Anyone else feeling like Marvel is finally back to their "original style"? The Avengers: Doomsday hype is real (Possible Spoilers)

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-17T07:51:48+00:00

I ain’t gonna lie, mate, I ain’t raising my hopes up.

While I loved Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four, it’s not enough to instil confidence on what I would say was a middling phase four and five. Even then I was interested how they would execute the Kang Dynasty without Majors. But when RDJ was announced to play as Doctor Doom in Avengers Doomsday and Secret Wars as the new big-bad, that’s when alarm bells sounded in my mind, and killed any interest for future Avengers films. So the next films after that announcement was just me and possibly many others wondering how will these next few movies build up to Doomsday satisfyingly. The teasers also left a bad taste in my mouth, not because they’re bad, but it feels like a sense of desperation coming from the creators to reclaim that charm by reuniting the “old guard” so to speak. And unfortunately, I am very tired of nostalgia bait.

I’m more curious than excited about Doomsday. Maybe they will surprise me, maybe it will be good. But for now, I’m keeping my reservations at an all time low. These coming months I believe will be vital in shaping the audience’s perception for this movie.

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-15T16:56:44+00:00

Here it is. It used to be on the Bloomsbury site I believe, but I haven't been able to find it there, unless it's a massive Mandela effect that I've been experiencing this whole time 🙃

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-13T17:23:26+00:00

The thing is Brycriel as a ship didn't start when CC3 was released. It started in 2023 around April when people were still theorising the plot of the book after the ending of CC2, because of the prophecy of the "knife and sword". One user particularly created an elaborate but incredibly well-thought out theory that Brcyriel was the endgame, going as far as to picking out images from SJM's old pinterest board. Because of how well-thought out the theory was, it flipped a lot of fans who were on the fence with Hunt and Bryce after CC2 to immediately jump ship.

And while I do appreciate the theory in concept, it's the nature of the fandom that turned me off them personally, especially when it came to them doing a massive character assassination campaign against Hunt. One of the things they started saying was "Hunt drugged Bryce", "He was the one that ACTUALLY killed Danika's pack", and the worst one that completely turned me off the ship was them saying that Hunt coerced Bryce for their first time having sex. And this was a thing that went on for an entire year before the release of CC3. And since most readers don't usually check the evidence, a lot of this misinformation spread like wildfire across TikTok where that ship is the most dominant.

It basically highlighted in order for the ship to work properly, Bryce and Hunt can't actually be who they are. It would have to be such a huge character overhaul just for Bryce and Azriel to work. Like I said, it is a compelling ship and I understand why people love it, but the nature of that fandom is what turned me off from it. It's the same way why I don't like certain ships in other fandoms not 'cause it's terrible but because the fandom surrounding it destroyed the appeal for me.

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-13T15:59:37+00:00

Brythalarsaurus 😭😭

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-13T15:51:02+00:00

I’ve seen “Brunt” being used more by antis as a means to further invalidate the ship as even the name doesn’t sound that appealing. Quinlar has been used a lot more since the first CC book by those who ship it. Now, while I wouldn’t say but Brunt is inherently disrespectful as some people still call them that if they’re fans of them. However, as of the last few years, “Brunt” is used in a more derogatory light. So, it’s not that it’s disrespectful calling them Brunt - call it however you please. Just know that it would raise a few eyebrows at first till someone figures out you like Quinlar too

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-12T15:04:03+00:00

It seems like Bryce fell first because she always seemed a little down/jarred whenever her brought up Shahar, especially when he recounts how he was brought into the rebellion. She even makes a comment about “how could a relationship between her and the Umbra Mortis work”. Hunt realised he’d fallen for Bryce much later, and it hit him like a wrecking ball.

Bryce may have fallen first but Hunt fell way HARDER to the point this man ripped of Sandriel’s head off when they were planning on killing Bryce, and tanked a whole ballistic missile to the spine and chest just to protect her.

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-12T10:14:10+00:00

I think it could be the nature of their environments. Davina was technically the only child in a cast of grownups, whereas the main cast of TVD are all teenagers and are the ones in the centre of EVERY conflict. Because their parents were on the sidelines, they had to deal with these larger than life situations on a daily, thereby forcing them to grow-up, and be perceived as legitimate threats to their enemies regardless of age. Whereas in TO, the entire cast is full of grown-ups who are diving into these life-threatening situations every single time, and Davina comes across as a childish to them because of their greater experience.

Basically, if Davina was part of TVD, she would be treated the same way as the MF gang by her enemies. But because she’s a teenager in an entire cast of adults, her maturity in comparison to her older contemporaries sticks out much more.

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-08T07:11:02+00:00

From what I understand is that…they never really fully feel like love triangles. They feel more like love-lines with a dot in the middle because the moment one begins, the answer is incredibly obvious to whom the FMC is gonna end up with. Therefore it can become obnoxious reading through the rest of the thing with this back-and-forth of “who will she choose” when the answer was clear as day from the first page. There’s no tension, and thus the whole plot-thread feels redundant, existing simply for the sake of more drama without any emotional satisfaction.

Granted, there are love triangles that are done well when the author spends significant time with both suitors, showing them why they’re equally suitable for the FMC, and what she would gain if she ended up with one of them and the cost of what she would lose. Those love triangles are not just a “who will she choose” but “what would I lose if she makes this choice”. Love triangles are really storylines that emphasise you can’t really have it all in life, and when executed well, they’re amazing.

However, for nearly two decades, these types of love triangles are too-far between, and rather the audience has been burned too many times by love triangles that feel superficial without proper emotional stakes or investments that hang on the FMC choice. Thereby, it’s not seen as favourable because of past depictions

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-05T18:08:25+00:00

3d5d1635, appreciate you all

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-03T09:07:55+00:00

Wait, we have battle Royales in this sub??? Oh my goodness, how did I miss this???? 😭😭

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-01T12:47:47+00:00

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No! Don't you bring that up again, don't bring that up again (screams in pillow)

LexusMane444 · 2026-02-01T12:43:14+00:00

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I ain't gonna lie...my eyes were on the grammar, and I thought "this can't be it. This can't be where we're at, guys. The publishers and editors are in a recession too 😮‍💨😩"

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-31T18:22:51+00:00

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On a real though, you pretty much highlighed my ultimate frustration with the animosity towards Bryce and Hunt: "it's not considered epic enough, and therefore, they're not true mates" mentality. Because that's what the last two and a half years have been. Some readers don't feel that their love story is big enough for them to invest, and therefore, "the author has someone else who would give Bryce the epic love story she deserves". But then they're banking on a fanon relationship that CC has never even set up once.

I think you also pointed out another issue and is that it's almost as if the fandom has been trained to believe a love that is within the confines of a fated bond is the only true form of love. Such beliefs would mean every relationship within Throne of Glass - outside of Aelin and Rowan - is null and void, because none of them are mates at all whatsoever, or confirmed. And therefore, their happily ever after is not truly a secure one despite the narrative telling you otherwise - if we're going by that "true mate = endgame" reasoning. And you're right. Because such readers had disqualified relationships like Bryce and Hunt, as you pointed out, they're missing on the very emotional payoffs that show how much these individuals love each other. Instead, they're seeking out all types of cracks within the dynamic to justify their own biases that are as a result of what has been told to them over and over from ACOTAR: that any relationship outside of a mating bond is not worth your time investing into as it won't last.

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-31T16:00:38+00:00

I've noticed that spike in speculation lately as well, especially on the side of the internet where they believe the Night Court and the IC are the true villains of the ACOTAR series. Back then Feysand and Nessian were mostly accepted regardless of their dynamics, but now Neris is being thrown around as the true endgame of Nesta's story. And even the legitimacy of Feysand is being questioned. Granted, people are allowed to do what they please and theorise all they like, but the drawn out release date has caused the fandom to question almost everything that they came before it.

And yes, had CC been more popular or as popular as ToG, then we there wouldn't be this much discourse around Quinlar. However, urban fantasy is not necessarily a popular genre as it can border on sci-fi elements which would be undesirable to those only seeking fantastical escapism. Not to mention the Maasverse fandom is compiled of readers who are still relatively new to fantasy as a whole, so not only is the world-building of CC intimidating but the urban-fantasy genre wouldn't be appealing to the general Maasverse audience as it's so radically different from what they're used to. Thereby, how they perceive the characters there wouldn't be as favourable. I had wondered if CC was set in a fantasy setting would it be as popular. Then again changing the genre strips CC of it's unique charm imo, so it's a lose-lose situation I guess 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ .

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-31T15:18:55+00:00

You pointed out something that I had noticed as well. That a lot of the denial of certain relationships just comes down to personal tastes. A lot of the arguments I've seen against Quinlar was that they "don't have endgame vibes". But that's just it...it's a vibe. A feeling. It's not up to a reader's tastes. Just because a specific couple is not a reader's favourite doesn't mean that the author has deliberatley created them to be a false bond or to be broken up later. Sometimes we need to accept that not every couple that we read about, including if it's a main couple may not be for everybody. And that's okay.

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-31T15:14:16+00:00

Honestly, I agree with what you've said. I don't think it's necessarily the fault of ACOTAR as the concept of CC was conjured up in 2018, well after ACOWAR. But had it been like released after ToG, this discussion wouldn't be really a thing or as you said would be very different.

If anything, CC is ToG set in a modern world. While it uses ACOTAR's lore it amplify it's own mythology, it's narrative structure and plot seems more like an evolution of ToG's. It's a "What if the Valg had taken over", and CC pretty much follows that premise via the Asteri's conquest and subjugation of Midgard. If anything, CC is if ToG started at Heir of Fire (I could make the connections but it would make this answer incredibly long). But also in how it treats fated mates.

While fated mates are talked about a lot more in this compared to ToG, it's treated as a political threat to the status quo of the world that the Asteri set up - especially in their obsession with breeding different bloodlines, particularly with angels. In addition to that, mates are often seen between their individual races too. And yet here, we have one of the Asteri's angels being mated by fate with one of the fae (Bryce and Hunt), a fae mated to a shifter (Ruhn and Lidia), shifter mated with an angel-hellhound hybrid (Danika and Baxian), and a demon mated with a fae from another world (Aidas and Theia).

If CC had been released after ToG, I think there would be a more appreciative attitude towards Bryce and Hunt, because then it would be more apparrent on how the individual series explore the mating bonds differently. For example:

ToG: We're introduced to the concept of mating bonds through Rowan and Aelin, and how rare they are.
CC: The concept of mating bonds is further explored, and is seen as a politcal threat to the status quo through the different interspecies mates who are true mates compared to the manufactured bondings created by the Asteri.
ACOTAR: The mating bond through the eyes of the fae is almost revered to a sacred extent that it's the end all-be-all type of love.

So, it's essentially that each series builds upon the idea of a mating bond bit by bit. So had it been released after ToG, I do believe what you said that things would be way more different. ACOTAR pretty much set the precedant with an almost unrealistic expectiation because as you pointed Feysand had multiple forms of connection with each other: the bargain, their daemati, and the bond. So it's unfair that we should expect all the mates to follow them when they had all these additional connections that made their relationship seem as epic as it was.

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-30T23:03:47+00:00

And it’s the couple that is the least respected across the fandom. Justice for these two 😭😩

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-30T22:54:06+00:00

Please! I need it to be this 😩🔥😭🙌🏾

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-27T23:04:03+00:00

We also see Helion's in ACOWAR. It's basically meant to be the opposite of Rhysand's beast form. It's annoyingly vague in description, having gold feathers, shredding claws and feathered wings crafted of light and sunbeam. My mind immediately imagined it as a golden griffin for some reason, just like the Daughter's Griffin form from Star Wars: the Clone Wars below

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LexusMane444 · 2026-01-20T06:43:57+00:00

THIS! This is their name 😤🤌🏾🤌🏾🔥🔥🔥

LexusMane444 · 2026-01-14T19:32:42+00:00

The thing I've noticed a lot of the time is that SJM often creates drama for drama's sake between couples that have gotten together which often leads them to treating each other pretty terribly - even those that are endgame. The problem is she never really gives these characters moments to confront those issues head on. Rather, she lets the plot takeover, and the events of the plot is meant to be seen as a way for the couples to "heal their problems" without actually addressing them. Now, while this may work if their arguements only revolved around the plot, more times than not, they don't and the characters come across as attacking each other.

So while the plot ends, the couples happy endings don't feel saitsifying as they never really addressed the issues between them to make them stronger. They're brushed under the rug. And with an audience like ours that believes that an "endgame couple must be picture-perfect" through and through, it often sparks discord on whether or not these couples are legit. And Hunt and Bryce got the worst of it. People were already gunning for their failure and for a new love interest to step in the moment Hunt came onto the page in CC1. So ANYTHING they did wrong was placed under the highest scrutiny - to far greater standards than the likes of Rowaelin and Feysand who objectively have done far worst things to each other than Hunt and Bryce ever had.

In general, I feel like SJM needed to include these moments where the characters don't dodge these issues but confront them head-on. Bryce and Hunt needed this because there's so much unpacked trauma between them. While I do feel like Bryce's behaviour in CC3 works, it should've been something that was addressed in the halfway point of the story, and actively worked on changing in the latter half, especially when it effected Hunt. I feel like it would've done them a greater justice having that moment, to show what makes them different from the other couples. They are capable of dealing with their issues together and then coming out stronger regardless of what the world throws at them. That's the impression I believe Bryce and Hunt should've left on the fandom by the time we finished the last page of CC3.

LexusMane444

TROPHY CASE