Goofy Tip: I am sure everyone who sees this movie will enjoy it, but if you want to get the most out of it I would watch the previous Marvel movies before watching Guardians of the Galaxy. And this can not be repeated enough. Watch the movies all the way to the end of the credits. I mean the very, very end. It is always enlightening.

Since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing so well it makes sense that a second Marvel TV show would be suggested. And since people always complain that there aren’t enough women in the Marvel Universe (Seriously? Have you been watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?) it makes sense that this new show would feature a woman hero.

Agent Carter takes place after the first Captain America movie, and features Agent Peggy Carter, who was Captain America’s true love. Since the war is over she now works for Howard Stark and she is involved in the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D. I will give this a try although I have no love for this character and I think it might be a little hokey since it is set in 1946. However, Marvel has not disappointed me yet so I will keep an open mind.

So yay! Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and we’ll see about Agent Carter. I wasn’t kidding about watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. if you haven’t seen season 1. You will be glad you did. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Have you seen Captain America: Winter Soldier? Make sure you see it before you see Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Everything ties together and how cool is that?

I was sure I was going to run this race but a good friend is possibly/probably getting married that weekend and since I can’t be in two places at the same time I may be running it in 2015. Disney has so many races I will be running in the parks for the next ten years. I can’t see anything negative about that. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you don’t think you can afford to run at Disneyland you may be pleased to find out that you don’t have to pay for everything at once. Secure your spot in the race and then you can pay for a hotel and tickets later on. Plus, a lot of the hotels only require a deposit so you can spread out the costs until you have saved up for it.

Whether I am able to run this race or not it is a fantastic idea. Disneyland is where you can become Iron Man and meet Thor and Captain America. It makes sense to have a race based around these amazing superheroes. Guardians of the Galaxy will be out by then so perhaps they can be added to the event. Disney has been careful to not mix Mickey and Marvel but this is a great way to blend the two.

If you want to run the kids races, the 5k, or the half marathon then mark March 25 on your calendar. That is when registration opens at Noon EST. The Disneyland Half Marathon filled up in 90 minutes. This race is going to be way cooler and the weather should be nice, too, so if you want to participate be prepared to sign up the moment registration opens. I am sure it will be a smashin’ good time! Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Do you like running at the Disney parks? Have you not run at the parks yet but want to? Since the races are so popular it is a good idea to stay on top of the news. You can sign up for runDisney updates by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Then you’ll be in the know and ready to run.

Now that I have seen the trailer I am anxious to see this movie. Is it going to be as good as Iron Man? Probably not. It is it going to be a fun Marvel movie filled with great action and entertaining dialogue? Absolutely, and that is all I need.

Have you seen the trailer yet? Well, click here and check it out for yourself. You won’t get much plot information but I thought it was a great way to introduce the heroes. And that is one thing I’m going to keep reminding myself. This is an origins movie.

I rarely like origins movies because they spend too much time on backstory and not enough time on the plot. However, superhero movies need an origin story so I have accepted that this is what this will be. It gives me hope that no matter how good this movie is the next one will be better. One of the things I loved about Marvel Avengers was that they gave each character an origins movie ahead of time so they could just tell a good story in the movie and not play around with the backstory.

If you would like to learn more about the individual characters The Disney Blog has put together a cool lineup of YouTube videos that connect the characters with the actors who portray them. With Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel involved it is sure to be well acted.

Every time I see this trailer I think of the movie version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It might be the music at the end but I keep expected the words “Don’t Panic” to appear on the screen. (It you have not seen this movie read the books. They are much better and should be required reading for every human on the planet (and off.))

It is a sure thing that I will be in the theater to see Guardians of the Galaxy this summer. I don’t foresee a Rocket Raccoon meet and greet at Innoventions but who knows where this new chapter in the Marvel Universe will go. Wherever it is I’ll be there. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: The Marvel movies tend to connect to each other. If you saw Thor: The Dark World and stayed to the end then you saw a brief scene with the Collector. He also makes an appearance in the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy. So, why not rent the second Thor movie (which was awesome) before you see Guardians of the Galaxy? It might add to your understanding of the story.

Image from The Disney Blog

I love Marvel. More specifically, I love the Marvel movies. I also love the fact that Disney owns Marvel because it means I can write about my love for Marvel. If Disney owned Harry Potter I’d be writing about Harry Potter constantly. But let’s go back to Marvel. I love Marvel.

Lots of exciting things are happening in the Marvel universe so I thought I would gather them all together into one post. Some are fact and some are rumor. Of course, I hope the rumors come true because it would combine all my favorite Hollywood topics together. To find out the facts and the rumors, keep reading.

• FACT – Captain America will be joining Iron Man and Thor in Innoventions at Disneyland on March 7. Captain America The Winter Soldier will be coming to Theatres on April 4. Captain America is not my favorite Avenger (that would be Iron Man) but I am looking forward to this movie because it leads into the second Avenger movie. Plus it has Black Widow in it who is my favorite Avenger who has not been in her own movie yet.  I saw Iron Man Tech at Innoventions and expect the Thor and Captain America meet and greets to be just as awesome. Be sure to arrive at opening unless you want to stand in line for hours.
• RUMOR – Paul Bettany (the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. in the Iron Man films and a great actor in lots of other movies) will have a second role in the next Avenger film, Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron. He will be the voice and possibly the face for Vision, a hybrid robot built by Ultron. Ultron started out working for the good guys and then became a bad guy. I don’t think this is a spoiler since it is in all the comics but Vision starts out a bad guy and ends up working for the good guys. This is a new character to me so I look forward to the film explaining Vision’s story. I just think it is interesting that Paul Bettany, who does a great job voicing the sardonic computer system that runs Tony Stark’s world, is also going to do the voice for a robot who is fighting, and then not fighting, the Avengers. I hope I can keep the two voices separate. If I could get J.A.R.V.I.S. to be my Suri voice I would use it constantly.
• FACT – Disney has started filming Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron. This isn’t that interesting except that they are filming in Johannesburg, South Africa. Most of the film is shot on stages in London but I think it is cool that it has an international feel. It goes without saying that I can not wait to see this movie.

So there are some tidbits from the Marvel Universe. If you have not seen any of the Marvel movies yet I suggest you start with Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Toss in Iron Man 2 and Marvel Avengers and you’ll be up to speed. Don’t worry about Hulk, he is at his best in the Avengers. I like that the movies build on each other. It makes me feel like I am part of a secret Marvel society every time I see a new movie. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you like Marvel or if you know kids who like Marvel then a great place to find fun Marvel toys, clothes, and costumes is at disneystore.com. Most of it is geared for children but they do have some fun T-shirts for adults. I love wearing my Marvel T-shirt when I see the movies.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

First we had Iron Man. Then Thor joined him. Now Captain America will be making an appearance at Innoventions at Disneyland this spring. The new Captain America movie “The Winter Soldier” comes out April 4, 2014. In honor of this movie you will be able to meet Captain America and touch his shield (I’d be careful doing that.) I don’t know how this will be staged yet, but if it is anything like Iron Man Tech, where you can immerse yourself in the world of Tony Stark, I’m sure it will be awesome.

I’ll be at Disneyland for the Disneyland Half Marathon at the end of August. High on my list will be meeting both Thor and Captain America since I am a bit of an Avengers fan. Would anyone like to join me?  We are all superheroes in our own way. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you want to meet any of the Avengers at Innoventions but don’t want to stand in line for an hour then I would arrive early. These areas do not open at the same time that the park does but you can go into Innoventions and queue up. I will be making it my first stop of the day.

Gee, Jennifer, what did you think of the new Thor movie? I guess it is obvious that I loved it. It had one jarring moment that probably only bothered me so I won’t discuss it. Overall the movie was amazing. It did a great job of adding on to the story started in the Avengers movie. The dialogue was so pithy and sarcastic that I was laughing out loud. The bad guy was really evil (unlike the bad guy in Iron Man 3.) The romance was schmaltzy but I expected that so I wasn’t disappointed. I thought it was better than the first Thor movie because we already knew the characters and didn’t have to be reintroduced to them. Renee Russo should win the award for best mother ever. I could go on and on so I’ll stop.

Really though, if you are looking for a well-paced, witty, action adventure movie filled with great-looking actors (I only mention that because there were several groups of older women in the audience and I don’t think they were huge Marvel fans) then go see Thor: The Dark World. It is escapism at its best and I think we all need to escape more often. Happiness squared.

Goofy Gift Idea: If you have a child (of any age) in your life who loves Thor or Marvel you can get some fun Christmas gifts at disneystore.com. They will be having some great sales around Black Friday.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

Thor is once again in the theaters. I haven’t seen it yet, but I can’t wait to. I like Iron Man more than Thor, but this movie is an extension of The Avengers which I thought was awesome and I don’t want to miss the rest of the story.

For those of you who are Thor fans you can now meet the Nordic god at Innoventions in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. This is also the home of Iron Man Tech. If Disney keeps this up they’ll have to rename Innoventions Shield HQ (and how cool would that be!) Before you meet Thor you can see props from the movies, Asgardian treasures brought to Earth for your viewing pleasure. You then pass through the Bifrost (if you don’t know what that is watch the first Thor movie) and meet Thor in all his godly glory.

I think this sounds like fun. I have a limited knowledge of Thor, but this is not your average meet and greet. You can talk to Thor and ask him questions. I’d ask him who his favorite Disney character was. You also have a chance to lift his hammer. I doubt I’d be able to do this since the Incredible Hulk couldn’t lift it, but it would be fun to try. The best part would be getting your picture taken with him. I’d do a cool Avengers pose (even though I learned at Iron Man Tech that I will never be a cool Avenger).

For more information check out this video from touringplans.com. They say the line is really long so I suggest showing up early if you want to meet Thor and still spend time in the rest of the park. I did the same thing for Iron Man Tech and only waited for fifteen minutes. You’ve been warned.

I was glad that Disney bought Marvel and wondered how they were going to incorporate the characters into the parks. I think they are doing a fine job. I hope Captain America and Hawkeye join Shield HG, I mean Innoventions, soon. Happiness squared.

Goofy Craft: For those of you who love Thor but can’t make it to Disneyland you can have fun with these printables from spoonful.com. I like the wings you can add to your hat. Perfect for when you are having a tough day at school or work and want some godly power.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

One of my many goals is to visit every Disney park in the world (and off planet when they get there). I didn’t really care which park I visited first as long as I visited them all. But that has changed. Hong Kong Disneyland is now first on my list. Why? Because that park is getting the first Iron Man attraction. Luckily it is coming in 2016 so I have time to plan my trip, but Hong Kong here I come.

Disneyland currently has Iron Man Tech in Innoventions (I’ll be giving my review of this experience in a future post) but it is not truly its own attraction, it is just part of the futuristic fun. I think an attraction that immerses you in the Marvel universe will be breathtaking. If you would like to get the details of this new attractions click here to see the post at the Disney Parks Blog.

Visiting Hong Kong Disneyland would be amazing for any reason, by adding Iron Man they made it my new Disney goal. Who wants to join me? Happiness squared.

Goofy TV: I plan to talk a lot more about this show, but if you need a weekly Marvel boost I suggest you watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Tuesday’s on ABC. The story line is going places and the characters are really growing. Of course the real reason to watch is Agent Coulson and he rocks. I’m so glad he’s not dead.