Marvel Movie Minute • Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Minute Fifty-Five: From Thor’s Punchline to Thor’s PunchJoining us today to discuss Thor’s joke about flying out, Agent Sitwell’s first appearance in the MCU, and Thor’s break-in into the SHIELD Crater base is Scott Carelli, founder of Dueling Genre Podcast Network and host of Franchisography.In the fifty-fifth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Thor has a great line delivery on his punchline, and the fact that he just walks away is perfect.
• If we stayed on him as he walked away, he totally would be smirking about having said the cool line.
• We jump to a Mjølnir-eye view to see that it’s starting to rain. Is this because Thor is getting close to Mjølnir?
• There didn’t seem to be a lot of interference when the townies were here so it feels like it must be the two of them.
• This storm came in very quickly. It wasn’t that long ago that Thor and Jane were driving under clear skies.

It’s time to introduce Agent Jasper Sitwell into the MCU!

• Is it telling that every shot of him is a dutch angle? Or is that hard to read since so many shots in the film are dutch angles anyway?
• Sitwell was first introduced in Strange Tales with a Nick Fury storyline. He’s served with Tony Stark. But was he nice? He sure seems serious here. Were they already planning his HYDRA role?
• We look at Maximiliano Hernández with the IMDb game. It’s harder than we thought it would be!
• We also do the IMDb game for the Techie and some of the Agents.
• We’re glad the Techie’s extra lines were cut out. These characters really shouldn’t be fun or funny.

We dig into Southwest Flight 5434 as Agent Sitwell diverts it.

• But it doesn’t go anywhere.
• We call it the Easter egg that wasn’t.
• What’s interesting though is that the screen shows the Event Zone, but it’s near northern New Mexico. So that breaks our thinking about where Puente Antiguo is. Now, we’re thinking it’s closer to Las Vegas, NM.

Thor breaks in.

• SHIELD seems so low-tech. It’s strange and feels more Agents of SHIELD.
• Thor does go in stealth-mode here as he dons an Agent’s rain slicker.
• Tension builds as Thor works his way toward Mjølnir.
• But why are there barrels of toxic chemicals here?

Thor reveals his intentions to fly out, Agent Sitwell diverts a Southwest flight, and Thor knocks two SHIELD agents out. It’s a busy episode. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Fifty-Four: From Odin’s Purpose to Thor’s ResponseJoining us today to discuss Loki’s reaction to Frigga’s comment about Odin’s purpose, as well as Jane and Thor starting to figure their plans out at the SHIELD Crater Base is Scott Carelli, founder of Dueling Genre Podcast Network and host of Franchisography.In the fifty-fourth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...We have a final bit of Loki & Frigga in Odin’s chamber discussing Odin's purpose in banishing Thor, as well an extended/deleted scene to discuss.

• It seems like Odin's purpose was to intentionally ban Thor to Midgard to make him a better person. Loki doesn’t seem happy about any of this.
• We discuss the deleted/extended scene here in Odin’s chambers. The conversation is longer and covers the same points so we don’t need it, but it’s nice.
• They certainly make the Odinsleep seem more like a coma though. Is that what we’re meant to see it as?
• We debate about the Einherjar essentially crowning Loki as king. It’s a great scene but does it fit with the rest of the films as they exist now?
• How does this play into the earlier scene when Loki was on the throne?
• They clearly aren’t using the story about Gungnir only being usable by Odin here in the MCU as they are in the comics.
• Loki feels less scheme-y in this deleted scene. He actually seems like he might be a good leader. Except for that last look.
• Again, it really seems clear that Thor would’ve been a terrible leader. We’ve seen Party Thor in What If...? after all.

We return to find Jane and Thor arriving at the SHIELD Crater Base.

• We find some interesting moments of symmetry we have found in the film.
• SHIELD’s set-up here sadly looks like a hamster cage. It feels like something from Agents of SHIELD.
• Sure, it seems like something that could be assembled quickly, but for what purpose? Couldn’t they just walk around? And why is the area over Mjølnir under open sky?
• We try to delineate between the SHIELD agents, techies, and scientists.
• Does Thor know when he hears thunder that he’s close to Mjølnir? Or is it because he’s the god of thunder?
• Jane doesn’t buy into Thor’s promises like the Warriors Three and Sif bought into him earlier. It plays well.
• What was Jane thinking would happen when she got here?

Loki’s rankled about Odin’s purpose, and Thor’s cocky about his plans to escape from the SHIELD Crater base. So much to discuss! Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Fifty-Three: From Hope for Sanity to Hope for ThorJoining us today to discuss Jane and Thor continuing their drive under the New Mexico sunset and Loki and Frigga talking about Odin and Loki’s parentage while Odin's in the Odinsleep is Scott Carelli, founder of Dueling Genre Podcast Network and host of Franchisography.In the fifty-third minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Jane really hopes Thor isn’t crazy when he says “More like a rainbow bridge.” Is it because she really wants him? Or because he’s her only shot to get her research back? Or a little bit of both?
• What would her future intentions be with Thor? Bringing him in front of the board to discuss where he came from?
• We enjoy how much Jane keeps pulling back to her science. She doesn’t feel like she can’t exist unless he’s in love with her.
• With all of that, though, how long does it take to drive from Puente Antiguo to Mjølnir’s impact site? It’s fifty miles to the west and there are dirt roads, but shouldn’t it be a bit over an hour? Why is the sun already going down?

We return to Asgard and find Odin in the Odinsleep in his bed.

• Loki and Frigga watch Odin while he sleeps. It’s a beautiful still shot that almost looks like a painting. Or more aptly a pane in a comic book!
• We love the golden force field glow over Odin but what does it represent? Is it the Odinforce? Is it prayers from his believers?
• We love the dutch angles here, no matter what other people say. Fie on thee, naysayers!
• Bo Welch’s production design is impressive here. It’s great that he worked to build a lot of these sets so the actors had space in which to work and perform.
• When Loki says he never gets used to seeing Odin in the Odinsleep, when would that have happened? If he’s in the Odinsleep, who rules Asgard if not Thor or Loki? Is there a regent? Perhaps it happened when they boys were young?
• The Odinsleep is frustrating and feels like a plot device used to just get Odin out of the film as long as the story requires.
• Frigga doesn’t realize that Loki may have been who pushed Odin into his state here. Would the guards have talked?
• So what is Loki thinking in this scene? He covers quite a bit of emotions as he talks to Frigga.
• Again, Tom Hiddleston plays him so well in these sorts of scenes.
• The moment when Frigga tells Loki that Thor may be back and Odin works in mysterious ways says so much.
• There are so many interesting angles Loki plays here.
• What did Odin say to Frigga about bringing this baby back from Jotunheim?

We look at the extended version of this scene while Odin stays in the Odinsleep.

• We really can tell that Huggin and Munnin, Odin’s ravens, are here while the Odinsleep continues.

Jane and Thor go off in search of Mjølnir while Loki and Frigga talk about Odin and parentage. Lots to discuss! Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Fifty-Two: From 'Anything Like This’ to Einstein-Rosen BridgeJoining us today to discuss the Rom-Com ride is Scott Carelli, founder of Dueling Genre Podcast Network and host of Franchisography.In the fifty-second minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• This is very much the Rom-Com moment of the film. We have a sweet, quiet conversation between these two characters talking in a car. And it goes on for over a minute! How great is that!
• The Rom-Com nature certainly speaks to how quickly this couple has to connect. How well does it work may be up to the viewer, but it mostly works for us.
• There’s a bit of a sense of the fish-out-of-water element ending as Thor gets closer to Mjølnir.
• We have yet another example of Jane not being a great driver. They really have pushed to make her the worst driver in the MCU.
• But it also checks several Rom-Com boxes – the clumsy but smart scientist and steering off the road because of being starry-eyed over the passenger.
• We talk about the romance relationship in the MCU and try to come up with any examples that are as romantic as this pair is in this film.
• Perhaps the closest is Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter in the next movie Captain America: The First Avenger.
• Patty Jenkins wanted to add more romance when she was discussing directing Thor: The Dark World. It’s a shame we didn’t get it.

We have questions about SHIELD's plan here. Clearly not part of the rom-com.

• Why didn’t SHIELD just block the road off at the highway entrance? Clearly, it’s just a need by the writers.
• Back to the people in the car, why doesn’t Thor just tell Jane who he is?
• How does Thor know she’s seeing a bridge? Is it just that he knows she’s looking for how he got here?
• To that end, when you are very far advanced science, what words do you use to explain it?
• Her excitement about an Einstein-Rosen Bridge is adorable, but Thor’s comment about a Rainbow bridge is one of the best lines in the movie. Even if we only get half of it here.
• Portman and Hemsworth play so well opposite each other.

It’s a cute conversation with a cute couple as they drive across the desert, and we’re here to talk about all of it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Fifty-One: From Library Books to Flirtatious LooksJoining us today to discuss Erik reading a library book, Thor asking a man about a horse in Pet Palace, and Jane offering Thor a ride is Scott Carelli, founder of Dueling Genre Podcast Network and host of Franchisography.In the fifty-first minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Erik finishes his email but gets distracted by some books. We go through all the books on the cart he looks at, but was there intention to what the production design department picked?
• Erik finally settles on the book Myths and Legends from Around the World. It’s a fake book and even though it says it’s stories from around the world, Erik sure seems to hone in on the pages about Norse mythology.
• The book ‘The Long Christmas’ makes us pine for a Thor holiday special.
• It’s interesting to read Erik’s reaction when he reads through the pages about Thor. As a scientist, it’s like seeing a ghost and trying to wrap your head around this.
• What’s funny is that the writing about the Bifrost says the red of the bridge is fire that would burn their feet. How great would that be to see that! Regardless, it does feel like a detail that came from myth and legend.

Thor visits Pet Palace to see a guy about a horse.

• Meanwhile, Jane idles in the Pinzgauer outside waiting for Erik. Anyone know where Darcy is?
• And weirdly, Thor is still wandering the town going nowhere for a long time, because Jane sees him and she spots him walking into Pet Palace.
• The misunderstanding in Pet Palace is why Scott wanted to join us because it’s such a great fish-out-of-water moment.
• Kyle, the employee, quickly tells Thor that they don’t sell horses. It’s a priceless reaction.
• All the animals perk up when Thor comes in. Clearly he’s a man of animals. We will now call him the Puppy Prince.

Jane interrupts Thor's quest in Pet Palace to offer Thor a ride.

• She’s clearly over Erik’s issues and asks Thor if he still needs a lift.
• How much of this is the romantic comedy element? Or is it all scientific inquiry?
• Clearly, she’s a bit fascinated by this guy who just doesn’t make sense to her.
• To that point, where were she and Erik heading?
• Once Thor agrees to come along, what is she hoping will happen?
• Thor’s reaction to Jane is telling as to whether he’s done stuff like this before.
• Interesting Easter egg here – Jane has a Culver University parking tag on her windshield and a badge for the school as well. But why doe they have her working in the Experimental Particle Physics department. Why this and not astrophysics?
• Is that video shop across from Pet Palace Stan’s Video? Another nod to Stan Lee?

Erik’s having flashbacks to his youth, Thor’s confusing the pet shop employee, and Jane’s feeling like doing something she’s never done before. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Fifty: From Odin’s Last Command to Erik’s Library StopJoining us to discuss Loki’s ascension to the throne, the shared disdain he and the Warriors Three & Sif share, and Erik in the library is Matt Carroll, one of the two co-hosts of the award-winning MCUCast and founder of the Stranded Panda Podcast Network.In the fiftieth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Loki seems like he’s being insincere with his friends when he says he can’t change Odin’s last command, but he also seems somewhat right in what he says.
• But to that end, politicians change things all the time. Who would judge Loki if he went back on Odin’s last command and brought Thor back, ending his banishment?
• What’s with the lens flare in this scene?
• Sif clearly is the emotion character here. Her reaction is full of anger toward Loki. Clearly, he’s already cut her hair.
• Fandral and Hogun hold Sif back when she rises up to attack Loki. That is very much a parallel to Erik holding Jane back from the SHIELD agents.
• No one looks thrilled about Loki being on the throne, or about the fact that he won’t change Odin’s last command, but they largely all start acting as if he really is king.
• Volstagg comes at Loki from a different direction, one that’s more affable. But even this doesn’t work to change Loki’s mind about reversing Odin’s last command.
• Is Volstagg laughing because he’s being sincere or because he’s nervous? We try to gauge what he’s doing there.
• Interestingly, this moment of Volstagg’s isn’t in the script, and we’re very much glad it is.
• What a look Sif gives Loki before she departs. And what’s with Loki’s interesting (and slight) move toward Sif? They both play this so well. Jaimie Alexander and Tom Hiddleston square off perfectly. This should be a showdown in the Old West.
• Where are their departing salutes?

Because Odin’s last command stands, Thor’s still on Midgard and we join Erik in the Puente Antiguo library.

• No idea who the background actor is here in the library.
• So this email Erik sends is to Hank Pym!
• There was a scene with a librarian reading Norse mythology to kids. It was a bit on the nose. We’re glad we don’t have that.
• We try to figure out where this is in Puente Antiguo. It seems like it’s in the Greyhound Station...?
• Last but not least, we look at the Read Campaign poster and its history.

There’s a lot to unpack with Loki’s comments and the Warriors Three’s & Sif’s reactions to them. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Forty-Nine: From King Loki’s Appearance to Kneeling Sif’s RequestJoining us to discuss the iconic appearance of Loki on the throne and King Loki’s reaction to ‘his friends’ is Matt Carroll, one of the two co-hosts of the award-winning MCUCast and founder of the Stranded Panda Podcast Network.In the forty-ninth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Loki is on the throne. So is he King Loki? Is he just a regent while Odin is in the Odinsleep? He clearly thinks he’s king, and earlier, it seemed like Odin was about to make Thor king. So how does this work exactly?
• Do King Loki’s initial words ‘my friends’ speak to him trying to find a place to belong or does it speak more to him expressing his disingenuous feelings towards these four? He kinda reeks of insincerity here.
• This all makes us wonder again what exactly were Loki’s initial plans.
• Does the fact that he now knows he’s a Jotun make him struggle all the more here?
• All of this speaks to how fascinating a character Loki is over the course of the MCU.

The friends have such a great reaction when King Loki announces himself.

• Loki’s voice even seems like it drops an octave when he says “your king.”
• The initial shot of Loki on the throne is so iconic in the comics.
• Sif clearly doesn’t like that Loki is on the throne. Wow, does she reek of irritation.
• How is Loki holding Gungnir? In the comics, only Odin can hold it. Clearly, they’re different universes.
• Regardless, the echo ringing out after Loki stands and strikes it on the ground is fantastic.
• The friends really have to be surprised. It was only a few hours ago they were all in the healing room together.
• Sif’s daggers with her eyes as she calls him her king dig in deep. So great!
• Again back to that leap in logic – why did this group jump so quickly to the idea that Loki was behind all of this? Maybe they pushed him into this? Is he only the god of mischief because they bullied him?
• Would this have played better if Hiddleston didn’t play it so strongly? Or are we reading it wrong? As Matt says, maybe he’s just uncomfortable with being in this role.
• Did any of them know his origins? Or do they just sense something more menacing with him?
• What’s funny is that Loki ends up making Thor into a better leader by everything he does in this film.

It’s a mental shift for the Warriors Three and Sif as they come up against King Loki. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Forty-Eight: From Three Scientists on a Roof to Three Warriors (and Sif!) on a MissionJoining us to discuss iPods, Erik’s connections to Bruce Banner and Hank Pym, and the horny shadow in the throne room is Matt Carroll, one of the two co-hosts of the award-winning MCUCast and founder of the Stranded Panda Podcast Network.In the forty-eighth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• The rooftop location wasn’t in the script, which makes us think there’s more of a connection to the moment in Iron Man 2. But perhaps it was just a location Branagh wanted to use to give the scene a bit more flavor.
• Remember iPods? Those were the days...
• Darcy’s moment about her iPod does feel very much like the Darcy we see later in WandaVision where she gets distracted from the big thing by her smaller personal thing.
• It’s amazing how well the writers created Darcy in this script and how hard a time they had developing the Warriors Three. Could it simply be that those characters are based on the comics?
• By the time the Warriors Three die in Thor: Ragnarok, we just don’t care. That’s frustrating because we should have cared.
• At this point in time, however, did Kevin Feige have enough of a handle on everything?

And then Erik drops a hint about Bruce Banner. Or is it Samuel Sterns?

• On top of Darcy’s concern about her iPod, Erik drops the Easter Egg that he knew Bruce Banner. There’s some debate if it may be Samuel Sterns instead but we end up locking in on Banner.
• To that end, it’s crazy how much retconning Feige and team did to shift The Incredible Hulk‘s, Iron Man 2‘s, and Thor’s timelines so they all line up. We talk about this as we learn how much history there was with Erik, Bruce, Betty, and Jane’s father at Culver University.
• There’s also an Easter Egg that ties Hank Pym to Erik here as he references sending an email to a friend who knows about SHIELD. In the script, it’s called out as Pym. So why did they change that? We come up with our own theories.
• Darcy has that last great moment when Erik mentions emailing Hank Pym, and she reminds him they took his laptop.
• Great rack focus here and more great dutch angles.

Leaving conversations about Bruce Banner and Hank Pym for later seasons, we return to Asgard.

• Is it morning? Evening? Hard to tell, but you can see amazing stars when looking up to the heights of Valaskjalf.
• Fandral, Sif, Hogun and Volstagg seem to be running to get to the Allfather on their throne. They’re also all saluting.
• We try to piece together more of the architecture of this space. We think we’ve got it figured out now.
• They each have their own reactions when they see who is sitting on the throne. Clearly, it’s not Odin.
• We end on a great shadow on the wall of Loki on the throne.

It’s a conversation about dutch angles, rooftops, iPods, gamma studies, and the Asgardian throne room – and Matt Carroll’s here for all of it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Forty-Seven: From Jane’s Frustration to Rooftop DepressionJoining us to discuss Agent Coulson’s gentle appropriation of all of Jane’s research and gear is Matt Carroll, one of the two co-hosts of the award-winning MCUCast and founder of the Stranded Panda Podcast Network.In the forth-seventh minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Agent Coulson works well as the distraction point person, keeping Jane’s attention focused on himself so his team can continue taking all of her gear.
• Again, how does Erik know so much about SHIELD? Does he know who Agent Coulson is? Or is it simply the word SHIELD puts him in such fear?
• SHIELD and Agent Coulson really act like a shadow government organization here. It’s interesting how Coulson acts, particularly as his character (and SHIELD) continue moving forward.
• There is that sense of personal rights versus the collective good here. Which side are we on?
• SHIELD isn’t quite at the point where they want to bring the actual scientists into their fold yet, and when they do bring the scientist in charge of this information into the fold, why is it Erik rather than Jane?
• Granted, Natalie Portman likely was less interested in playing in bit roles across the MCU than Stellan Skarsgård was.
• But in context of the story, it would’ve made so much more sense to bring Jane along.
• We revel in how much comedy flows through this film in so many beats. That bit when Jane comments on her journal holding everything then Agent Coulson signals one of his agents to take it? Great comedy.
• Erik, as usual, stands and absorbs most of the time. Until Jane needs him.
• And we try to identify as many agents in here as we can. But what’s with all the female agents that aren’t listed anywhere? Very frustrating.
• Last but not least, we talk about the departing convoy and the lone truck that left way earlier.

Agent Coulson and SHIELD is gone. The Scientists Three retreat to the roof.

• Is this meant to create a bit of a rooftop connection with the donut moment in Iron Man 2?
• In the script, the scene with the Warriors Three and Loki would’ve separated these two scenes. Clearly, the editors found a better way to create a flow in the film.
• No matter how you slice it, this is another great Branagh dutch angle.

SHIELD raids Jane’s lab and we’re here to talk about it with Matt Carroll. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Forty-Six: From Thor’s Valediction to Coulson’s AppropriationJoining us to discuss the royal and polite way Thor says goodbye and Coulson’s own polite way of appropriating all of the Scientist Three’s gear is Matt Carroll, one of the two co-hosts of the award-winning MCUCast and founder of the Stranded Panda Podcast Network.In the forty-sixth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Jane has no idea what to do after Thor kisses her hand. Her flustered behavior is adorable.
• Matt struggles with the fact that Thor falls in love with Jane by the end of the film but it does feel like they pull a lot of the romantic comedy tropes here to make this work. So to that end, if you can’t buy into the rom-com nature and their meet-cute, you may struggle with this relationship.
• But is Thor interested in Jane at this point or just kissing the cute girl’s hand?
• Regardless, Darcy and Erik curtsey and bow, respectively, and it’s adorable. Especially Darcy. Which certainly holds true with her reactions so far in the film.
• Erik’s bow is a bit more awkward and uncomfortable, but it’s as if he feels compelled. It’s great.
• In the background, you can see the paved road turns to dirt, giving away a bit of the old west town in which this was filmed.
• And have you ever noticed the Christmas Every Day shop on Main Street? Wow, does this feel like real small-town America.
• Let’s not forget the Liquor Locker!

The Scientists Three find SHIELD agents raiding her lab.

• Agent Coulson and SHIELD seem a bit more like a threat in this film. That feels new in the MCU.
• Well, there was a bit of that in Iron Man 2.
• But did you know that this was originally scripted to be Nick Fury? They couldn’t get Samuel L. Jackson, though, so it was rewritten as Agent Coulson, which may be why he feels a bit different here.
• Erik clearly has heard of SHIELD though. Where? Will we find out in the future? The rest of the Scientists Three don’t seem to have heard of them.
• This film really sets up this idea of a shadow government organization. Does that work for SHIELD?
• To that end, how hard is it to come up with acronyms for business names?
• Erik may say to Jane to let it go but Jane says no – this is her life’s work up to this point. She’s not ready to let it go.
• Was there a point in Erik’s life when he was less professorial?
• Why does Agent Coulson say they’re investigating a security threat? Is that a lie to create their cover-up? Or do they feel there is a security risk at this point? Why doesn’t he call it out as an 084?
• But what was SHIELD looking for?
• We see some SHIELD agents. There are a lot. A lot more than the Scientists Three. But we can’t really see any faces here. Perhaps it’s an intentional feel where they all blend together as ‘agents.’
• The script says the back of the truck is loaded with Jane’s Dark Matter analysis machine. Was that meant to tie into Malekith’s dark matter dagger in Thor: The Dark World?
• What’s funny about that, though, is that it looks like it’s just loaded with camera gear from the crew. It doesn’t look like scientific equipment from the Scientists Three.

The Scientists Three go from saying goodbye to arguing with SHIELD agents, and we’re here to talk about it all. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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• Script Transcript
• Trailer #1
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