to survive the escape from NIMH, then where did all the other intelligent mice come from? Did one or both of them father a new generation of intelligent mice? Mrs. Brisby's marriage to Jonathan makes this all a little confusing.

Phaneron

Answer: Mrs. Brisby tells Nicodemus that Jonathan had been teaching her to read and her children as well. The children were better at reading that she was but that might be something that they inherited from their father. I think Mr. Ages was also able to read so that makes him intelligent as well. Remember the injections that the mice and rats were given also gave them the ability to read.

Answer: What other intelligent mice? I have watched the movie many times and I don't remember seeing any other intelligent mice. The mice that tried to escape with the rats were sucked down the ventilation shafts, so we don't know what happened to them.

Well, Mrs. Brisby for one, and by extension, her children. She wasn't part of the experiments at NIMH, so why does she possess human intelligence like Jonathan and Mr. Ages? Similarly, why do Jeremy, Auntie Shrew and the Great Owl have human-like intellect as well?

Phaneron

15th Jan 2022

Hostel (2005)

Question: How did Paxton know that "Edward-salad-hands" bad guy (who he follows off the train and kills in the toilets at the end) was part of the Elite Hunting club? As far as I can remember, the last time Paxton sees him is when he is talking to Josh in the bar. Not an obvious clue... Unless he murders him simply for eating his lunch without a knife and fork? Reasonable.

Answer: Just before Paxton is taken to be tortured, he witnesses the Dutch businessman working on Josh's corpse.

Phaneron

7th Jan 2022

Tommy Boy (1995)

Question: Why can't the kids at the back of the school bus just tell the driver to stop for Tommy instead of letting him chasing it?

Trainman

Answer: He was the fat kid. I was teased in school for being the nerd who wore glasses and read books.

Answer: Because they're being mean and wanted to watch Tommy chase the bus.

Bishop73

Why were they so mean to Tommy?

Trainman

He's an overweight doofus, which makes him a prime target for bullying.

Phaneron

Question: Why can't Kevin just call the police that Harry and Marv is about to rob Duncan's toy chest at midnight instead of stopping them himself?

Trainman

Answer: There is no reason other than it would be an incredibly boring movie if he did that. Obviously that's what one would do in real life, but if one buys that Marv and Harry can survive the multiple fatal traps they encounter, then one can suspend disbelief enough to accept a questionable decision to advance the plot.

Answer: I think it's the same reason he didn't call the cops in the first film, he was afraid of the cops because he committed a crime himself. While it could be considered a stretch, it's not really explained in the films. In the first film he is chased by the cop for stealing a toothbrush and in the second film the hotel has found out Kevin was using a stolen credit card, so he flees. Of course, he ends up calling the cops in the first film and makes a recording of their confession for the cops in the second film.

Bishop73

Answer: What cop would believe a little boy that he knows that two escaped convicts, he single handedly captured before, we're going to rob a store.

Police are required to follow up on reports. They can't just disregard a report because they think it's unlikely.

Phaneron

Question: When Dr. Strange separates Peter's spirit from his body how is Peter still able to make his arm move?

Answer: His spider-sense is probably somewhat aware that his astral form has been separated from his physical body, so it is taking over and controlling his movements.

Phaneron

I concur with your answer because while he is separated from his suit you can see the aurora of his spider tingle all around his head.

Answer: I guess I missed something because I thought that suit was made with Stark tech and has nanotech in it. I figured it was the suit keeping the box away and Doctor Strange thought it was Peter.

Bishop73

That's a possibility I didn't think of, and it admittedly makes more sense than my answer.

Phaneron

Question: After Kevin finds out he is in New York why doesn't he say anything to the lady behind the counter? He could have very easily told her where his family was so that they could have been notified, but he doesn't. Why doesn't he say anything?

Answer: He very openly stated to his mom earlier that he wanted to have his own vacation away from the rest of the family, so he got exactly what he wanted.

Phaneron

31st Dec 2021

Home Alone (1990)

Question: How come Kevin never told his parents or his family about the Wet Bandits? He also never told them in the sequel either.

Trainman

Answer: If your kid came to you and said he single handedly captured to two robbers, you'd believe him.

Answer: He never tells them onscreen, nor does the movie give any indication that they know, but realistically, Kevin was a witness to their crimes, and he would be called in to give statements and testimonies in order to put them away. So his parents would have to know about his encounters with them, otherwise it would be a major plot hole. Perhaps the film-makers thought it would be funnier and more in line with his character for Kevin to be secretive about it.

Phaneron

Not necessarily. The police caught them red-handed and one of the cops said their habit of flooding houses was proof as to which houses they hit. It's possible no-one knew Kevin's connection.

Brian Katcher

Good point.

Phaneron

Mr. Marley, the elderly next-door-neighbor, knew about it. He, too, was also a witness. It's highly unlikely that it would not come out that Kevin had some involvement. The burglars did break into the McCallister house, further adding to their crimes.

raywest

Answer: Adding to a previous answer, the cops arrested them at the site of a previous break-in. Even though Marley rescued Kevin, it's possible he didn't tell anyone about them either, so them breaking into the McCallister's house didn't matter. Not to mention, Marv blabbing about them having the calling card to the police didn't help their case either.

Answer: Why would he need to? The idea is that he outsmarted them alone, and his parents were none the wiser.

Question: Why didn't Nick and his cop buddy lock down the warehouse after they discovered the tunnel to the prison? They could have waited for Clyde to return to nab him and shut him down.

Answer: Clyde was already in the process of bombing City Hall when they discovered his warehouse. They deduced that if Clyde realises they are onto him, then he will detonate the bomb early, so they decide to let Clyde return to his cell and trap him while he is under the impression that his plan is going to go off without a hitch.

Phaneron

27th Dec 2021

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Question: I know that Susan was originally supposed to survive and kill the last shark but the test audience greatly disapproved of this. Why did the test audience hate the original ending? And why is this ending unavailable to watch?

Answer: They viewed her as a villain because it was her research that backfired and caused all of the chaos, even though none of it was intentional and it was a mistake. But audiences can be ruthless and unforgiving at times. However, the ending did feel like a cheap cop-out that created more plot holes. And many do feel she should have survived and completed her character arc. I don't know why they never offered the ending as a bonus feature on the DVD, but fans started a petition on the Change site calling for Warner to release the original ending. Thomas Jane is on board as well, as he's promoting it on his Instagram account. So that's probably the best way to get Warner's attention if you want to see the original ending.

Answer: Audiences viewed Susan as a villain of sorts, because all the mayhem and deaths in the film are a direct result of her breaching protocol, so they decided to rewrite the ending to have her die. As for why it's unavailable to view, perhaps the filmmakers didn't think people would be interested in seeing it.

Phaneron

27th Dec 2021

X-Men (1992)

Answer: They are indeed brothers, as is revealed in the episode Orphan's End. They were separated in their youth after their parents were abducted, which is why neither is aware of the other.

Phaneron

18th Dec 2021

Arachnophobia (1990)

Question: Which spider attacked the doctor in the barn, killing him? Was it the general, the queen, or just one of the offspring?

Answer: It definitely wasn't one of the offspring, as you can see when it jumped out at him that it was a very large spider, likely the general since they mentioned the queen would be guarding the egg sac in the wine cellar to defend it from other spiders.

Phaneron

Answer: I think he's referring to the Brazilian doctor they brought in to help. If that's the case, it was the main spider that hitched a ride with the body.

lartaker1975

Answer: One of the offspring. There was a brief shot of the little one crawling into the doctor's slipper.

Wrong doctor.

lionhead

The question is actually referring to the entomologist played by Julian Sands, not the town medical doctor that Jeff Daniels moves in to replace.

Phaneron

13th Dec 2021

Bruce Almighty (2003)

Question: What were the insects that Bruce breathed at the gang that beat up earlier?

Answer: They appear to be locusts, which are one of the ten plagues mentioned in the Book of Exodus.

Phaneron

11th May 2017

Saw IV (2007)

Question: A tape recorded by John directed toward agent Perez states that her partner would soon take the life of an innocent man. How did John know that agent Strahm would kill Jeff? For all he knows, Strahm could have followed Rigg through the factory rather than Jeff. The "if you're good at anticipating the human mind, it leaves nothing to chance" excuse doesn't work here. The only reason Strahm followed Jeff was because he heard Jeff hit a ceiling light with a crowbar.

Answer: Realistically there is no way he could have known. The writers were just working backwards from the plot point on this one.

Phaneron

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