We are back with an all-new episode covering the first character to get a solo film sequel since Iron Man with Thor: The Dark World! In this new entry of the thunder god’s (but not really, as the film makes sure to hammer in) saga, we see him coming up against Malekith and the Dark Elves from the titular Dark World (seemingly the same place as Svartalfeim, accompanied by that truly cursed Algrim.

During the course of events, Thor even teams up with Loki at a point, much to the dismay of The Warriors Three, as well as Lady Sif, who ever-so-briefly seems to be part of a potential love triangle, but other than that doesn’t get much to do. Meanwhile, Frigga gets MORE to do than before, even getting in on the action.

This film also properly introduces us to the Infinity Stones, the MacGuffins that a decade plus of films was built around, including the not-really-a-stone Aether (or “Creepy Dark Energy”) that drives this movie, infecting Jane but also somehow empowering Malekith. There’s also more of Darcy doing her whole Darcy thing and a new direction for Dr. Erik Selvig.

We also try to answer questions such as “Has Tavie’s opinion changed on Chris Hemsworth at all?”, “How DO you pronounce Thor’s mother’s name?”, “Are The Warriors Three part of the original mythology?”, “What’s Zachary Levi doing here?”, Where was Thor before he showed up mid-battle?”, “How’d that phone still have a signal?”, “Did nobody proofread these trivia cards?”, “Where are the other Avengers?” and plenty of others.

All of that plus SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, PENNY’S CORNER and SO MUCH MORE! Tune in to find out where we feel this one falls on the MCU film quality spectrum!

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

In a very different episode, Zach & Tavie jump from the big screen to the small, as they take a look at the first television show set within the MCU (or is it?). That’s right, COULSON LIVES! It’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., with a fan favorite, a couple of cool cameos, and an otherwise brand new cast of (conventionally attractive) agents in their Buffy-esque team. Join seemingly resurrected Phil Coulson, along with agents Ward, May, Fitz, Simmons, their new hacker recruit, Skye, as well as new plain-clothes superhero, Mike Peterson, for some fun new adventures. It’s even got flying cars, long after Howard Stark’s initial attempts at getting that going.

Also, learn of ZACH & TAVIE’S SECRET ORIGIN (unless you already heard their interview on People Are The Enemy), as well as the origin for Zach’s overall Marvel fandom and his massive action figure collection.

Additionally, explore such questions like “What is a Chitauri neuralink?”, “Why did that woman in lingerie have no reaction to the events unfolding in front of her?”, “Just how high WERE Romanoff’s marks?”, “Do clothing particles get absorbed into the bloodstream?”, “Who is behind The Rising Tide?”, “Why is Tony Stark still being considered a consultant?”, and several others.

All of that, but also in differing from previous episodes, sadly no SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, or PENNY’S CORNER. Don’t worry. They’ll be back next time. Until then, enjoy exploring the TV side of things with our hosts for the first (but certainly not the last) time!

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

Zach & Tavie check out the apparent Christmas movie and final installment of the Iron Man trilogy, as well as the last traditionally numbered sequel for a solo character in the MCU, Iron Man 3! It’s very different from what came before, no longer directed by Jon Favreau, but taken on by Shane Black, where you can definitely pick up some Lethal Weapon vibes at times. It’s also got some narration and for some reason treats the story as if it concluded a completely stand-alone trilogy for Tony Stark, not in a greater shared universe.

Join our hosts as they break down Tony’s largely armor-free personal journey, dealing with the villain of problematic origins, The Mandarin, and discuss the very divisive plot twist that split the fan community (as well as the odd choice of his way of speaking). We also meet Aldrich Killian of AIM and Maya Hansen, as well as the then-president of the MCU. Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Tony’s kid sidekick, Harley Keener, and their often-contentious relationship.

It’s got more for Pepper to do, tackles mental health struggles like PTSD and panic attacks, more nicknames (for humans and armor suits alike), a very early and silent appearance from a Netflix star, connections to Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Hot Shots Part Deux, and Sonic The Hedgehog, plenty of Jingle Bells, “lava people”, and a start of a dismemberment trend for Phase 2.

Plus addressing questions such as “What is Yinsen’s first name?”, “What’s up with the big rabbit?”, “Who did Tavie boo?”, “Should Tony have built in a way to charge armor suits via USB?”, “Why was Harley carrying that paper?”, “Exactly how fast did the armor fly?”, “What does it mean to regulate?”, “What was that ice fridge’s door made of?”, “What does Dana Carvey have to do with all of this?”, and plenty of others, as well.

All of this and SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, PENNY’S CORNER, and SO MUCH MORE! Get ready to wrap everything up for Tony Stark in a neat little bow (until a few movies later, when he’s inevitably back in action) and enjoy this episode.

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

Zach & Tavie reach a major turning point in this special GIANT-SIZE installment of the show, discussing what everything thus far has been building to in the MCU at this point, 2012’s team-up film, The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble, depending on where you live in the world).

It’s an exciting one with a lot to take in and go over, as we come to the conclusion of Phase 1. We take a dive into addressing the problematic elephant in the room with director and co-writer Joss Whedon and his one-liners a-plenty. There’s also a whole bunch of Zach’s nerdy nitpicks of all sorts. Not to mention going down an Alice In Wonderland rabbit hole (appropriately enough) at a point.

Additionally, the DC universe gets some attention, and unfortunately even current politics and real world super-villains rear their ugly heads (though only ever so briefly, we promise). Plus nicknames old and new, from both Tavie and Tony Stark, trivia cards giving away details too soon, a new Bruce Banner, a farewell(?) to a familiar face, Zach using the phrase tête-à-tête, and the story of his close encounter with Whedon and Kevin Feige.

Of course, we also get into questions such as “Where does it currently rank in the all-time box office list?”, “Why doesn’t this lineup match the original comic team?”, “Whose idea was it to put an eyeball stabby device in a movie kids would see?”, “What’s a Chitauri?”, “Can Tavie keep up with all of the characters?”, “Is that a Marvel superhero over Tavie’s shoulder?”, “How is this like a beloved Muppet holiday classic?”, “What can’t be fixed by a good clonk on the head?”, “Why was the Avenger Initiative scrapped?”, “Is it worth avenging a world that hadn’t been saved?”, and “Exactly what did Pepper whisper in Tony’s ear?”.

All of this plus SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, PENNY’S CORNER and SO MUCH MORE! Maybe bring a bunch of friends together and fight each other before eventually teaming up to listen to this one.

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

Zach & Tavie are in for a whole bunch of firsts this time, including the first Marvel Studios Captain America film, the first film in the MCU to have a subtitle, starring the first character that was not a Stan Lee co-creation, “the first of many”, etc. It’s a classic action-adventure World War 2 period piece showing how the 98-pound weakling, Steve Rogers, was transformed into that example of peak human perfection, the super soldier called Captain America, as brought to life by former Johnny Storm, Chris Evans.

Listen and hear Tavie’s personal connection to the time and location that a fair amount of the movie takes place in, where Evans lands on the Hollywood Chris charisma scale, more of her fun nicknames for actors, and just who her favorite character was. See another strong female lead in Agent Peggy Carter, as portrayed by Hayley Atwell, joined as well by Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Steve’s best friend, as they fight Hydra (as well as the less mentioned Nazis that they are a part of) as led by Hugo Weaving’s dastardly Red Skull.

Also, explore questions like “What do comic superheroes have in common with a yellow family from Springfield?”, “What does Steve Rogers have in common with a Disney princess?”, “What does a super soldier have in common with a mermaid and a man-eating plant?”, “What does Tavie have in common with Tommy Lee Jones’ character?”, “Where were these trivia cards made?”, “Is it regime or regimen?”, “What makes a landmark?”, “What other work of fiction features a tesseract?”, “Why was Odin so trusting of the people of Norway?”, “Which former Pedro co-star makes an appearance?”, “Who drinks milk with steak?”, and “Just how many connections to Indiana Jones are there?”.

If you like seeing Nazis getting punched (and who doesn’t?), this might just be the one for you. It’s got everything listed so far, as well as SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, PENNY’S CORNER, a classic Zach nerd-out, as SO MUCH MORE! Slap some wings on your head and join us for the MCU’s introduction to everyone’s favorite star-spangled man with a plan!

*I know it was Odin’s TREASURE room, and not throne room. Not sure how that came out wrong multiple times. Additionally, the one cameo may not have been one at all, as I could only find a single tweet indicating it, with no further validation online.

Featuring a clip from “My Comic Shop DocumentARy”, courtesy of Anthony Desiato & Flat Squirrel Productions.

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

Zach & Tavie take a trip to other realms within their larger journey through the MCU, specifically focusing on Asgard, though plenty of time is also spent on Midgard (even if it is barely ever referred to as such in the film). That’s right, it’s time for Thor! The film AND the character!

Also, Odin, Loki, Frigga, Sif, The Warriors Three (which is easier to remember than they’re individual names, which also only get mentioned so often), and earthly figures like Jane Foster, Dr. Erik Selvig, and the primary relief figure of Darcy.

We get fun nicknames, including one borrowed from another movie-based podcast, a Dave Foley connection (beyond Tavie, herself), an early example of daddy issues in the MCU, another female lead who gets an onscreen upgrade from her comic book counterpart, a satellite(?), Adventures In Babysitting talk, another new soon-to-be-Avenger in a small role, a potential new segment for Zach, SHIELD getting into some questionable territory and a bunch of other fun stuff in this analysis of these characters who may or may not be gods.

Plus, delve into some questions with us like “How should TV shows be handled in the future of the show?”, “What makes an acceptable fat suit?”, “How tall should one be to be considered a true Frost GIANT (or is it “Ice Gargoyle”?)?", “How does one ‘serve Maleficent’?”, “Is ‘coronated’ a word?”, “Just how old ARE Thor and Loki?”, “How do the physics of that dirt mound work?”, “Couldn’t we ALL use a little Odinsleep every once in a while?”, and plenty of others.

All of this and SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, PENNY’S CORNER and SO MUCH MORE! So tune in and see if Zach and Tavie found this to be a worthy entry in the MCU, even despite what one might think of Chris Hemsworth’s charisma level.

If you like it, please subscribe and leave a nice review on your preferred podcast platform, and be sure to follow us at @ZachTavieMarvel on all of the major social media sites and apps.

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

Zach & Tavie return to the world of Tony Stark and his suits of armor in their very first sequel, Iron Man 2! We get a recast Rhodey in Don Cheadle, more Nick Fury and world-building in the lead-up to The Avengers, a Beetlejuice Beetlejuice connection, Walt Disney vibes before Marvel was even owned by Disney, Garry Schandling, childhood cartoon reminiscing, and cameos-a-plenty from real world figures, including an unfortunate one that didn’t age so well (and could maybe use a disclaimer, in today’s media landscape?).

We also address questions such as “Has Tony slipped into his old ways a bit?”, “What’s the difference between a cockatoo and a cockatiel?”, “How much effort was put into establishing Black Widow’s cover story for her undercover identity?”, “How many ancient languages can you think of?”, “What’s one of the perks of being a director with a role in the film and a sexy lady co-star?”, “Should fan theories really be validated?”, and “What exactly was Tony doing up there before making his superhero landing entrance at the Expo?”.

All of this plus SPOT THE STAN, MARVEL TRIVIA, PENNY’S CORNER, and SO MUCH MORE! Join us on our continued journey, exploring the MCU from the beginning, once again experiencing the charisma of Robert Downey Jr. in this second solo entry to the whole greater mega-franchise

If you like it, please subscribe and leave a nice review on your preferred podcast platform, and be sure to follow us at @ZachTavieMarvel on all of the major social media sites and apps.

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso

Zach is joined once again by Tavie, as she decided that (at least so far) this journey was worth continuing. In this second installment, they take on 2008’s Incredible Hulk, featuring the first and last time Edward Norton would feature as the titular role’s human alter ego.

Additionally, we meet several characters that we won’t see again for quite some time, some longer than others. Plus, an Iron Man addendum and answering questions like “Is this a requel?”, “What’s a requel?”, “How many allusions to the 1970s television show are featured?”, “What ties this film to a celebrated Christmas classic?”, “How do you pronounce ‘integral’?”, “Is the color-coding a little TOO overt?”, “Does changing the comics to match live action media actually bring in new readers?”, and most importantly of all, “Did Tavie find this film watchable?”.

All of that, as well character code-name call-outs, hints of things to come, SPOT THE STAN (as well as a few other cameos), PENNY’S CORNER, and so much more! Sadly no MARVEL TRIVIA in this one, as the card game left it out, likely due to this film being distributed by Universal. Either that or its status as an oft-forgotten entry into the MCU canon.

Join us for this fun chat about everyone’s favorite big, green rage monster with the stretchiest pants imaginable! If you like it, please subscribe and leave a nice review on your preferred podcast platform, and be sure to follow us at @ZachTavieMarvel on all of the major social media sites and apps.

Produced & co-hosted by Zach Woliner & Tavie Phillips Featuring Penny Woliner Edited by Zach Woliner Theme music by Luis Humanoide Cover art by Chris Giarrusso