#hmm this explains why all my fic is one or the other too
Wow, at first introduction they are really going for Jarvis as a mysterious character…. just wait guys, just wait.
I know that obviously they did that to build suspense, make you think she’s really in danger etc etc, but watching it back when you know Jarvis is SO FUNNY, because seriously, he thought that was the best way to approach a secret agent? Bless, he just really wants to try on a confident swagger, like yeah I can totally fit into this world, I’m so cool, I’ve been entrusted with this Important Mission, I’m totally going to impress this woman with my Highly Mysterious Manner, also she’s definitely not going to just shoot me or anything…
Film noir(/nwɑːr/;French:[film nwaʁ]) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywoodcrime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the “classic period” of American film noir. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression.[1]
Screwball comedy is a subgenre of the romantic comedy genre that became popular during the Great Depression, originating in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s, satirizing the traditional love story. Many secondary characteristics of this genre are similar to film noir, but it distinguishes itself for being characterized by a female who dominates the relationship with the male central character, whose masculinity is challenged.[1] The two engage in a humorous battle of the sexes, which was a new theme for Hollywood and audiences at the time.[2]
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If you look at the arc of the series, particularly over both seasons, there is a gradual shift from a very heavy noir tone to more of a screwball one.
Both of these would have been in the lexicon of the characters at that time and both work to invoke our impressions of the time based on classic cinema and pop culture references.
In reference to the characters, this is actually very meaningful and the early darker noir tone serves to underscore how they are all still grieving the war and what they lost there and how it continues to impact their lives. The slow shift to the screwball tone and focus on romance in season two mirrors the slow shift in the characters as they process their grief and start to live more joyful, optimistic lives.
Jarvis is of course very serious at the beginning, not because he isn’t a funny person but because his boss is in deep shit and his livelihood is actually on the line. He’s got a tarnished war record and a skill set that doesn’t get him very far if Stark goes to jail. He doesn’t just get exciting adventures when he helps Peggy, he benefits from her optimism and her ability to deal with obstacles in a way that make him feel more capable himself. This takes the screwball elements and flips them on its head: instead of his masculinity being challenged by Peggy and their screwball-like back-and-forth hijinks, he learns more of how to be his best self.
Marvel is always at its best when it uses the genre to really support the character arc within the movie. Winter Soldier and political thriller, Hawkeye and its Die Hard vibe, Daredevil and the noir/crime thriller, GOTG and bombastic space opera… and Agent Carter which uses spy genre on top of these.
