Finalizing the round-up of library, archives, and reel librarian scenes in MCU’s Phase Four TV series + specials

As the MCU’s Phase Five kicked off this winter with the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania movie, it feels like good timing to wrap up our cataloging of all the library, archives, and reel librarian scenes in MCU’s Phase Four movies and TV series. I’ve written a lot about library scenes in various Marvel movies on this site, so last summer, I revisited all the Marvel movies (and TV series, which began in Phase four), this time in phase order, to make sure I watched, reviewed, and analyzed them all for any library, archives, and reel librarian scenes. And I finalized the Phase Four movies earlier this month!

So please join me as I wrap up my librarian way through the MCU’s first four phases. And below feel free to browse the other MCU round-up posts:

And because Phase Four, which commences the Multiverse Saga, introduces TV series and specials, and is considerably larger and longer than previous phases, I split Phase Four into two separate posts, a post for the Phase Four movies, and another post here for the Phase Four TV series and specials. Let’s put a bow on the Phase Four TV series and specials!

There were a LOT more library, archives, and research-related scenes in the Phase Four TV series than I originally anticipated, so this is a super(hero)-sized post to finish out our MCU posts for phases 1-4. Feels appropriate, right? 😉

*POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTS*


WandaVision (Jan.-Mar. 2021)


WandaVision premiered as the first MCU TV series at the beginning of 2021 and has 9 episodes total. In this series, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are living in the suburbs, trying to act “normal” and conceal their powers. The series also features Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Kat Dennings and Randall Park return as Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo, respectively. WandaVision is a high-concept series, with each episode’s look and feel reflecting popular TV shows of different eras (i.e.g, the first episode looks like 1950s sitcoms, the second episode transitions into 1960s sitcoms, etc.). The series is set three weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and its plot and ending directly lead into the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie, which also features Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch.

There is a squint-and-you’ll-miss-it reel librarian sighting in this series, as well as a few book-focused research scenes. The Westview Public Library is also the setting for a couple of key scenes.

Episode 2, “Don’t Touch That Dial”


At 6 minutes into this episode, which is all about wanting to fit in, Vision says, “There’s a gathering of the neighborhood watch at the public library.” Cut to 11:40 minutes, and we see Vision walking up the stairs to the library.

Vision: Pardon me, is this the neighborhood watch meeting?

Norm: Oh, hiya Vision, didn’t expect to see you here. This is sort of a “members only” type deal.

The neighborhood watch meeting is taking place in a central table in the middle of the library, and we see bookcases and a large card catalog along the walls, as well as microfiche readers. The interior of the library looks to be octagonal, with an open upper level supported by columns; this octagonal shape seems to be at (architectural) odds with the flat exterior of the library building.

Behind Norm’s head, there’s what looks to be a reference counter, and a woman with dark hair walks behind the counter, which indicates to me that she’s a reel librarian. This character goes unmentioned in the episode’s cast list but helps solidify the library setting, so she ends up a (nominal) Information Provider.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Vision sits down at the center table, saying he’ll “be as quiet as a church mouse.” It dawns on him, finally, that the “neighborhood watch” meeting is actually cover for guys to get together and gossip! Vision then tries a stick of gum — again, trying to fit in — but the gum gets stuck in his internal gears, which has hilarious consequences in the latter half of the episode.

The library scene ends at 14:34 minutes, lasting a total of 3 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 3, “Now in Color”


This episode is set in the 1970s, and at 2 minutes into the episode, Vision comes out of the Westview Public Library in an establishing shot in the episode’s intro titles. The very next frame is a closeup of Vision reading a book about pregnancy while he’s walking. This visual continuation seems to suggest that this is a book Vision just checked out of the library, but there’s also no call number on this book. (Also, the front and back covers of the book seem to be the same, which is odd, isn’t it? Could this be another, very subtle hint that Vision and Wanda don’t actually fit in with everyone else? Also, does this red book cover remind you of the red book cover for Rosemary’s Baby? An unsettling thought!)

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.


At 5 minutes into the episode, Vision is reading another baby book in the nursery, a book entitled The Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book.

By the way, this is a real book which had many editions published from 1948 through 1977. Y’all knew I would look that up, right? 😉

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.


Just 2 minutes later, Wanda experiences pregnancy pain, and asks Vision, “Do any of your books talk about this?”

Vision is ready with a new book from their home library, this time The New Complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia — remember when you kept encyclopedias at home?! — which is also a real book that went through many editions published by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company. Vision looks up Braxton Hicks contractions.

Using a medical and health encyclopedia at home
Using a medical and health encyclopedia at home

Episode 9, “The Series Finale”


At 8 minutes into the finale, Wanda and Agatha have a showdown, and Agatha shares the prophecy in the Darkhold, revealing that there’s an entire chapter devoted to the Scarlet Witch: “Your power exceeds that of the sorcerer supreme. It’s your destiny to destroy the world.” (Put a pin in that for the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie!) Agatha describes the Darkhold as “the book of the damned.”

Closeup of the Darkhold book and the Scarlet Witch
Closeup of the Darkhold book and the Scarlet Witch

At 16 minutes into the episode, the townspeople confront Wanda in the town square, while The Vision (all in white) picks a fight with Vision and throws him through the public library’s windows.

The interior of the library looks to be the same octagonal set as seen in the previous episode, but we can see updates to the library, including a different card catalog along one wall (looks to be a boxier shape, like from the 1970s?), and a bulletin board to the right of the front door. This library bulletin board was my FAVORITE bit of this whole scene, as it’s SO cheesy — with a bee illustration and the phrase “The Library is the place to ‘bee'” — and SO true-to-life for a public library! I have created bulletin boards like this. In the gallery below, you can see the bulletin board and the library card catalog.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.


While this new Vision states that “my mission is to destroy the Vision,” it really seems to be about destroying the public library!

After all the destruction, I enjoyed that the two Visions then engaged in a philosophical debate and thought experiment whilst in a library; it felt fitting that The Vision restored his knowledge while in a place of knowledge.

This library fight scene ends at 20:56, lasting for 5 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

The final scene in the series features Wanda with the Darkhold — the “book of the damned” — and in her Scarlet Witch costume. This scene will get referenced again in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie.


The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Mar.-Apr. 2021)


In this TV series, which has 6 episodes, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) return and team up against the Flag Smashers and the Power Broker. Carl Lumbly has a memorable role as Isaiah Bradley, the first Black Captain America. Daniel Brühl returns as Helmut Zemo. This TV series is set six months after Steve Rogers handed the Captain America shield to Sam at the end of the Avengers: Endgame (2019) movie. This series delves into issues of racism in the U.S., and what it means and feels like to be both a Black man and Captain America.

There are no official libraries in this series, but there is an interesting example of a private library in a prison, as well as the related field of curation and museum exhibits that I felt was interesting to share.

Episode 1, “New World Order”


At 12 mins into this episode, Sam Wilson speaks at the opening of the Smithsonian Museum’s exhibit for Captain America.

Episode 3, “Power Broker”


At 7:15 minutes in to this episode, Sam and Bucky are going to see Zemo, who is in a private prison cell.

Bucky: What’s the book you’re reading?

Zemo: Machiavelli.

Zemo then picks up the book — which is laying beside a cluster of books in a private prison library of sorts — revealing a hidden key card, which helps him break out of prison.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 6, “One World, One People”


At the end of the finale, at 41 minutes, Sam takes Isiah Bradley to the Smithsonian Museum, where he reveals a new section of the Captain America exhibit that spotlights Bradley and the other Black American men who were in the Super Soldiers program.

Isiah Bradley exhibit at the Smithsonian
Isiah Bradley exhibit at the Smithsonian

Loki (Season 1, June-July 2021)


Tom Hiddleston returns to steal the small screen as Loki in this TV series, which has 6 episodes. After stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an alternate version of Loki winds up in trouble with the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) recruits Loki to help him track down another Loki variant and help fix the “Sacred Timeline.” The series co-stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, and Jonathan Majors.

We see the TVA’s archives quite a few times in this series, as well as the archivist in one episode!

Episode 1, “Glorious Purpose”


The credits of the first episode feature closeups of case files from the archives, dictionaries and notes, as well as “Archive” labels on card catalog drawers. It just makes sense that we see evidence of the archives in the first episode, as the TVA is the ultimate bureaucracy, right? This means lots of paper and filing clerks and archives!

Episode 2, “The Variant”


At 17:56 minutes into this episode, Mobius engages Loki in a research project in the archives, to help figure out how to catch the Loki variant. Our first glimpse of the archives reveals seemingly endless rows and levels of archives and bookcases. (IMDb’s Filming & Production page for this episode lists the Atlanta Marriott Marquis as the filming location for the TVA Headquarters, and photos of this hotel look like the backdrop for the archives. My guess is that they CGI’d all the bookcases and files visible in the background. And the letter combinations visible in the signage (and elevator) clearly signify an advanced classification system.)

Mobius: I need you to go over each and every one of the variants case files, and then give me your… how do I put it? Your unique Loki perspective. And who knows? Maybe there’s something that we missed.

Loki: Well, you’re idiots. I suspect you probably missed a lot.

Mobius: That’s why I’m lucky I got ya for a little bit longer. Let me park ya at this desk, and don’t be afraid to really lean into this work.

Loki [looking at the mountain of documents]: Oh my goodness.

A person in the background, who is dressed in a suit and tie, then shushes Loki, and Loki turns around and shushes them back! The shusher is credited as “Archives Shusher” (Zele Avradopoulos) in the cast list.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Loki, tired of doing research, tries to trick the Archivist (Dayna Beilenson) into giving him classified files. Let’s see how that turned out for him!

The Archivist, a White woman, is seated at her own station, cocooned within a low wall of glass partitions. Looking very no-nonsense in a tie and cardigan with pulled-back hair and 1950s glasses, she is typing away as Loki approaches.

Loki: Hi. Hello?

Archivist: [No answer, keeps typing]

Loki: Hello? [finally dings the bell on her desk]

Archivist: Can I help you?

Loki: Yes, I’m on some important TVA business. Follow-up to a field mission. You know how it goes. We redlined near the Apez, and well, it’s never good.

Archivist: [No reaction.]

Loki: I’d like all files pertaining to the creation of the TVA, please.

Archivist: Those are classified.

Loki: Ok. I’d like all files pertaining to the beginning of time then.

Archivist: Those are classified.

Loki: Ok. The end of time.

Archivist: Those are classified.

Loki: Ok. What files can I have?

Archivist [goes to the stacks and hands him a file]: Happy reading.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Lessons learned?

  1. Take archivists seriously when they say something is classified.
  2. The archivist’s glare is as chilling as a librarian’s.
  3. Don’t mess with archivists, y’all!

And lo and behold, by actually engaging in the research process and studying the archival files, Loki discovers the answer to how to find the variant Loki!

It’s also interesting to note that the closeup of a document reveals a file number and more evidence of an advanced classification system. I don’t know what this classification system is or what it signifies, but I can tell you it’s not Dewey or Library of Congress (LC). Wait… is this how non-librarians view library call numbers, as undecipherable combinations of letters and numbers?! Oh no! 😉

File number and archival classification system
File number and archival classification system

This archives scene ends at 21:26, so this scene lasts 4 1/2 minutes.

Loki takes his discovery to Mobius, and they test out the theory, that the Loki variant is hiding in apocalypses. After they prove the theory correct, at 27:43 minutes, Mobius says they need to figure out how many apocalypses there are. Cue a return to the archives!

Loki and Mobius review archives of apocalypses
Loki and Mobius review archives of apocalypses

And at 31:50 minutes into the episode, Mobius returns again to the archives, inspired by something Loki says. He pulls out a packet of Kablooie gum from an old case file, an anachronism in another timeline. This archival clue leads them to research the gum and cross-reference apocalyptic events. Ahhh, the research process! (What goes unsaid is how classification systems and keywords help make this kind of cross-referencing possible in the first place. Archivists, librarians, and catalogers worldwide say you’re welcome. 😉 )

Mobius: All we got to do is cross-reference that with every apocalyptic event.  I’m gonna a give you half, have a competition, see who wins.

Loki: Found it!

Mobius: You’re gonna take my job if I’m not careful.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

This scene ends at 33:09, lasting just under a minute and a half. Altogether, archival research dominates the episode… although the word “archives” or “archivist” is never stated out loud.

The credits also replay the bell scene from the archives!

Episode 4, “The Nexus Event”


There’s a short scene in the archives in this episode.

At 30:50 minutes into the episode, Mobius becomes suspicious of his friend and mentor Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and steals her TemPad mobile device. He then goes to a quiet corner of the archives to search the device’s contents. Obviously, the archives is where you go when you don’t expect to see anyone else!

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

The information he discovers on the TemPad, that the TVA workers all used to be variants, directly impacts the rest of the series. This scene ends at 32:14.

Episode 5, “Journey into Mystery”


Miss Minutes, voiced by Tara Strong, is not an official archivist (she’s more like a marketing spokesperson or mascot?), but she does undertake archival research in this episode.

At 9:40 minutes into the episode, Renslayer and Sylvie (a Loki variant) interact with Miss Minutes.

Renslayer: Miss Minutes, I need you to remote access a series of restricted files from the archives.

Minutes: Oooh doggy! On what?

Renslayer: The beginning of time. The founding of the TVA.

Minutes: Right away.

The animated archives look like a wheel. I think it’s interesting to contrast this scene with the previous scene with the uncooperative archivist.

However helpful Miss Minutes seems, Sylvie becomes suspicious of how long the search is taking — and indeed, this archival quest is a ruse to capture Sylvie! The scene ends at 11:26 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Later in the episode, at 29:12 minutes, Renslayer asks Miss Minutes for the files from the beginning of time, this time for real.

Episode 6, “For All Time. Always.”


Once again, the archives is an important setting, including in the final shots of the finale.

At 39:01 minutes into the episode, Loki is back in the TVA after being betrayed by Sylvia, and he runs through the archives. Computer screens in the background show how the timeline is splintering. Mobius and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) are also standing in the archives, panicked by the splintering timelines.

Mobius: That’s what, 63 new branches in this unit alone?

Hunter B-15: Does he want us to just let them all branch?

Loki [running up to them]: We freed the timeline!

[…]

Mobius: What’s your name?

Hunter B-15: Boots on the ground now. Archives.

The final shot of the series pans over the archives, this time with a statue of Kang. All reality, as this Loki knows it, has changed.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

It’s also significant that the final word of the series is “Archives,” yet it’s the first time the word “archives” is spoken aloud in the series.

The final shot of the credits has a closeup of a stamp, and atop an archival document, the stamp reads: “Loki will return in Season 2.”

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

As Pop Archives summarizes:

Unfortunately, they don’t refer to the massive archive as an archives until the last minute of the last episode of season one. […]

That being said, records and files are everywhere in season one, including the closing credits of every episode. They are the bread and butter of the TVA, but they’re also a thematic tool. […]

Records and archival collections as the truth or a truth is entirely based on how you approach the postmodernist theory behind constructed narratives and the inherent power of the archives to facilitate those narratives.

Samantha Cross, “Archives on TV: Loki,” Pop Archives, 24 June 2022

What If…? (Season 1, Aug.-Oct. 2021)


This animated series, another first for the MCU, explores what would happen if pivotal moments from the MCU happened differently. This series, which has 9 episodes, is set after the multiverse concept is established in Loki‘s first season. Jeffrey Wright narrates the series as the Watcher. A few episodes feature libraries or archives.

Episode 2, “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?”


In this episode and alternate reality, T’Challa is Star-Lord, and he leads the Ravagers to Knowhere in order to challenge the Collector, who oversees a vast collection (a personal archive or library?) of valuable and dangerous objects. At 15:23 minutes into this episode, T’Challa asks Howard the Duck where the “Embers of Genesis” are located, and we learn about a mini-library of Elvish literature! (LOTR and MCU fans unite! 😉 )

T’Challa / Star-Lord: Do you know where I can find them?

Howard the Duck: Cosmic flora, down the hall, take a Louie at the first giants, a hard Ralph at the Kronans, you’re gonna see a sign for Elvish literature. Ignore that, total snooze.

I’m not counting this as an official library or archives, but I thought it was a funny aside!

Tell me again about the Elvish literature
Tell me again about the Elvish literature

Episode 3, “What If… the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?”


In this episode, Natasha Romanoff (voiced by Lake Bell) is trying to figure out who or what is killing off the (potential) members of the Avengers.

At 18:29 minutes into the episode, Romanoff has broken into a public library in Manassas, Virginia, after the library has closed. (Note: There are several public library branches in Manassas, but the design of this animated library seems to most closely resemble the Manassas Park City Library branch.) All the lights are off as Natasha uses a library computer to try and log into the Avengers online system.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Agent Coulson [voice over the cell phone]: Why do you need my password?

Natasha: I need to get into the Avengers Initiative files, but I’m locked out of the system… and wanted for murder.

Natasha hears a noise and looks over her shoulder down an aisle of bookcases. An invisible foe attacks her, and they fight in the stacks. Natasha manages to call Nick Fury and calls out a clue, “It’s all about hope!”

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

This scene in the public library ends at 20:18 minutes, so the scene lasts less than two minutes.

Episode 4, “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?”

In this episode, Dr. Strange tries to prevent Christine’s death, which takes him on a journey to the Lost Library of Cagliostro.

At 4:17 minutes into the episode, we see a version of a scene in Doctor Strange (2016), in which reel librarian Wong (voiced by Benedict Wong) warns Strange (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) about the Eye of Agamotto, which was discovered by Cagliostro, and its power to manipulate time. In this version, we see the Ancient One (rather than Mordo) in the Kamar-Taj library!

An animated look at the Kamar-Taj Library!
An animated look at the Kamar-Taj Library!

At 5:20 minutes, we revisit Wong and Strange back in the New York sanctuary, as Strange mourns the second anniversary of Christine’s death. Again, Wong serves as a voice of reason, warning Strange not to “do something reckless.”

Almost 6 minutes later, at 11:04 minutes, the Ancient One echoes Wong’s warnings:

Ancient One: The greatest sorcerers of the past could not reverse an Absolute Point.

Strange: You don’t know that. Books have been lost. Libraries destroyed.

Strange doesn’t listen. Less than a minute later, at 11:57 minutes, we see that Strange’s journey has led him to a jungle, where he meets a stranger, a Black man. This character is voiced by Nigerian actor Ike Amadi.

Strange: I’m looking for the Lost Library of Cagliostro. Library? Hello? You know, books? Reading? Knowledge?

[No answer, as the stranger walks away, and Strange follows him.]

Strange: Where can I find Cagliostro?

Stranger: Maybe here, maybe there, maybe nowhere.

Strange: Please tell me you’re not Cagliostro.

Stranger: The name’s O’Bengh, librarian for the books of Cagliostro.

O'Bengh introduces himself as a librarian
O’Bengh introduces himself as a librarian

They arrive at the Lost Library of Cagliostro, and what a sight this library is to behold! A cherry tree grows in the center, and a few books hang from chains along the ceiling (visually intriguing but very impractical). Strange refers to these as “the lost books.” (My spouse wondered if the Book of Vishanti was there, hah!) We also see bookcases lining the back walls of the large room.

O’Bengh: How long will you be staying here?

Strange: As long as it takes.

One of the books that Strange consults, a book on time manipulation, states that you can “gain the power through the absorption of other beings.” Strange ultimately rejects O’Bengh and the library, saying, “The library isn’t enough. Those beings have what I need.” Despite another librarian’s warnings (and first aid help), Strange continues on his destructive path of battling monsters and absorbing their powers.

Eventually, Strange returns to the library and finds O’Bengh on his deathbed.

Strange: O’Bengh, what happened to you?

O’Bengh: Time. Put that away [the Eye of Agamotto]. You used magic to remain frozen for centuries. I chose to live. Even in our world, death is part of the plan. Maybe the other Strange will [accept death].”

In this closeup, it’s clear that O’Bengh has one blue eye and one brown eye (this rare genetic phenomenon is called heterochromia).

O'Bengh on his deathbed
O’Bengh on his deathbed

This Lost Library of Cagliostro scene ends at 20 minutes into the episode, lasting 8 minutes total.

Strange’s actions have disastrous consequences back in the alternate reality’s New York sanctuary with Wong. At 22:17 minutes, Wong, as usual, gets straight to the point.

Wong: Ok, wait, so the fabric of reality is breaking, and only you can stop it because you are causing it.

Strange: Let’s be honest, we’ve been through weirder.

Wong: Do you want to stop him?

Strange: At the very least, to save you.

At this point, my spouse shouted out:

He’s not wrong. Without Wong, there is no MCU!

Both Wong and O’Bengh serve primarily as Information Providers, as they provide information (and warnings) to Strange and the viewers. I would also argue that both also serve as Comic Relief, as they both display senses of humor (Wong refers to the bathroom as “the little sorcerer’s room” while O’Bengh calls Strange “Sorcerer Armani.”)

Is O’Bengh indeed Cagliostro? Burkely Hermann, in this thoughtful analysis post of this episode, states that this is implied. Hermann also brings up some interesting points to reflect on with this reel librarian portrayal:

It is disconcerting the number of roles he [O’Bengh] takes on in the episode: an all-knowing person, a medic, and a sorcerer, to name the three most prominent. Archives in Fiction (AIF) makes a good point that while the space was beautifully rendered, it is “utterly impractical” and argued that the episode has the subtext that “librarians are magic” or that they are “expected to work miracles.” In response to AIF saying that they since when anyone calls “us” (archivists, librarians) miracle workers, even if it comes “from a good place,” saying that there is “really nothing miraculous about the work we put into making things findable,” I said that that perspective makes sense.

Burkely Hermann, “Doctor Strange’s quest for power and the Black sorcerer-librarian,” Pop Culture Library Review, 12 Oct. 2021.

Episode 5, “What If… Zombies?!”


Benedict Wong has no lines (other than grunts) in this episode, but I had to include a look at Zombie Wong!!!

Zombie Wong first shows up at 3:39 minutes into the episode, and (SPOILER), he gets his head chopped off by a portal at 4:11 minutes.

Zombie Wong
Zombie Wong

Episode 7, “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?”


Although there is no library in this episode, there is a running gag in this episode about Thor’s so-called study group and how “knowledge is magic.”

At the end of this episode, at 28:50 minutes, Captain Marvel flies down to Thor and hands him a tablet full of info about humans, in order to help Thor save face in front of his mother, Frigga. It’s interesting to note what resources made the cut!

Thor, here’s the information you requested on human civilizations, and I loaded a few documentaries, PBS specials, NPR podcasts.

Knowledge is magic, indeed. Marvel provides Thor a table full of info about human civilization.
Knowledge is magic, indeed. Marvel provides Thor a table full of info about human civilization.

Episode 8, “What If… Ultron Won?”


In this episode, Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye team up to try and figure out a way to stop Ultron. This journey takes them to the KGB Archives, while the Watcher watches them and agonizes about whether or not to intervene. The KGB Archives are housed in a vast warehouse of seemingly never-ending rows of bookshelves and file boxes. No archivist is ever seen, or even mentioned.

At 10:54 minutes into the episode, Natasha and Hawkeye arrive at the archives.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Watcher: One last hope.

Natasha: Welcome to the KGB archives.

Hawkeye: Your country ever heard of PDFs?

Natasha: Hard copies are harder to steal, easier to destroy. But code, code is slippery, and it never dies.

Hawkeye: So, where do we start?

Natasha: Just pick a box.

[Pause here to scream into the void while I go all capsy. NO!!! Any kind of library or archival material is organized according to a system, a classification system, and there would be finding aids or signs or SOMETHING to help explain that system and where things are generally located. This archives warehouse looks VERY organized, by the way, with every file labeled within each box, so there’s no reason to think that there wouldn’t be a system for these archives. “Just pick a box” is NOT a system, and the time these two waste going through random boxes makes me want to scream for an archivist!]

They also mention the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie as they’re walking down the shelves of archives. (Read here at Pop Archives about how annoying it is that Raiders of the Lost Ark has helped create everlasting public confusion between archaeologists and archivists).

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

The Watcher spies the exact file they need and debates on whether or not to intervene. The scene also includes an archives ladder, plus an Easter egg where they find the Red Guardian’s shield (a connection back to Black Widow).

Hawkeye finally has had enough.

Sorry to break it to you, Natasha, but the Death Star plans are not in the main computer.

Star Wars and MCU crossover alert! This is referencing the archives adventure plot of Rogue One! 😀

Conveniently for reasons of PLOT, Natasha then immediately finds the Zola file. The Watcher is relieved, whilst archivists and librarians collectively roll our eyes at this purposefully (and needlessly) frustrating archives scene.

This archives scene ends at 14:06 and lasts 3 minutes total.


Hawkeye (Nov.-Dec. 2021)


In this TV series, which is set post-Blip, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) reluctantly teams up with the young Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to confront enemies from his past. Will Hawkeye be able to make it back to his family in time for Christmas? The series, which has 6 episodes, co-stars Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova (the new Black Widow), Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk (Kingpin), Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez (Echho), and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

I could not see any library or archives scenes in this entire TV series. There are a few research scenes, but they all entail Kate utilizing Bishop Security’s private database of security and criminal intel.


Moon Knight (Mar.-May 2022)


In this series, which includes 6 episodes, Oscar Isaac plays three different men, who are all distinct identities, or alters, stemming from a dissociative identity disorder (DID): Marc Spector / Moon Knight, Steven Grant / Mr. Knight, and Jake Lockley. The TV series co-stars May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly (the first Arab superhero in the MCU!), F. Murray Abraham as the voice of Khonshu, Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow, and Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart. The mystery plot of the series involves Egyptian gods and their human avatars.

Similar to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series, there are no official libraries or archives in this series, but there ARE several interesting examples of private libraries, as well as related (but distinctly different) fields of archaeology and museums that I thought would be interesting to share.

Episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem”


As the series begins, Steven Grant wakes up in bed, and we can spy bookcase shelves behind him — and those bookcases are arranged haphazardly (perhaps also an external reflection of his splintered mind?).

We also learn that Steven works at the British Museum in London, in the gift shop, although he not-so-secretly wishes he were a tour guide at the museum. He clearly knows more about Egyptology than the tour guides, as evidenced when he chats with a little girl at the museum.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Note: The British Museum and the British Library used to be united, but the British Library separated from the Museum in 1973. However, the British Museum continued to host the Library in its iconic Reading Room (the architectural inspiration behind the Library of Congress Reading Room, as seen here) until 1997. Therefore, I’m NOT counting this location as a library, as the British Museum and the British Library are separate entities now.

Confused yet? Even more confusingly, the actual external location used in this series for the British Museum was actually the National Gallery. Staff members wear uniforms with “National Art Gallery” printed on them, but there is no such place. London has the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, but only the British Museum has Egyptian artifacts. WHEW. Y’all still with me? 😉

At 10 minutes into the episode, we witness how Steven uses reading as a tactic to stay awake. He listens to an app (“Welcome to staying awake! … Bored with puzzles? Try a book!”), and he reads about Egyptian gods, highlighting passages in books. That’s how he knows more than the tour guides at the museum! This reading and research montage lasts under a minute.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 2, “Summon the Suit”


At 12:30 minutes into this episode, Steven is walking through a storage unit facility (archives of personal lives?), and the automatic lights click off. My spouse remarked how these lights echoed the automatic lights coming on in the archives scene in Captain Marvel.

Dramatic lighting in the archives scenes in Captain Marvel (2019)
Click the arrows to slide and compare the automatic lights in the storage facility in Moon Knight (left) versus the archives in Captain Marvel (right)

At 15:44 minutes, Steven brings Layla back to his apartment. We see many more bookcases, with books stacked everywhere, even on the floor. Steven also has card catalog drawers along one back wall, as well as a library ladder!

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 3, “The Friendly Type”


In this episode, we learn more about Layla’s dad, who was an archaeologist. Again, just to be clear, archaeology and archives are NOT the same thing. (Sam @ Pop Archives delves more into this misconception here in this post.)

But I found this quote interesting. Less than 2 minutes into the episode, Layla’s forger friend, Lagaro (Barbara Rosenblat), quips:

Archaeology. One big mess of obsessive bookworms.

Also, later in the episode at 26:30 minutes, Layla has a brief exchange with Anton Mogart (Gaspard Ulliel, who tragically died in a ski accident this year) about the nature of private collections of cultural artifacts.

Anton: I hope you understand this is more than a collection to me. Preserving history is a responsibility I take very seriously.

Layla: A self-appointed responsibility that you alone are able to enjoy, no?

BINGO. I love that Layla is calling out his privilege here. Anton describes this kind of private collecting in a way that probably sounds similar to how an archivist could describe their work. But most archival collections are meant to be shared with the public — even if that public has to make appointments in order to view or use the collections — and not hidden away for just one person to enjoy. If you’re an archivist and reading this post, please leave a comment and share your perspective on this scene!

Episode 5, “Asylum”


At 3:53 minutes into this penultimate episode, Ethan Hawke is portraying a psychiatrist who is trying to explain trauma and its effects to Steven. And he mentions a library in this explanation!

Harrow: The struggling mind will often build places to seek shelter for different aspects of the self from our most traumatic memories. It’s called just an organizing principle, ok? Some people, they see a castle right? Somebody else will see a name, or a library.

Steven: Or…a psych ward?

Harrow also has a bookcase in his office, and most of the books are white or neutral-colored. Is it just my (biased) librarian perspective, or do you find it suspicious when people match their books with their decor? (Side note: PLEASE never go to a library and ask a librarian or staff member for “you know, the book with the blue cover.” We do NOT organize books by color, and we do not make note of the color of a cover in an item record in the library catalog. We do sometimes make funny book displays, like “Books with Blue Covers,” though, when we’re feeling snarky. 😉 ) In the screenshot below, you can also see colored stickers on some of the book spines, which makes me think these books props came from a real library.

A personal library in a doctor's office
A personal library in a doctor’s office

Ms. Marvel (June-July 2022)


In this TV series, which includes 6 episodes and occurs post-Blip, we get to know Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a 16-year-old fangirl of the Avengers — and specifically Captain Marvel — who navigates the complications of daily life as a Pakistani-American as well as her own superpowers that develop after she puts on a mysterious bangle that used to belong to her great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat). The series co-stars Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan, Matt Lintz as Bruno Carrelli, Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir, Rish Shah as Kamran, Nimra Bucha as Najma, and Aramis Knight as Kareem / Red Dagger. This series is based on the graphic novel series by G. Willow Wilson, and the ending of this TV series directly sets up the plot of the upcoming movie, The Marvels.

This TV series has scenes set in and around the school library. Confusedly, the guidance counselor’s office seems to be INSIDE the school library (???), but I’m not counting the guidance counselor character as a reel librarian.

Episode 1, “Generation Why”


At 5 minutes into the first episode, we get a closeup of the school sign, which reads Coles Academic High School. The real-life inspiration behind this high school is the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School, located on Coles Street in Jersey City, NJ. The McNair HS even issued a press release about how proud they are to be connected with this series!

It has been a point of pride to be a real-life example of the various identities that this history-making character and story represents.

McNair Academic Brought to Life as ‘Coles Academic’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe” press release, Jersey City Public Schools, 3 June 2022.
Coles Academic High School plaque
Coles Academic High School plaque

You can also see “G. Willow Wilson” included as the first name on the Coles Academic sign. Wilson wrote the original Ms. Marvel comics, and also has a cameo on the series!

Onto another Wilson reference… at 7 minutes, we get our first glimpse of the school library and the office for the guidance counselor, Mr. Wilson (Jordan Firstman). Mr. Wilson is trying to be super cool and chill, but the teens obviously view him as a lame poser. Through the blinds of the guidance counselor’s office, we can see library shelves, and what looks like a common room with other offices? This school library’s layout seems really confusing! Also, note the cheesy inspirational sign on the back of the office door (“You Can Totally Do This”), as you will see more inspirational posters in upcoming scenes in this office!

Is the guidance counselor's office inside the school library?
Is the guidance counselor’s office inside the school library?

The guidance counseling session lasts 2 minutes.

Episode 2, “Crushed”


At 20:30 minutes into this episode, Bruno has a session with the guidance counselor. This time, the blinds are up, so we can see more clearly the library bookcases along the back and side walls, along with tables in the open area. Several students are using the school library space and browsing books on the shelves. (Click on the first screenshot in the gallery below to view the inspirational poster in this scene, which has a cat hanging off a tree branch below the words “Hang in there!”)

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

This scene lasts under 2 minutes.

Episode 4, “Seeing Red”


At 19:39 minutes into this episode, which is set in Pakistan, we enter the hideout of the Red Daggers, where we see their private library and collection of artifacts. I’m not counting this as an official library, but I thought it served as an interesting and different example of a private library.

We also see this private library again at 31:34 minutes, when Kamala is training with the Red Daggers.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 6, “No Normal”


In this finale episode, Kamala and her friends hide out at the high school and create a plan for how to deal with the law enforcement officers who are coming for them. (Fair warning, there is a “trigger warning” at the beginning of this episode, as it is EXTREMELY disturbing to view cops tracking down and shooting at kids in a school.)

At 15:42 minutes into the episode, Kamala’s brother, Aamir (Saagar Shaikh), grabs a fire extinguisher in the school library. Call numbers are visible on the book spines.

A closeup of school library call numbers and a fire extinguisher
A closeup of school library call numbers and a fire extinguisher

At 21:28 minutes, Kamala and Kamran run through the library and hide in the guidance counselor’s office. Kamala is able to calm Kamran down, and they almost kiss before Bruno interrupts them. Kamala and Kamran escape out the back of the counselor’s office, where we see more bookcases and books with call numbers in a back room. It’s unclear if this back room is a storage room or a browsable extension of the school library? (Also, note the corner of one more inspirational poster in the guidance counselor’s office, with the words “Get Ready for College!”). Bruno distracts the cops by dancing in the library. The scene ends at 23:15 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Because of the additional back room glimpse, the guidance counselor’s office seems to be located in the MIDDLE of the school library. Is he supposed to be both the school’s librarian and the guidance counselor? Mr. Wilson is never seen doing anything other than counseling, so I’m still not listing him as a reel librarian. I don’t understand this set design. My best guess is that if this is a real school location, that they used the actual school librarian’s office and just turned it into the guidance counselor’s office, in order to save money and space.


She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Aug.-Oct. 2022)


I waited until She-Hulk: Attorney at Law finished its first season run, so I could binge-watch the entire series. I was crossing my fingers for some law library scenes, and I (sort of) got my wish, as you will see below.

In this series, we follow the adventures of lawyer Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), cousin to Bruce Banner / The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). After a car crash, Jennifer accidentally got exposed to Bruce’s blood, which results in a metamorphosis into She-Hulk. Jennifer then gets hired to lead a law firm’s new superhuman law division.

Episode 2, “Superhuman Law”

In this episode, Jennifer joins the Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H) and (reluctantly) agrees to represent Emil Blonsky / Abomination (Tim Roth) at his parole hearing, the first case for her new superhuman law division.

I had NOT caught a library-related Easter egg until I watched the always excellent Ryan Arey and his ScreenCrush recaps and Easter eggs of the She-Hulk series. In the recap video for Episode 2, Arey points out a glimpse of a comics library (!!!) while Jennifer gets a tour of the GLK&H law firm. So we DO get a law library — just a completely different kind than I had been thinking of! 😀

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger size.

“In the comic She-Hulk, the law firm uses comic books as a research library, because in the Marvels Comics Universe there is a Marvel Comics publishing company that publishes the exploits of the real-life superheroes. So the same could be true here [in the TV series], where this is the research library for the superhuman law division.”

Ryan Arey, “SHE-HULK Ep 2 Breakdown: Every Easter Egg and Marvel Reference + WOLVERINE Cameo Explained,” ScreenCrush [YouTube video], 25 Aug. 222
SHE-HULK Ep 2 Breakdown: Every Easter Egg and Marvel Reference + WOLVERINE Cameo Explained” video by ScreenCrush, Standard YouTube license

Due to his “encyclopedia knowledge of Marvel comics,” Arey then proceeds to detail each of the comic books referenced in this library cameo scene, based on the covers. LOVE. ❤ #NerdAlert #NoRegrets


Episode 3, “The People vs. Emil Blonsky”


In this episode, Jennifer successfully defends Blonsky / Abomination at his parole hearing, thanks in part to the testimony of Wong (Benedict Wong), who was tracked down by Jennifer’s paralegal, Nikki Ramos (Ginger Gonzaga).

When Jennifer goes to the prison to meet with Blonsky, she shows leaked footage from his fight with Wong — which was a very entertaining scene in the movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), which I analyzed here in this post. This leads the law team to Wong, who has a LinkedIn-type profile online which lists his employment history, including his position as Librarian at Kamar-Taj, a position he held (still holds?) for 11 years.

Nikki: Wong. Just Wong. And his internet presence is a little chaotic. He’s either a sorcerer who lives in New York or a librarian in Nepal.

Jennifer: Can you get to him?

Nikki: Yes, Jen. It’s me. Of course I can get to him. I sent a thirst trap. It was a picture of me with a bunch of books.

A glimpse of Wong's employment history
A glimpse of Wong’s employment history. Screenshot from ScreenCrush “SHE-HULK Ep 3 Breakdown: Every EASTER EGG + KINGPIN Clue EXPLAINED” video.

Of course, Wong is the current Sorcerer Supreme, and even if he is a retired reel librarian, I’m still including him! #TeamWongForever

Wong then portals into Jennifer’s law office — that book thirst trap was certainly successful! — and references the memory-erasing spell from Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Wong testifies at Blonsky’s parole hearing — but then disappears back into a portal when the parole board points out that Wong has just admitted to breaking the law by breaking Blonsky out of prison!

Slide the bar below to compare Wong’s portal entrance and exit.

Wong’s portal entrance and exit in this She-Hulk episode.

Episode 4, “Is This Not Real Magic?”


In this episode, Wong and Jennifer team up to fight a swarm of demons that a magician, Donny Blaze (Rhys Coiro) had unwittingly released; we find out that Donny had been expelled from Kamar-Taj.

As the episode begins, Donny pulls out a sling ring during his magic show and sends an audience member — Madisynn with “two N’s, one Y but it’s not where you thiiink” — to Kamar-Taj, where she interrupts Wong watching The Sopranos TV series and his adorable little dance to the opening credits song, “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3:

Wong dances to the opening credits song from The Sopranos
Wong dances to the opening credits song from The Sopranos

At 6:15 minutes into the episode, Wong uses yet another portal to enter Jennifer’s law office, because he needs her help to stop Blaze.

Wong entering Jennifer's law office by another portal
Wong entering Jennifer’s law office by another portal

They have this following exchange, in which Wong references the Book of Vishanti (which was a major plot point in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), which I detailed here in this “first impressions” post).

Jennifer: No judge is going to take this seriously unless we do things by the book.

Wong: Ah, the Book of Vishanti.

Jennifer: No, the book of American laws.

Before Wong departs in yet another portal, he hands Jennifer his business card, which simply reads:

Wong
Sorcerer Supreme
Master of the Mystic Arts

Wong's business card
Wong’s business card

The mid-credits scene showcases Wong hanging out again with Madisynn, watching The Sopranos. Madisynn asks about yak milk, and he mentions that they “still have some left from the wedding”… could he be referring to Tony Stark’s wedding that he got invited to in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)???

Madisynn and Wong hang out again in this mid-credits scene from She-Hulk
Madisynn and Wong hang out again in this mid-credits scene from She-Hulk

Episode 9, “Whose Show is This?”


In this final episode, Jennifer breaks the fourth wall — which was a common thing in the original She-Hulk comics — and persuades K.E.V.I.N. (an AI robot based on the real-life Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige) to rewrite the finale.

The final credits cameo reveals Wong breaking Blonsky out of prison to take him to Kamar-Taj.

Blonsky: You took your time.

Wong: Emil, my apologies for my delay.

Blonsky: You got sucked into another show, didn’t you?

Wong: We’re really in an era of peak TV.

And that is certainly true for every series that features Wong! How about a TV series all about Wong already?! … And I’m not the only one who thinks that!


Werewolf by Night (Oct. 2022)


No library scene.

In this TV special, which premiered on the Disney+ streaming platform, a group of monster hunters assemble at Bloodstone Manor after the death of Ulysses Bloodstone, to compete for the Bloodstone relic. It stars Gael Garcia Bernal as Jack Russell and Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone.


The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Dec. 2022)


No library scene.

This TV special, written and directed by James Gunn, premiered on the Disney+ streaming platform. It reunites (almost all of) the Guardians of the Galaxy — minus Gamora (Zoe Saldana) — in a mission to bring Christmas cheer to Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), which involves kidnapping Kevin Bacon. As you do. 😉 This TV special paves the path for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 movie, scheduled to be released in May 2023.

Keeping score

PHASE ONE:

  • 6 movies
  • 2/6 library or archives scenes
    • The Incredible Hulk – university library
    • Thor – public library
  • 0/6 reel librarian sightings

PHASE TWO:

  • 6 movies
  • 1/6 library or archives scenes
    • Thor: The Dark World – college library
  • 0/6 reel librarian sightings

PHASE THREE:

  • 11 movies
  • 3/11 library or archives scenes
    • Doctor Strange – Kamar-Taj library
    • Spider-Man: Homecoming – school library
    • Captain Marvel – U.S. Air Force archives
  • 3/11 reel librarian sightings – all Wong!
    • Doctor Strange
    • Avengers: Infinity War
    • Avengers: Endgame

Note: Except for Doctor Strange, the movies in this phase either included a library or archives but had no corresponding librarian or archivist — or vice versa, with a reel librarian never seen in a library.

PHASE FOUR (FINAL):

  • 6 movies + 8 TV series + 2 TV specials
  • 7/16 library or archives scenes
    • Eternals – archives
    • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Kamar-Taj Library
    • WandaVision – public library in 3 episodes
    • Loki – archives in 3 episodes
    • What If…? – public library in 1 episode, Kamar-Taj Library and the Lost Library of Cagliostro in 1 episode, archives in 1 episode
    • Ms. Marvel – school library in 3 episodes
    • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law – comics library in law form in 1 episode
  • 7/16 reel librarian sightings
    • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Wong cameo
    • Spider-Man: No Way Home – Wong cameo
    • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Wong as a main character
    • Wanda Vision – public librarian in an uncredited cameo in 1 episode
    • Loki – archivist in 1 episode
    • What If… ? – Wong and O’Bengh
    • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law – Wong as a supporting character in 3 episodes

Almost half of the Phase Four movies and TV series included a library or archives scene and/or reel librarians. It definitely helps that Wong is such a fan favorite!

OVERALL (phases 1-4, final):

  • 30 movies + 8 TV series + 2 TV specials
  • 15/40 library or archives scenes (38%)
  • 13/40 reel librarian sightings (33%)

Ultimately, a third or more of all the MCU movies and TV series included a library or archives scene and/or reel librarians.

Sources used

  • British Library.” Wikipedia, 20 July 2022. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • Cross, Samantha. “Archives on TV: Loki.” Pop Archives, 24 June 2022.
  • Cross, Samantha. “They’re Digging in the Wrong Place: The Influence of Indiana Jones on the Archives.” Pop Archives, 7 Jan. 2019.
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Created by Malcolm Spellman. Perf. Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Erin Kellyman, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “New World Order” (1.1, 19 Mar. 2021), “Power Broker” (1.3, 2 Apr. 2021); “One World, One People” (1.6, 23 Apr. 2021).
  • Hawkeye. Perf. Jeremy Rinner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga, Florence Pugh, Vincent D’Onofrio. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
  • Hermann, Burkely. “Doctor Strange’s Quest for Power and the Black Sorcerer-Librarian.” Pop Culture Library Review, 12 Oct. 2021.
  • Keane, Sean. “Marvel Cinematic Universe: All the Phase 5 and 6 Release Dates Revealed.” CNET, 31 July 2022.
  • Loki. Created by Michael Waldron. Perf. Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “Glorious Purpose” (1.1, 9 Jun. 2021); “The Variant” (1.2, 16 Jun. 2021); “The Nexus Event” (1.4, 30 Jun. 2021); “Journey into Mystery” (1.5, 7 Jul. 2021); “For All Time. Always” (1.6, 14 Jul. 2021).
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Five.” Wikipedia, 21 Aug. 2022. Accessed 22 Aug. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four.” Wikipedia, 7 Aug. 2022. Accessed 8 Aug. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • McNair Academic Brought to Life as ‘Coles Academic’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe” (press release). Jersey City Public Schools, 3 June 2022.
  • Moon Knight. Created by Doug Moench. Perf. Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, F. Murray Abraham. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2022.
    • Episodes: “The Goldfish Problem” (1.1, 30 Mar. 2022); “Summon the Suit” (1.2, 6 Apr. 2022); “The Friendly Type” (1.3, 13 Apr. 2022); “Asylum” (1.5, 27 Apr. 2022).
  • Ms. Marvel. Created by Bisha K. Ali. Perf. Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Rish Shah. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2022.
    • Episodes: “Generation Why” (1.1, 8 Jun. 2022); “Crushed” (1.2, 15 Jun. 2022); “Seeing Red” (1.4, 29 Jun. 2022); “No Norma: (1.6, 13 Jul. 2022).
  • ScreenCrush. “She-Hulk Ep 2 Breakdown: Every Easter Egg and Marvel Reference + Wolverine Cameo Explained.” Video [YouTube], 25 Aug. 2022.
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Created by Jessica Gao. Perf. Tatiana Maslany, Jameela Jamil, Tim Roth, Benedict Wong. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2022.
    • Episodes: “Superhuman Law” (1.2, Aug. 2022), “The People vs. Emil Blonsky” (1.3, Sept. 2022), “Is This Not Real Magic?” (1.4, Sept. 2022), “Whose Show Is This?” (1.9, Oct. 2022)
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” Wikipedia, 26 Dec. 2022. Accessed 30 Dec. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • Simons, Roxy. “‘Moon Knight’ Filming Locations: Where in London was the Marvel Show Shot?Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2022.
  • WandaVision. Created by Jac Schaeffer. Perf. Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “Don’t Touch That Dial” (1.2, 15 Jan. 2021), “Now in Color” (1.3, 22 Jan. 2021), “The Series Finale” (1.9, 5 Mar. 2021).
  • What If…? Perf. Jeffrey Wright, Chadwick Boseman, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lake Bell, Benedict Wong. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” (1.2, 11 Aug. 2021); “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” (1.3, 25 Aug. 2021); “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” (1.4, 1 Sep. 2021); “What If… Zombies?!” (1.5, 8 Sep. 2021); “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?” (1.7, 22 Sep. 2021); “What If… Ultron Won?” (1.8, 6 Oct. 2021).
Advertisement

Finalizing the round-up of library, archives, and reel librarian scenes in MCU’s Phase Four movies

As Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is scheduled to be released next week, on Feb. 17th — serving as the first film to kick off MCU’s Phase Five — let’s wrap up our cataloging of all the library, archives, and reel librarian scenes in Phase Four movies. I’ve written a lot about library scenes in various Marvel movies on this site, so last summer, I revisited all the Marvel movies, this time in phase order, to make sure I watched, reviewed, and analyzed them all for any library, archives, and reel librarian scenes. So please join me as I wrap up my librarian way through the MCU’s first four phases! Below is where you can browse the other MCU round-up posts:

And because Phase Four , which commences the Multiverse Saga, introduces TV series and is considerably larger and longer than previous phases, I split Phase Four into two separate posts, a post for the Phase Four movies, and another post for the Phase Four TV series. Let’s wrap up the Phase Four movies, shall we?

*POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTS*

Black Widow (2021)

No official library scene, but there is an interesting private library in this movie that I want to highlight.

Black Widow is the sole stand-alone movie for Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Set in 2016, it continues after the main plot of Captain America: Civil War. We also get introduced to Natasha’s sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), her father-figure, Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour), and her mother-figure,  Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz).

Halfway through the film, Natasha, Yelena, and Alexei arrive at Melina’s home in the country. Although there is no official library in this movie, we do see the extensive private library that lines the inside of Melina’s home — which makes sense, as Melina is a brilliant scientist.

While standing in front of a bookcase, Natasha has a heart-to-heart with Melina, and they discuss Natasha’s birth mother. Natasha spies a photo album on one of the shelves, and the album is full of (staged) family photos from their time in the U.S.

Melina: I’ve always found it best not to look into the past.

Natasha: Then why did you save this?

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

This is the first Asian-led movie of the MCU — definitely overdue! In this movie, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) confronts his past while getting drawn back into the Ten Rings organization. Benedict Wong reprises his role as fan favorite Wong (“I always bet on Asian!”), and Ben Kingsley reprises his role from Iron Man 3 (2013). Tony Leung anchors the movie with his multi-layered portrayal of Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings.

Wong is back in the library!

We finally get to see Wong back in a library, which I am still assuming is the Kamar-Taj Library, which happens in a mid-credits scene after Wong comes through a portal to take Shang-Chi and Katy (Awkwafina) back to Kamar-Taj. We also get to see holograms of Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner joining in as they study the Ten Rings. This is also when we get to hear Wong say, “They don’t match any artifacts from our codex,” a line that made me geek out into a deep dive in my first impressions post of the movie.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Wenwu’s private library

Although not an official library, I did want to mention that we get to see another private library in this movie — or perhaps best described as a personal archives?

At 3 minutes into the movie, we get our first glimpse of Wenwu in his office and private library, and everything looks tidy and organized.

Wenwu’s private library looks neat and tidy at first

Cut to 50 minutes into the movie, and Wenwu’s private library is spilling everywhere and very messy, which reflects the state of his mind and obsession to set free the spirit of his beloved dead wife. He explains that “I was sitting here, deep in my research,” while he shows Shang-Chi and Katy the clues and maps he has gathered for Ta Lo, the mythical land his wife came from.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

And 30 minutes after that scene, we see Wenwu again in his library, and he has another vision of his wife. This sets in motion the final battle between Wenwu and his son Shang-Chi in Ta Lo.

In this private library, Wenwu continues his obsession over his dead wife
In his private library, Wenwu continues his obsession over his dead wife

You can read additional details here in this prior post:

First impressions: Wong’s cameos in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021)

Eternals (2021)

Upon rewatching Eternals, I’m going to argue that it includes an archive. Hear me out!

In this movie, we meet the Eternals, immortal beings with superpowers who arrived on Earth thousands of years ago. Created by the Celestials, the Eternals (Salma Hayek as Ajak; Gemma Chan as Sersi; Angelina Jolie as Thena; Richard Madden as Ikaris; Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo; Lia McHugh as Sprite; Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos; Lauren Ridloff as Makkari; Barry Keoghan as Druig; and Don Lee as Gilgamesh) reunite to battle the Deviants.

At one hour into the movie, Sersi is communicating with the Celestial being called Arishem.

Sersi: Why don’t I remember any of this?

Arishem: Because your memories are erased and reset after each emergence. They are stored here.

Sersi: Why do you keep them? [the memory crystals]

Arishem: I keep them in order to study the Deviants. I created the Deviants, Sersi, for the same purpose I created you.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

That wide shot of the wall of memory crystals was included in the original trailer, and at that point, it looked like a forest to me. Watching this movie, this shot serves to visually emphasize how many times these Eternals have been reset. Their memories have been “stored,” as Arishem puts it, but you could use the word “archived.” And what a vast archives collection it is!

And here’s a quick bit about how at 1 hour and 30 minutes into the movie, the Celestials revisit their ship, and find Makkari waiting for them. Phastos exclaims, “Is that a sarcophagus in my lab?!” I mused that you could think of the contents of that room — a jumble of books, paintings, statues, a throne, and yes, a sarcophagus — as like an archives of human existence on Earth? But ultimately, it’s really just a junk room, disorganized and complete with junk food wrappers! One man’s junk is another man’s treasure… 😉

Makkari's junk room
Makkari’s junk room

Makkari’s junk room also reminded me of the “Room of Requirement” from the Harry Potter series… any other impressions? Please comment and share!

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

In this movie, we see the aftermath from the ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home, when Mysterio exposed Spider-Man’s identity. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) then goes to Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to try and fix everything, but the spell goes wrong and causes the Multiverse to split, which brings back villains and past versions of Spider-Man.

Wong (Benedict Wong) also shows up for a brief cameo at the beginning of the movie, long enough to warn Peter and Doctor Strange about the spell… that they then immediately cast after he leaves. Here was my “first impressions” tweet after I first watched the movie at our regional drive-in (note: I am no longer active on Twitter, so below is a screenshot of the tweet):

Tweet of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Wong warning Doctor Strange

At 57 minutes into the movie, we follow Spider-Man’s leaps through dimensions of reality, with different locations flashing onscreen for seconds. At first glance, I thought there was a clip of bookcases, or perhaps shelves of a bookstore in a local mall. Upon a second look, and a closer pause, it turned out to be shelves at a clothing store, with what looks like purses on an end-cap. (I’m including this non-library aside to demonstrate that yes, I have been thorough in my rewatching of every MCU movie and TV series! 😉 ) See the screenshot below:

Spider-Man leaps through a clothing store, not a library or a bookstore
Spider-Man leaps through a clothing store, not a library or a bookstore

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

In this movie, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), along with multiverse versions of himself, battles Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in order to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teenager with the power to punch through the multiverse.

Benedict Wong returns as beloved reel librarian (and Sorceror Supreme!) Wong, and has several action scenes. The movie’s plot of good versus evil is embodied within two books: the Book of Vishanti and the Darkhold.

You can read additional details here in this prior post:

First impressions: 18 thoughts and questions I had about Wong while watching ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

No library scene.

In this movie, directed by Taika Waititi, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) returns to the MCU, this time as the Mighty Thor! There’s more to the movie — like Christian Bale starring as Gorr the God Butcher in a completely different movie within this movie (sarcasm alert) — but Jane as the Mighty Thor is the main reason to see this movie, in my opinion.

I was able to catch Thor: Love and Thunder at the drive-in. Although there is no library scene, a few books are key factors:

  1. Dr. Jane Foster’s book called The Foster Theory gets a closeup onscreen
  2. Jane reads up on Mjolnir in a couple of Norse mythology books, which leads her to New Asgard, where she becomes the Mighty Thor.

As this online article explains:

Well, as we come to find in “Love and Thunder,” Jane finally managed to take all of her findings and turn them into a book titled “The Foster Theory” which is referenced several times in the film. The notes that Thor recovered for Jane help to craft this book and turn Jane into a world-renowned scientist, offering a bit more richness to her character arc. It truly filled in some gaps that existed ever since Jane disappeared following the events of “Thor: The Dark World.”

Ryan Scott, “The Coolest Easter Eggs In Thor: Love And Thunder,” SlashFilm.com, 8 July 2022

And this article sums up the importance of how and why Mjolnir communicated to Jane through those mythology books:

With Jane sick with stage four cancer, Mjolnir communicated with her telepathically, leading her to scour the books on Viking mythology. This led Jane to New Asgard, where the broken pieces of Mjolnir were held. […] Jane’s arrival in New Asgard woke up Mjolnir, allowing it to reform to transform Jane into Mighty Thor. It was waiting for Jane all along, somehow sensing her hopelessness and knowing that she was struggling with her cancer diagnosis.

Mae Abdulbaki, “Why Mjolnir Chose Jane As The New Thor,” ScreenRant.com, 7 July 2022

Here is a slideshow of my “first impressions” tweets after watching Thor: Love and Thunder:

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

No library scene.

In this movie and sequel to Black Panther (2018), director and co-writer Ryan Coogler pays homage to the one and only T’Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020), cinematically exploring grief and its effects on family and community. The leaders of Wakanda face off against a new enemy, Namor, the leader of Talokan, an ancient civilization of people who live underwater (based on Atlantis and Tlālōcān from Aztec mythology). The film stars Letitia Wright as Shuri, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, and introduces Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Michaela Coel as Aneka, and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Official Trailer” video uploaded by Marvel Entertainment, Standard YouTube License

For me, Huerta and Bassett were the standouts in this film, and the world-building and culture of Talokan was engrossing. The movie was solid, although overlong because it was forced to introduce characters and plotlines for other upcoming MCU projects.

Keeping score

PHASE ONE:

  • 6 movies
  • 2/6 library or archives scenes (The Incredible Hulk – university library, Thor – public library)
  • 0/6 reel librarian sightings

PHASE TWO:

  • 6 movies
  • 1/6 library or archives scenes (Thor: The Dark World – college library)
  • 0/6 reel librarian sightings

PHASE THREE:

  • 11 movies
  • 3/11 library or archives scenes (Doctor Strange – Kamar-Taj library, Spider-Man: Homecoming – school library, Captain Marvel – U.S. Air Force archives)
  • 3/11 reel librarian sightings (Doctor StrangeAvengers: Infinity WarAvengers: Endgame – all Wong!)

Note: Except for Doctor Strange, the movies in this phase either included a library or archives but had no corresponding librarian or archivist, or vice versa, with a reel librarian never seen in a library.

Phase Four (THUS FAR):

  • 7 movies
  • 2/7 library or archives scenes (Eternals – archives, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Kamar-Taj Library)
  • 3/7 reel librarian sightings (Wong in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

OVERALL (phases 1-4, thus far):

  • 30 movies
  • 8/30 library or archives scenes
  • 6/30 reel librarian sightings

Next week, we will wrap up Phase Four with the TV series and specials! Stay tuned!

Sources used

Comparing the central librarian character in ‘Grindhouse’ (2003) vs. ‘All About Evil’ (2010)

Both versions gift us with more reel librarians to “love, love to hate, or hate.”

Last month, I analyzed Joshua Grannell’s indie camp horror movie, All About Evil (2010), and in that post, I mentioned that the original inspiration and short film, Grindhouse (2003) was also included in the special edition Blu-Ray. (Please note that the 2003 short film Grindhouse is different than the 2007 feature film of the same name, starring Rose McGowan and Kurt Russell.) I thought it would be fun to continue the scary season in order to analyze the original short film and compare the portrayals of the central reel librarian character, Deborah “Deb” Tennis, in both versions.

If you’re unfamiliar with the central character and premise, the summary on the Blu-Ray edition for All About Evil captures the foundation of both the short film and feature film:

When a mousy librarian takes over her late father’s struggling movie theater, a series of grisly murders caught on camera will transform her into the new queen of indie splatter cinema.

Let’s start by outlining some basic info about each version:

GrindhouseAll About Evil
Year released20032010
Director & screenwriterJoshua GrannellJoshua Grannell
Length14 mins98 mins
Lead actor playing DebJennifer TaherNatasha Lyonne
Additional librarian charactersNoneMink Stole as Evelyn
Library scenesNo library scenes; Deb is referred to one time as a “dirty little librarian” by her motherTwo scenes set and filmed at San Francisco Public Library Presidio Branch library
Character played by Joshua GrannellTV interviewer Richard HunterPeaches Christ, drag queen & horror movie buff
Comparing basic details of Grindhouse and All About Evil versions

Below is a visual comparison between how we first meet Jennifer Taher as Deb in Grindhouse vs. Natasha Lyonne in All About Evil. Both versions showcase Deb reading a book while at the concession stand, dressed in dowdy clothing and a messy bun. Interesting to note that the 2003 Deb wears glasses — a typical prop for the reel librarian! — while the 2010 Deb does not.

Our visual introduction to Deb the reel librarian in Grindhouse (top) and All About Evil (bottom)

The initial transformation of Deb from librarian to a star — after her first kill is caught on the movie theater’s security camera and accidentally shown to the audience in the theater — remains very similar in both versions. Deb embraces her “star quality” after her first kill, and her liberation from librarian to filmmaker begins:

Deb embraces her “star quality” after her first kill, in Grindhouse (left) and All About Evil (right)

The way that Deb’s mother describes her also remains almost identical between both versions (except for an adjective used with “librarian”):

  • 2003: “You are nothing but a dirty little librarian with big, big, big dreams, and hideous little looks. You read too much. You are nothing but a loser.”
  • 2010: “You are nothing but a boring, little librarian with big, big dreams and hideous little looks. Besides, you read too much. You’re a loser.”

In both versions, this is the only time anyone refers to Deb as a librarian.

After this initial “first kill” scene, the rest of the short film then features a TV interview with Deb and interviewer Richard Hunter (Joshua Grannell), during which we flash back to scenes from her real-life slasher films. The TV interview and reporter also pops up in the feature film; the character, a much smaller role, is renamed Peter Gorge (Patrick Bristow). It’s also fun to see how different Deb looks in each incarnation:

Comparing Deb’s interview in Grindhouse (top) and All About Evil (bottom)

Both versions feature tongue-in-(bloody)-cheek references to great literary works, which serve as the inspiration for Deb’s short films:

Film title / literary inspirationGrindhouse (2003)All About Evil (2010)
A Tale of Two Severed Titties / A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens
(movie poster)

(scene & movie poster)
The Slasher in the Rye / The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J. D. Salinger
(scene)

(verbal reference)
The Scarlet Leper / The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne
(scene)

(scene)
The Maiming of the Shrew / The Taming of the Shrew, a play by William Shakespeare
(movie poster)
X
Gore and Peace / War and Peace, a novel by Leo TolstoyX
(movie poster)
The Diary of Anne Frankenstein / a literary mashup from The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, and Frankenstein, a novel by Mary ShelleyX
(movie poster)
The Satanic Nurses / The Satanic Verses, a novel by Salman RushdieX
(movie poster)
I Know Why the Caged Girl Screams / I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a memoir by Maya AngelouX
(movie poster)
MacDeath / Macbeth, a play by William ShakespeareX
(movie poster)
Comparing literary references in Grindhouse and All About Evil

Beyond the movie titles and posters, Deb’s focus on literature is also highlighted in both versions:

  • In the 2003 short film, Deb states in the interview that “While it’s true my films are filled with gore and violence, if you look past all that, you’ll find the great literary works of all time.”
  • In the 2010 feature film, we see Deb doing research with a copy of A Tale of Two Cities in her hands, and she gets angry at Mr. Twigs when she suspects he hasn’t read the book she gave him.

This literary connection is also why I think it matters that we learn she’s a librarian in the opening scenes. Although Deb soon sheds her librarian persona in favor of being a “directress” (her own words in both versions), she remains true to her librarian and literary roots.

Here’s a visual comparison between the posters for “A Tale of Two Severed Titties” featured in both versions:

Movie poster comparison in Grindhouse (left) and All About Evil (right)

The closeups of Deb portraying “The Scarlet Leper” is also a fun visual comparison, as the bathroom setting for this short film remains similar in both versions.

Comparing “The Scarlet Leper” closeup of Deb in Grindhouse (left) and All About Evil (right)

The original short film doesn’t delve into WHY Deb kills people, beyond her first kill when she stabs her cruel, domineering mother. Grannell fleshes this out in the feature film version, and here’s how I described it in my post last month:

But in her mind, she doesn’t just murder people for fun… she murders them for a reason, because they break “the rules,” her rules. Yet in killing them, she becomes the ultimate rule-breaker herself.

Interestingly, in the 2003 short film, the interviewer also references rule-breaking when describing Deb:

I must say, Deborah, you truly are an original. Never one to play by the rules, you’ve carved out your own Hollywood-type niche.

Ultimately, when comparing the original 2003 short film with the 2010 feature film version, the broad strokes remain the same: Deb’s liberation from librarian to serial killer, her focus on literary works, her murderous method of making her short films, her evolving sense of style, as well as her growing self-confidence and ego. Grannell took the kernel of the idea and reel librarian character from the short film and expanded it, including adding another (epic!) reel librarian character (Evelyn, played by Mink Stole). The more expansive structure and additional characters makes sense, in order to turn a short film into a feature-length film, and it’s gratifying to realize that the foundation for both is similar and solid. Both versions gift us with more reel librarians to be able — as the reporter in Grindhouse puts it — to “love, love to hate, or hate.”

You can read about the tale of Deb and Evelyn, the two reel librarian characters in the feature film version, here in this post, “All about the reel librarians in ‘All About Evil’ (2010).”

Sources used

All about the reel librarians in ‘All About Evil’ (2010)

A tale of two reel librarians in this indie horror cult classic

Continuing the scary season during the month of October, this is a time when I focus on analyzing reel librarian portrayals in horror movies, thrillers, etc. And I have a super-scary, super-sized analysis post this week about the reel librarians in the 2010 cult classic, All About Evil.

If this title sounds familiar to you already, it’s probably because I’ve mentioned it already on this blog before: “Killer librarians” post from 2012, “Librarians in horror films” post from 2014, and “Serial killer librarians” post from 2018. Last year, on my second guest post on the Maddwolf Fright Club podcast with Hope Madden & George Wolf, I also expressed how much I wanted to get a copy of All About Evil:

Me: I haven’t seen this film [yet], but I want to see it. I couldn’t find a copy of it, but I’m intrigued by the 2010 … indie horror film called All About Evil. And Natasha Lyonne stars as a librarian who inherits a movie house, and she then — from what I’ve read about the description, because I haven’t been able to track it down — she then starts making snuff films… Do y’all know this film?

Hope: We’ve heard of it as well. It is impossible to get. I’ve been trying. I mean, how delightful does that movie sound? If you watch the trailer, it really looks like a hoot! It looks like so much fun, and yeah, I’ve been trying for years to track it down… We’re dying to watch it!

Thank goodness we didn’t have to wait that long! This past summer, Hope let me know that All About Evil was getting a special Blu-ray release! I promptly pre-ordered myself a copy, and the timing was perfect to analyze it for this scary season!

Here’s the summary from the back of the special edition Blu-Ray:

When a mousy librarian takes over her late father’s struggling movie theater, a series of grisly murders caught on camera will transform her into the new queen of indie splatter cinema.

Here’s the original teaser trailer from 2010:

The All About Evil Teaser Trailer” by Peaches Christ, Standard YouTube license

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*

Since Natasha Lyonne, the star of the movie, is present throughout the entire film, I really cannot analyze this movie without divulging MAJOR plot spoilers, including the ending.

Also a spoiler? What Hope and I both hoped about this cult classic is TRUE: This film overall is delightful. It is a hoot. If you love horror and camp — and classic cinema in general — you will very likely lovelovelove this movie.

However, I do feel I need to point out that there is a shocking and abrupt scene of violence against an older Asian woman in the film. While this scene is used to demonstrate the depravity of a specific character, this kind of violent act is even more sensitive today due to the rise of anti-Asian violence. This scene also stands out more in this film because of the relatively little racial diversity in its cast, as all of the leads are White (or White-presenting) actors. I felt compelled to include this as both as a spoiler and as a trigger warning.

And if you are a real-life librarian, you are probably going to feel alllllllll the emotions with this one… because, well, this movie does NOT hold back with what happens to librarians who break the rules. And both librarians break the rules in this movie, in different ways.

And yes, there are TWO major reel librarian characters in this movie. More to analyze! In fact, I am going to structure this analysis post by exploring the journeys of these two reel librarians: Deborah “Deb” Tennis and Evelyn.

Let’s get to the killing, shall we?

The tale of Deborah Tennis || The tale of Evelyn || Tales of classic lit + movie posters || Tales of trivia + Easter eggs

The tale of Deborah Tennis (from stage fright to stage star)

The lead character in this movie is reel librarian Deborah Tennis, played by Natasha Lyonne. Her “origin” story begins the film, as we start with an external view of the Victoria Theatre in 1984, showing The Wizard of Oz. Debbie’s father owns the theater and is seen as supportive, telling Debbie she has “star quality,” while her mother, Tammy (dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West) is cruel and taunting. Debbie, dressed as Dorothy, starts singing nervously to the theater full of children and accompanied on the piano by her father. When taunted by the children – and her mother – her bladder lets go and drips onto the cord of the microphone. Debbie electrocutes herself, which causes the streak of grey in her reddish hair. 

Cut to present day, outside of the San Francisco Public Library’s Presidio Branch Library, and we learn about Deb’s commitment to the movie theater and her father’s legacy as she locks up the library and chats with Evelyn, another librarian. [More details about this conversation in Evelyn’s tale, below]

External view of the San Francisco Public Library's Presidio Branch Library
External view of the San Francisco Public Library’s Presidio Branch Library

First kill

Deb then opens up the theater, and we meet the projectionist, Mr. Twigs (played by Jack Donner). Deb reads a book while staffing the concession stand. Her hair is in a messy bun, and her outfit is drab, with an olive skirt, brown button-down shirt, and tan cardigan. 

(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)

At 11:44 minutes, her mother (played by Julie Caitlin Brown) confronts her about wanting to sell the movie theater, demands that Deb sign the papers, and insults her AND her profession.

Tammy: Now you listen to me. You are nothing but a boring, little librarian with big, big dreams and hideous little looks. Besides, you read too much. You’re a loser, just like your fat ass father was.

Tammy then assaults Deb by holding Deb’s hand by the hot popcorn maker. Deb takes the pen and holds it like a weapon. Her mom scoffs at her.

Tammy: Face it. Your father knew deep down inside that you were useless. You’re one of those plain girls living in the world of the bland. You lack any sort of star quality.

Deb: Fuck you, Mother! [stabs her in the neck with the pen]

First kill!

The camera then cuts over to grainy security footage. (Is it odd that the concession stand counter kind of reminded me a library’s front desk counter?) And then we witness Deb’s transformation in self-confidence (and serial killing) begin as we see her shake out her hair from its messy bun – an interesting play off the Naughty Librarian’s signature move. 

Deb [now laughing]: Blood! The wicked bitch is dead! [unbuttons her blouse] Star quality. 

(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)

What an introduction and transformation to this central librarian character! 

The audience starts shouting at them to start the movie, and Deb rushes upstairs to project the movie. She accidentally starts playing the security footage onto the movie screen. Mr. Twigs, who had briefly gone out to the corner store, quickly dons a red blazer and announces on stage that this was an original short film. Deb then helps Mr. Twigs stash her mom’s body in the movie theater’s attic.

Deb revels in the praise for her “short film,” including after Steven, a high schooler and movie horror fan (played by Thomas Dekker), compliments  her “surveillance slaughter.”

Second kill

At 20:42, we see Deb back at the concession stand, but this time dressed in a trendier lace-trimmed top, and her hair down in waves. This is when Peaches Christ (a drag queen persona created by the film director Joshua Grannell) makes a cameo. Steven explains how major it is that Peaches, “the queen of the midnight movie scene here in San Francisco,” has come to the movie theater. 

I immediately said out loud, “No one better harm Peaches!”

Deb then encounters Veronica (Kat Turner), a Goth girl, who is talking on the phone while she orders a soda. An annoyed Deb, a quick thinker herself, puts a sleeping powder into Veronica’s soda. We are witnessing more of Deb’s transformation as she clearly sees opportunities (for murder) and takes risks. This is also the first time that Deb introduces herself as “De-BOR-ah,” an affectation that continues throughout. 

Veronica wakes up in a deserted theater. Deb and Mr. Twigs lure her down to the theater’s basement, where she runs into Deb, dressed up like Marie Antoinette and knitting. Deb recites the immortal first line of A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” There is a guillotine in the corner of the room. However, Mr. Twigs cannot fit the girl’s head through the hole.

Even in the midst of murder, Deb reveals her inner librarian.

Deb: You idiot! Fool! I said a proper guillotine. I gave you the book… Did you even read the book?

Did you even read the book?
Did you even read the book?

Deb then has an idea, and we cut to a movie poster, “A Tale of Two Severed Titties” and a long line outside the theater. Deb – looking glamorous with straight-ironed hair, eyeliner, and lipstick and outfitted in a 1940’s style black dress, similar to Joan Crawford or Bette Davis – introduces her new short film as a reminder for the audience to silence their cell phones during the movie. “Or else.”

Killer research

Evelyn then comes to the movie theater to find Deb and leaves a note for her. [There are more details of this scene in Evelyn’s tale below] Mr. Twigs brings the note to Deb, who’s sitting in the movie theater and reading another book (The Scarlet Letter) and taking notes. My librarian spidey senses lit up – she’s doing more research! 

Deb complains that Evelyn is too loud. Deb also reveals that she never went back to the library and that she’s not a librarian anymore. Rather, she’s an actress and a filmmaker. 

Just so we’re clear: According to Deb, talking in a movie theater is rude, but ditching your job without an explanation is not. Ok, then.

I'm not a librarian anymore
I’m not a librarian anymore.

Deb then reveals that they need more help. The camera then pans to a closeup of a newspaper with a front-page story of “Killer Twins Prepare for Release: Diabolical duo slaughtered entire family at age 7” and another article entitled “Trampsylvania” about how homelessness is up 12% from last year. A copy of A Tale of Two Cities is also visible. Next, we see a copy of a police report about the “killer twins” (played with almost-silent relish by real-life twin sisters, Jade Ramsey and Nikita Ramsey).

I was right – more research by this killer librarian! Deb may say she’s no longer a librarian, but she’s obviously still using her librarian skillz. There’s a saying in the library world that I think applies here: Once a librarian, ALWAYS a librarian.

A Tale of Two Cities and a newspaper, research for a serial killer librarian
Research for a serial killer librarian!

Deb then poses as the twins’ aunt as she and Mr. Twigs bring the twins back to the movie theater. On the way back to the movie theater, they spy Adrian, a violent man who is homeless, and their murder crew is complete. 

At 39 minutes into the movie, Deb lays down the rules to the crew at a diner, further cementing her transformation:

Deb: There’s magic in movies. I learned that from my father. You are entering into a code of conduct here, an artist’s secret society, and there are rules. I am in charge. You will do as I say, and in return, I will give you a life most people, they only dream about. This is the business we call show. And I’m your manager, your publicist, your agent, and your directress. Otherwise, you’re on your own.

Just a reminder that even though Deb no longer considers herself a librarian, she is still fixated on RULES. You can take the lady out of the library…

Third kill

The next scene, at 42 minutes into the movie,  involves the crew walking up to the San Francisco Public Library’s Presidio Branch Library at closing time. Their next victim for their next short film? Evelyn, the noisy librarian! [I go into more detail about the ensuing chase in the library in Evelyn’s tale below.]

The murder crew arrives at the Presidio Branch Library
The murder crew arrives at the Presidio Branch Library

In the next scene, the high schooler Steven is talking with his mom (played by Cassandra Peterson, who plays the iconic Elvira!!!) and reveals that he thinks he’s in love with “an older woman.” In a cheeky Easter Egg, his mom looks up to a poster of Elvira on his wall, but we know that he’s talking about Deb.

We next see Deb introducing her new short film, as a way to convey the movie theater etiquette of not talking during the movie – these moral lessons come at a deadly price, y’all. 

Fourth kill

Before the short film premiere, Steven’s date, mean girl Claire (Lyndsy Kail), is rude about Deb and drag queens. Claire also interrupts Deb’s introduction of the new short film by announcing that she has to go to the bathroom. Ever the opportunist, Deb dispatches Claire forthwith – and we get to see the shot that made it to the special edition’s Blu-ray cover! We also get another fun literary allusion – the clapboard reads “The Scarlet Leper” (The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne).

Deb closes in for another kill
Deb closes in for another kill

We then revisit Evelyn, who’s tied up in the movie theater attic – and again, those details are in Evelyn’s tale, below.

At just over an hour into the film, we next hear about another literature-inspired short film, as Deb and Mr. Twigs review footage in the projection room. They reference “The Slasher in the Rye” (The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J. D. Salinger). Deb is feeling and sounding more self-confident… arguably over-confident by this point.

Because by this time, the high schooler Steven is getting suspicious by Claire’s sudden disappearance, and his friend Judy (Ariel Hart) pretends to be a reporter who wants to interview Deb. I’ll just say that we don’t hear from Judy again until the end of the movie, and her disappearance convinces Steven that “something is rotten” at the Victoria Theatre….

Meanwhile, Deb metamorphoses again, this time with a Clara Bow-type pout. A local reporter, Peter, interviews her, and Deb is referred to as a film director. Deb’s celebrity continues to rise, along with her ego.

Deborah Tennis, film director
Deborah Tennis, film director

At 1 hour and 12 minutes into the movie, the movie theater is advertising a “Soup Kitchen Matinee,” and we quickly see how this event is a cover for Deb to scout out potential victims for upcoming films.

Steven arrives with a police officer, Detective Woods (Nicholas Bearde), to ask to search the theater for Judy. Deb refuses and accuses Steven of being an “obsessed fan.” Detective Woods leaves to get a warrant (“We gotta do this by the book”… just a different book than Deb uses for inspiration, hah! 😉 ), and Deb confronts Steve outside the theater. 

Final kill

This conversation sets the scene for the finale and the premiere of Deb’s first feature-length film, “Gore and Peace.” They hand out complimentary beverages to the audience members – including Peaches Christ! Again, nothing better harm Peaches!!! – and tell them to wait until directed to drink it. Steven’s mom shows up, in an effort to better understand Steven’s interest in Deb and in horror movies, so Steven feels he has to stay to protect his mom and to find out what happened to Claire and Judy. 

Deb is dressed in her most avant-garde outfit yet, with her highest hair. Her ego has risen in tandem with her hair volume.

Deb's highest hairstyle
Deb’s highest hairstyle

Deb announces that they’re going “to make film history tonight” by premiering “the debut of a brand new type of cinema.” No one pays attention at first to Steven’s pleas to not drink the complimentary beverages (which are poisonous)… and then all hell breaks loose. The audience realizes they are locked into the theater, and the decomposing victims start dropping out of the attic through a blood-soaked grate. [Yes, Evelyn’s body is one of them… but again, more details about that in Evelyn’s tale below.]

Finally, at 1 hour and 30 minutes into the movie, Deb, Steven, and his mom end up on the roof, with Deb threatening Steven’s mom with a knife. Deb has a wild look in her eyes, and you can tell Natasha Lyonne relished every over-the-top facial expression she got to give during this climactic scene.

(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)

Steven and his mom taunt Deb about her lack of “star quality,” which sends Deb over the edge… literally. Deb falls onto the spotlights outside the movie theater. A star til the very end…

That was indeed a journey with reel librarian Deb, from stage fright to stage star to finally becoming a victim to her own success and ego. And even though she rejected being a librarian, she couldn’t shake her research instincts, which we witnessed her employ in order to find members of her murderous film crew as well as to create short films that played off classic works of literature. 

Deb’s reel librarian role + significance

What role and character type did Deb serve in the movie? She is the lead of the movie, so this movie definitely qualifies as a Class I film, in which librarians are lead characters, and their occupations serve as a catalyst or are otherwise integral to the plot. In a way, you could argue that Deb is a Naughty Librarian, one who is considered unsuccessful in their profession and finds an (illegal or unethical) outlet to express their unfulfilled desires. Deb does embrace her “femme fatale” persona throughout the film.

However, I think Deb is more akin to a Liberated Librarian, as she becomes more confident and assertive through the course of the film… but the twist (of the knife) is that contrary to most Liberated Librarians, who find liberation through being a librarian, Deb finds liberation from the library by killing people. But in her mind, she doesn’t just murder people for fun… she murders them for a reason, because they break “the rules,” her rules. Yet in killing them, she becomes the ultimate rule-breaker herself.

The tale of Evelyn (from cats to (body) cast)

The role of Evelyn is played by actress Mink Stole, who has appeared in every film directed by John Waters.

First sin

Evelyn first appears after the title credits as the screen pans to the San Francisco Public Library, present day. We get our first glimpse of both Evelyn and Deb on the steps outside the front doors. The two reel librarians have clearly just locked up the library for the night and have paused for some introductory exposition. Their conversation reveals Deb’s situation with the movie theater, and we also learn more personal details about Evelyn. Evelyn also criticizes Deb and her interests, casting her first sin — at least in Deb’s eyes.

Evelyn: So how are you really, dear?

Deb: I’m fine.

Evelyn: You know, I’m concerned, Deb. Ever since your father passed, well, you need to talk about it. It just kills me to think of you sitting over there, running all that horror nonsense. Those are not real movies.

Deb: The plan is business as usual.

Evelyn: Honey, I know what it’s like to feel alone. No husband, no children. Just me and the cats.

Evelyn says it's "Just me and the cats"
This should be a meme.

Deb: I’m sorry, Evelyn. I need to get to the theater before the –

Evelyn: Deb, I’m serious. Don’t take on your father’s showbiz debts and burdens. Honey, I know you were close, but, well, there’s no future there.

Deb: My father invested everything he had into the Victoria Theatre. He truly loved the movie experience, and above all else, Daddy was a showman. Years of blood, sweat, and tears went into the business he loved so much, the business of show. He never wanted me to be a librarian. I was to be a great Hollywood actress. Well, I may have disappointed my father in life, but I’m gonna do my absolute best to make him proud, even in death. It’s like Daddy always said, the show must go on. 

Another meme-worthy moment: Here’s how Evelyn reacted when Deb stated that her dad never wanted her to be a librarian. INDEED.

Evelyn's reaction when her colleague Deb says she was never supposed to be a librarian, but a Hollywood actress instead.
Another meme-worthy moment after a fellow librarian says she was never supposed to be a librarian.

Second sin

Half an hour later, at 33 minutes, we see Evelyn walking to the movie theater and knocking loudly at the locked front doors (her second sin is being loud). She is wearing casual clothing, including a straw hat, a floral canvas jacket, and a chunky necklace. 

Evelyn finally leaves a note and card for Deb under the ticket booth window.

Evelyn knocks at the movie theater entrance
Evelyn knocks at the movie theater entrance

Mr. Twigs brings the note to Deb, who is researching. Deb has a negative reaction to Evelyn’s note (and knocking), and we learn more about her dynamic with Evelyn.

Deb: I know. I heard her. Everyone heard her.

Mr. Twigs: She’s old.

Deb: It was Evelyn, the librarian. [She opens the letter.] She’s worried about me. I was scheduled to work at the library and haven’t shown up. I can’t go back there. I’m not a librarian anymore. You know, Evelyn doesn’t know me at all. How dare she come here and bang on the door? I mean, she was banging, right? Not knocking. She’s always so loud. I have work to do, Mr. Twigs. I can no longer sell tickets and shovel popcorn. I am not a concessionnaire. I’m an actress. I am a filmmaker. How dare she.

Uh oh. Watch out, Evelyn! No one likes a loud librarian! Rogue, rule-breaking librarians need to be stopped!

And Evelyn has indeed become the target of Deb’s next movie… and murder. At 42:37 minutes, the new crew is walking up to the library at night. I have a bad feeling about this…

Shushing the librarian

Next we see Evelyn behind the library counter, dressed in a bright print top and chunky necklace. (I admit, I admire Evelyn’s sense of style. She’s not afraid of bold colors and prints!) We can see a cart of books and tied-up newspapers and books behind her. Evelyn then walks through the library and calls out, “Good night, books.” (I found this quite charming! I can neither confirm nor deny that I have done the same thing. 😉 ) We also see a closeup of a row of books with call numbers and barcodes. Those little details reveal how this was filmed at a real-life library. (You can see past photos of the Presidio Branch Library here, and you can tell it’s the same library.)

(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)

Evelyn hears a noise and looks around. And Evelyn’s tale here also becomes a tale of shushes, as this reel librarian gets shushed a total of 7 times (!) during this scene.

Evelyn: Hello? Is there anybody there? 

[Deb: Shhhh] 

Evelyn [to herself]: You are really crazy, lady. Now you’re hearing shushes. 

[Deb: Shhhh] 

Evelyn: Hello? I said the library’s closed.

A spotlight flicks on, and Deb runs around to see the camera crew and Deb in her French Revolution wig and costume.

And I told you, Madam Evelyn, to shhh
And I told you, Madam Evelyn, to shhh.

Evelyn [clearly shocked]: I said the library was closed.

Deb: And I told you, Madam Evelyn, to shhh.

Evelyn: Who are you? What is this all about?

Deb: Perhaps my lady does not understand ye olde English. Shhhh means shut the fuck up, bitch! [slaps her]

Reel librarian fight!
Reel librarian fight!

Evelyn runs into a bookcase corner and pulls out a pair of scissors from her tote bag. (I admit, I was impressed by Evelyn’s pluck and resourcefulness.)

Deb grabs Evelyn through a bookcase, still taunting Evelyn.

Deb: So you can be quiet. My lady was quiet as a mouse. 

Evelyn stabs Deb’s hand with the scissors but is confronted by the twins, both of whom shush her!

Evelyn then pushes out a row of books to escape through a bookcase, but she drops the scissors. Deb picks up the scissors, and the lights come up. Evelyn finally recognizes Deb.

Evelyn puts up a good fight

This chase scene in the library ends at 45:30 minutes and last 3 minutes total.

Two minutes later, at 47:46 minutes, we return to the library, where Deb has brought out a sewing kit and prepares to sew Evelyn’s mouth shut. (And probably used Evelyn’s scissors to cut the thread. Oh, the irony.) The camera is rolling as Deb continues to chide Evelyn for being loud.

Deb: As victors of my silence cannot boast, I was not sick of any fear from thence. For I impair not beauty, being mute, when others would give life and bring a tomb.

Evelyn: Oh, Debbie, please. You don’t have to do this. Listen to me, whatever this is all about, we can get you some help.

Deb: All done? Shhhhh.

Deb then proceeds to sew Evelyn’s mouth shut (FYI, they used a prosthetic for this). Switching to grainy black and white, we see Deb turn to the camera.

Deb: You’re getting this in close-up, right?

You're getting this in close up, right?
You’re getting this in close up, right?

Deb then drives home the message to the audience.

Deb: My movie theater shall be silent as a library, a managerial promise made to thee. Silence whilst the movie screens, for if thou speech is deemed undo, you too shall star in “The Maiming of the Shrew.”

My movie theater shall be silent as a library
Library film set

The library scene ends at 49:40 minutes, lasting two minutes. The complete library scene with Evelyn, comprised of both the chase scene and final filming scene, lasts a totality of 5 minutes.

The final insult

About ten minutes later, Deb’s newest short film premieres to a full house. The camera then pans to the movie theater’s attic, where we see that Evelyn is still alive, still tied up and her mouth still sewn shut! She is surrounded by other bodies. While the film plays, she starts screaming and tears open the threads on her mouth. Mr. Twigs realizes what has happened and comes up with an axe.

Evelyn: Somebody! Help me! [sees Mr. Twigs] You motherfucker. You let me out! You hear me, you ignorant old fuck! Let me out of here, you illiterate old fuck!

Mr. Twigs [swinging down the axe]: She told you to shush.

Yes, Evelyn the librarian gets shushed one last time, EVEN AFTER DEATH. The indignity, y’all.

Steven goes out to the lobby and congratulates Deb on her new movie.

Steven: Your new movie’s amazing! Seriously, it’s like they just keep getting bigger and better. Who was that lady? She was rad.

Deb: Thanks, Steven. She’s an old friend.

We know “that lady” and “an old friend” is Evelyn. I’m going to react here by channeling Evelyn’s facial expression from earlier:

Channeling Evelyn's librarian stare
Channeling Evelyn’s librarian stare

There is one more scene featuring [parts of] Evelyn. All hell breaks loose for Deb’s feature film debut. A local reporter describes it as, “Filmmaker Deborah Tennis is conducting a real life movie massacre.” As everyone is screaming and trying to get out of the movie theater they are locked in, the decomposing bodies start dropping out of the attic through the grate. Evelyn’s hand – a very realistic-looking prosthetic, props to the prop department! – drops into Peaches Christ’s popcorn. [That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write!]

Adrian then comes at Peaches with a cleaver, and Evelyn gets her final revenge. Her beheaded body drops from the ceiling… and lands on Adrian’s own head, suffocating and killing him.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE LIBRARIANS, Y’ALL. 😉

I did pause and cheer for Evelyn’s final revenge! (I also couldn’t help but laugh because it reminded me of the Thanksgiving episode of Friends when both Joey and Monica wear the turkey on their heads.)

So that is the tale of Evelyn the reel librarian… from cats to (body) cast. 

Evelyn’s reel librarian role + significance

What role did Evelyn serve in this movie? Her character held some surprises for me. Sure, they made a point of highlighting that Evelyn was single and had cats – a hallmark of the lonely, Spinster Librarian character type – but she also looked like a woman happy with her life choices. She also cared about Deb and was worried about her — although she expressed this in a nosy, judgmental way (“Those are not real movies”) — and took the time to try and contact Deb in person. Evelyn also showed pluck and resourcefulness in how she fought against the murderous crew in the library, brandishing her scissors and crawling through bookcases. She was also viewed as a rule-breaker (at least by Deb) for being loud.

Because a lot of her role, especially the beginning scene, filled in expository details, I think Evelyn partially serves as an Information Provider. Dressed in brightly colored, patterned clothing and jewelry, I think her characterization also plays against the Spinster Librarian character type (but is still informed by that stereotype). And based on all those shushes and the body-dropping final shot of her time onscreen – which is a hilariously campy and suspension-of-disbelief kind of moment – I would also argue that Evelyn also partially serves as Comic Relief.

Surprisingly (to me!), I would also argue that Evelyn could be seen as an Atypical portrayal, as well. We see her outside the library, when she walks to the movie theater, and we witness her personality and intelligence, like when she fights in the library and when she continues to yell at Mr. Twigs at the very end. She doesn’t have that much screen time, relatively speaking, but Mink Stole soaks up every minute she does get onscreen and has truly created a memorable reel librarian character in Evelyn.

Tales of classic lit + movie posters

The movie credits feature posters of more movies directed by Deborah Tennis, all based on classic literature title puns! Two of the posters, “A Tale of Two Severed Titties” and “Gore and Peace,” were featured in the movie, as I mention above, but the other posters are new. (Interesting that “The Slasher in the Rye” was mentioned in the movie but isn’t featured here.)

  • A Tale of Two Severed Titties (A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens)
  • Gore and Peace (War and Peace, a novel by Leo Tolstoy)
  • The Diary of Anne Frankenstein (a literary mashup from The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, and Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley)
  • The Satanic Nurses (The Satanic Verses, a novel by Salman Rushdie)
  • I Know Why the Caged Girl Screams (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a memoir by Maya Angelou)
  • MacDeath (Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare)

Tales of trivia + Easter eggs

Most of the trivia below comes from the special features and documentaries included in the special edition Blu-ray.

  • The title, All About Evil, comes from the 1950 classic movie, All About Eve, starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. (I love that this movie references both classic and cult classic cinema!)
  • The director, Joshua Grannell, grew up loving horror movies and studied film production at Penn State. His first short film, “Jizzmopper” also featured the origin of his Peaches Christ drag character. 
  • Grannell moved to San Francisco after college and became a theater manager at a local single-screen movie theater, The Bridge Theatre, and began the “Midnight Mass” stage show in the late 1990s. 
  • Grannell made a short film called “Grindhouse” that All About Evil is based on… and “Grindhouse” was included in the special edition Blu-ray!
  • Mink Stole was the first celebrity guest for the “Midnight Mass” stage show and agreed to be in the movie without reading the script.
  • Cassandra Peterson (the iconic Elvira) was jealous of Mink Stole’s part in All About Evil!
  • Grannell envisioned Deb’s character as similar to Doris Wishman, who was an American film director and screenwriter, particularly in the sexploitation film genre… and Natasha Lyonne, Grannell’s dream choice for the lead, had actually met Doris Wishman in real life!
  • The movie was scheduled to shoot at the Bridge Theatre, but had to find a different location 10 days before shooting began. The Victoria Theatere served as the actual set in the film.
  • Peaches Christ was not originally meant to be in the feature film. Joshua Grannell spent 8 days of filming as Peaches, which he revealed were the hardest days for him, as he had to apply the drag makeup before he came to set. He was known as “Peachua” on those days.
  • The film’s premiere was at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2010, and they did a “Peaches Christ” road show with the movie to introduce it across the U.S.
  • Mink Stole, an indie film pro, started taking charge in the library scene to hurry up production!
  • The “Behind the Evil: 2010 Making of” featurette reveals several behind-the-scenes shots of the library scene and reel librarians!

Continuing the conversation

As I mentioned above, All About Evil is based on Joshua Grannell’s 2003 short film, “Grindhouse.” This original short, which is 13 minutes long, is featured on the Blu-ray special edition, and I watched just enough to find out that the short film’s lead character is still a librarian. The light bulb went off in my head… so I will follow up next time in November with an analysis post about the original short film, “Grindhouse.” Let’s continue the scary season, shall we? 🙂

I also thought it would be interesting to compare the serial killer librarian in Chainsaw Sally with the serial killer librarian Deb in this movie… what do y’all think about that idea for a future post? Cage match between reel librarian serial killers!

Have you seen All About Evil? Is campy horror your thing? Are you intrigued by the two reel librarian characters in this movie? Please leave a comment and share!

Sources used

A round-up of library, archives, and reel librarian scenes in MCU’s Phase Four TV series (so far)

Phase four, round two, of our own Marvel Multiverse of Reel Librarians!

We are wrapping up our summer with our Marvel Multiverse of Reel Librarians! I have written a lot about library scenes in various Marvel movies on this site, so this summer, I decided to go back through all the Marvel movies, this time in phase order, and make sure I watched, reviewed, and analyzed them all for any library, archives, and reel librarian scenes. Thank you for joining me as I finish cataloging all the library, archives, and reel librarian scenes in the MCU (so far):

Because Phase Four introduced TV series, and is therefore considerably larger than previous phases, I split Phase Four into two separate posts, a post for the Phase Four movies, and this final post (for now) for the Phase Four TV series.

There were a LOT more library, archives, and research-related scenes in the Phase Four TV series than I originally anticipated, so this is a super(hero)-sized post to finish out our Marvel Multiverse of Reel Librarians summer. Feels appropriate, right? 😉

*POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTS*


WandaVision (Jan.-Mar. 2021)


WandaVision premiered as the first MCU TV series at the beginning of 2021 and has 9 episodes total. In this series, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are living in the suburbs, trying to act “normal” and conceal their powers. The series also features Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Kat Dennings and Randall Park return as Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo, respectively. WandaVision is a high-concept series, with each episode’s look and feel reflecting popular TV shows of different eras (i.e.g, the first episode looks like 1950s sitcoms, the second episode transitions into 1960s sitcoms, etc.). The series is set three weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and its plot and ending directly lead into the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie, which also features Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch.

There is a squint-and-you’ll-miss-it reel librarian sighting in this series, as well as a few book-focused research scenes. The Westview Public Library is also the setting for a couple of key scenes.

Episode 2, “Don’t Touch That Dial”


At 6 minutes into this episode, which is all about wanting to fit in, Vision says, “There’s a gathering of the neighborhood watch at the public library.” Cut to 11:40 minutes, and we see Vision walking up the stairs to the library.

Vision: Pardon me, is this the neighborhood watch meeting?

Norm: Oh, hiya Vision, didn’t expect to see you here. This is sort of a “members only” type deal.

The neighborhood watch meeting is taking place in a central table in the middle of the library, and we see bookcases and a large card catalog along the walls, as well as microfiche readers. The interior of the library looks to be octagonal, with an open upper level supported by columns; this octagonal shape seems to be at (architectural) odds with the flat exterior of the library building.

Behind Norm’s head, there’s what looks to be a reference counter, and a woman with dark hair walks behind the counter, which indicates to me that she’s a reel librarian. This character goes unmentioned in the episode’s cast list but helps solidify the library setting, so she ends up a (nominal) Information Provider.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Vision sits down at the center table, saying he’ll “be as quiet as a church mouse.” It dawns on him, finally, that the “neighborhood watch” meeting is actually cover for guys to get together and gossip! Vision then tries a stick of gum — again, trying to fit in — but the gum gets stuck in his internal gears, which has hilarious consequences in the latter half of the episode.

The library scene ends at 14:34 minutes, lasting a total of 3 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 3, “Now in Color”


This episode is set in the 1970s, and at 2 minutes into the episode, Vision comes out of the Westview Public Library in an establishing shot in the episode’s intro titles. The very next frame is a closeup of Vision reading a book about pregnancy while he’s walking. This visual continuation seems to suggest that this is a book Vision just checked out of the library, but there’s also no call number on this book. (Also, the front and back covers of the book seem to be the same, which is odd, isn’t it? Could this be another, very subtle hint that Vision and Wanda don’t actually fit in with everyone else? Also, does this red book cover remind you of the red book cover for Rosemary’s Baby? An unsettling thought!)

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.


At 5 minutes into the episode, Vision is reading another baby book in the nursery, a book entitled The Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book.

By the way, this is a real book which had many editions published from 1948 through 1977. Y’all knew I would look that up, right? 😉

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.


Just 2 minutes later, Wanda experiences pregnancy pain, and asks Vision, “Do any of your books talk about this?”

Vision is ready with a new book from their home library, this time The New Complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia — remember when you kept encyclopedias at home?! — which is also a real book that went through many editions published by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company. Vision looks up Braxton Hicks contractions.

Using a medical and health encyclopedia at home
Using a medical and health encyclopedia at home

Episode 9, “The Series Finale”


At 8 minutes into the finale, Wanda and Agatha have a showdown, and Agatha shares the prophecy in the Darkhold, revealing that there’s an entire chapter devoted to the Scarlet Witch: “Your power exceeds that of the sorcerer supreme. It’s your destiny to destroy the world.” (Put a pin in that for the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie!) Agatha describes the Darkhold as “the book of the damned.”

Closeup of the Darkhold book and the Scarlet Witch
Closeup of the Darkhold book and the Scarlet Witch

At 16 minutes into the episode, the townspeople confront Wanda in the town square, while The Vision (all in white) picks a fight with Vision and throws him through the public library’s windows.

The interior of the library looks to be the same octagonal set as seen in the previous episode, but we can see updates to the library, including a different card catalog along one wall (looks to be a boxier shape, like from the 1970s?), and a bulletin board to the right of the front door. This library bulletin board was my FAVORITE bit of this whole scene, as it’s SO cheesy — with a bee illustration and the phrase “The Library is the place to ‘bee'” — and SO true-to-life for a public library! I have created bulletin boards like this. In the gallery below, you can see the bulletin board and the library card catalog.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.


While this new Vision states that “my mission is to destroy the Vision,” it really seems to be about destroying the public library!

After all the destruction, I enjoyed that the two Visions then engaged in a philosophical debate and thought experiment whilst in a library; it felt fitting that The Vision restored his knowledge while in a place of knowledge.

This library fight scene ends at 20:56, lasting for 5 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

The final scene in the series features Wanda with the Darkhold — the “book of the damned” — and in her Scarlet Witch costume. This scene will get referenced again in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie.


The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Mar.-Apr. 2021)


In this TV series, which has 6 episodes, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) return and team up against the Flag Smashers and the Power Broker. Carl Lumbly has a memorable role as Isaiah Bradley, the first Black Captain America. Daniel Brühl returns as Helmut Zemo. This TV series is set six months after Steve Rogers handed the Captain America shield to Sam at the end of the Avengers: Endgame (2019) movie. This series delves into issues of racism in the U.S., and what it means and feels like to be both a Black man and Captain America.

There are no official libraries in this series, but there is an interesting example of a private library in a prison, as well as the related field of curation and museum exhibits that I felt was interesting to share.

Episode 1, “New World Order”


At 12 mins into this episode, Sam Wilson speaks at the opening of the Smithsonian Museum’s exhibit for Captain America.

Episode 3, “Power Broker”


At 7:15 minutes in to this episode, Sam and Bucky are going to see Zemo, who is in a private prison cell.

Bucky: What’s the book you’re reading?

Zemo: Machiavelli.

Zemo then picks up the book — which is laying beside a cluster of books in a private prison library of sorts — revealing a hidden key card, which helps him break out of prison.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 6, “One World, One People”


At the end of the finale, at 41 minutes, Sam takes Isiah Bradley to the Smithsonian Museum, where he reveals a new section of the Captain America exhibit that spotlights Bradley and the other Black American men who were in the Super Soldiers program.

Isiah Bradley exhibit at the Smithsonian
Isiah Bradley exhibit at the Smithsonian

Loki (Season 1, June-July 2021)


Tom Hiddleston returns to steal the small screen as Loki in this TV series, which has 6 episodes. After stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an alternate version of Loki winds up in trouble with the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) recruits Loki to help him track down another Loki variant and help fix the “Sacred Timeline.” The series co-stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, and Jonathan Majors.

We see the TVA’s archives quite a few times in this series, as well as the archivist in one episode!

Episode 1, “Glorious Purpose”


The credits of the first episode feature closeups of case files from the archives, dictionaries and notes, as well as “Archive” labels on card catalog drawers. It just makes sense that we see evidence of the archives in the first episode, as the TVA is the ultimate bureaucracy, right? This means lots of paper and filing clerks and archives!

Episode 2, “The Variant”


At 17:56 minutes into this episode, Mobius engages Loki in a research project in the archives, to help figure out how to catch the Loki variant. Our first glimpse of the archives reveals seemingly endless rows and levels of archives and bookcases. (IMDb’s Filming & Production page for this episode lists the Atlanta Marriott Marquis as the filming location for the TVA Headquarters, and photos of this hotel look like the backdrop for the archives. My guess is that they CGI’d all the bookcases and files visible in the background. And the letter combinations visible in the signage (and elevator) clearly signify an advanced classification system.)

Mobius: I need you to go over each and every one of the variants case files, and then give me your… how do I put it? Your unique Loki perspective. And who knows? Maybe there’s something that we missed.

Loki: Well, you’re idiots. I suspect you probably missed a lot.

Mobius: That’s why I’m lucky I got ya for a little bit longer. Let me park ya at this desk, and don’t be afraid to really lean into this work.

Loki [looking at the mountain of documents]: Oh my goodness.

A person in the background, who is dressed in a suit and tie, then shushes Loki, and Loki turns around and shushes them back! The shusher is credited as “Archives Shusher” (Zele Avradopoulos) in the cast list.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Loki, tired of doing research, tries to trick the Archivist (Dayna Beilenson) into giving him classified files. Let’s see how that turned out for him!

The Archivist, a White woman, is seated at her own station, cocooned within a low wall of glass partitions. Looking very no-nonsense in a tie and cardigan with pulled-back hair and 1950s glasses, she is typing away as Loki approaches.

Loki: Hi. Hello?

Archivist: [No answer, keeps typing]

Loki: Hello? [finally dings the bell on her desk]

Archivist: Can I help you?

Loki: Yes, I’m on some important TVA business. Follow-up to a field mission. You know how it goes. We redlined near the Apez, and well, it’s never good.

Archivist: [No reaction.]

Loki: I’d like all files pertaining to the creation of the TVA, please.

Archivist: Those are classified.

Loki: Ok. I’d like all files pertaining to the beginning of time then.

Archivist: Those are classified.

Loki: Ok. The end of time.

Archivist: Those are classified.

Loki: Ok. What files can I have?

Archivist [goes to the stacks and hands him a file]: Happy reading.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Lessons learned?

  1. Take archivists seriously when they say something is classified.
  2. The archivist’s glare is as chilling as a librarian’s.
  3. Don’t mess with archivists, y’all!

And lo and behold, by actually engaging in the research process and studying the archival files, Loki discovers the answer to how to find the variant Loki!

It’s also interesting to note that the closeup of a document reveals a file number and more evidence of an advanced classification system. I don’t know what this classification system is or what it signifies, but I can tell you it’s not Dewey or Library of Congress (LC). Wait… is this how non-librarians view library call numbers, as undecipherable combinations of letters and numbers?! Oh no! 😉

File number and archival classification system
File number and archival classification system

This archives scene ends at 21:26, so this scene lasts 4 1/2 minutes.

Loki takes his discovery to Mobius, and they test out the theory, that the Loki variant is hiding in apocalypses. After they prove the theory correct, at 27:43 minutes, Mobius says they need to figure out how many apocalypses there are. Cue a return to the archives!

Loki and Mobius review archives of apocalypses
Loki and Mobius review archives of apocalypses

And at 31:50 minutes into the episode, Mobius returns again to the archives, inspired by something Loki says. He pulls out a packet of Kablooie gum from an old case file, an anachronism in another timeline. This archival clue leads them to research the gum and cross-reference apocalyptic events. Ahhh, the research process! (What goes unsaid is how classification systems and keywords help make this kind of cross-referencing possible in the first place. Archivists, librarians, and catalogers worldwide say you’re welcome. 😉 )

Mobius: All we got to do is cross-reference that with every apocalyptic event.  I’m gonna a give you half, have a competition, see who wins.

Loki: Found it!

Mobius: You’re gonna take my job if I’m not careful.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

This scene ends at 33:09, lasting just under a minute and a half. Altogether, archival research dominates the episode… although the word “archives” or “archivist” is never stated out loud.

The credits also replay the bell scene from the archives!

Episode 4, “The Nexus Event”


There’s a short scene in the archives in this episode.

At 30:50 minutes into the episode, Mobius becomes suspicious of his friend and mentor Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and steals her TemPad mobile device. He then goes to a quiet corner of the archives to search the device’s contents. Obviously, the archives is where you go when you don’t expect to see anyone else!

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

The information he discovers on the TemPad, that the TVA workers all used to be variants, directly impacts the rest of the series. This scene ends at 32:14.

Episode 5, “Journey into Mystery”


Miss Minutes, voiced by Tara Strong, is not an official archivist (she’s more like a marketing spokesperson or mascot?), but she does undertake archival research in this episode.

At 9:40 minutes into the episode, Renslayer and Sylvie (a Loki variant) interact with Miss Minutes.

Renslayer: Miss Minutes, I need you to remote access a series of restricted files from the archives.

Minutes: Oooh doggy! On what?

Renslayer: The beginning of time. The founding of the TVA.

Minutes: Right away.

The animated archives look like a wheel. I think it’s interesting to contrast this scene with the previous scene with the uncooperative archivist.

However helpful Miss Minutes seems, Sylvie becomes suspicious of how long the search is taking — and indeed, this archival quest is a ruse to capture Sylvie! The scene ends at 11:26 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Later in the episode, at 29:12 minutes, Renslayer asks Miss Minutes for the files from the beginning of time, this time for real.

Episode 6, “For All Time. Always.”


Once again, the archives is an important setting, including in the final shots of the finale.

At 39:01 minutes into the episode, Loki is back in the TVA after being betrayed by Sylvia, and he runs through the archives. Computer screens in the background show how the timeline is splintering. Mobius and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) are also standing in the archives, panicked by the splintering timelines.

Mobius: That’s what, 63 new branches in this unit alone?

Hunter B-15: Does he want us to just let them all branch?

Loki [running up to them]: We freed the timeline!

[…]

Mobius: What’s your name?

Hunter B-15: Boots on the ground now. Archives.

The final shot of the series pans over the archives, this time with a statue of Kang. All reality, as this Loki knows it, has changed.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

It’s also significant that the final word of the series is “Archives,” yet it’s the first time the word “archives” is spoken aloud in the series.

The final shot of the credits has a closeup of a stamp, and atop an archival document, the stamp reads: “Loki will return in Season 2.”

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

As Pop Archives summarizes:

Unfortunately, they don’t refer to the massive archive as an archives until the last minute of the last episode of season one. […]

That being said, records and files are everywhere in season one, including the closing credits of every episode. They are the bread and butter of the TVA, but they’re also a thematic tool. […]

Records and archival collections as the truth or a truth is entirely based on how you approach the postmodernist theory behind constructed narratives and the inherent power of the archives to facilitate those narratives.

Samantha Cross, “Archives on TV: Loki,” Pop Archives, 24 June 2022

What If…? (Season 1, Aug.-Oct. 2021)


This animated series, another first for the MCU, explores what would happen if pivotal moments from the MCU happened differently. This series, which has 9 episodes, is set after the multiverse concept is established in Loki‘s first season. Jeffrey Wright narrates the series as the Watcher. A few episodes feature libraries or archives.

Episode 2, “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?”


In this episode and alternate reality, T’Challa is Star-Lord, and he leads the Ravagers to Knowhere in order to challenge the Collector, who oversees a vast collection (a personal archive or library?) of valuable and dangerous objects. At 15:23 minutes into this episode, T’Challa asks Howard the Duck where the “Embers of Genesis” are located, and we learn about a mini-library of Elvish literature! (LOTR and MCU fans unite! 😉 )

T’Challa / Star-Lord: Do you know where I can find them?

Howard the Duck: Cosmic flora, down the hall, take a Louie at the first giants, a hard Ralph at the Kronans, you’re gonna see a sign for Elvish literature. Ignore that, total snooze.

I’m not counting this as an official library or archives, but I thought it was a funny aside!

Tell me again about the Elvish literature
Tell me again about the Elvish literature

Episode 3, “What If… the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?”


In this episode, Natasha Romanoff (voiced by Lake Bell) is trying to figure out who or what is killing off the (potential) members of the Avengers.

At 18:29 minutes into the episode, Romanoff has broken into a public library in Manassas, Virginia, after the library has closed. (Note: There are several public library branches in Manassas, but the design of this animated library seems to most closely resemble the Manassas Park City Library branch.) All the lights are off as Natasha uses a library computer to try and log into the Avengers online system.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Agent Coulson [voice over the cell phone]: Why do you need my password?

Natasha: I need to get into the Avengers Initiative files, but I’m locked out of the system… and wanted for murder.

Natasha hears a noise and looks over her shoulder down an aisle of bookcases. An invisible foe attacks her, and they fight in the stacks. Natasha manages to call Nick Fury and calls out a clue, “It’s all about hope!”

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

This scene in the public library ends at 20:18 minutes, so the scene lasts less than two minutes.

Episode 4, “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?”

In this episode, Dr. Strange tries to prevent Christine’s death, which takes him on a journey to the Lost Library of Cagliostro.

At 4:17 minutes into the episode, we see a version of a scene in Doctor Strange (2016), in which reel librarian Wong (voiced by Benedict Wong) warns Strange (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) about the Eye of Agamotto, which was discovered by Cagliostro, and its power to manipulate time. In this version, we see the Ancient One (rather than Mordo) in the Kamar-Taj library!

An animated look at the Kamar-Taj Library!
An animated look at the Kamar-Taj Library!

At 5:20 minutes, we revisit Wong and Strange back in the New York sanctuary, as Strange mourns the second anniversary of Christine’s death. Again, Wong serves as a voice of reason, warning Strange not to “do something reckless.”

Almost 6 minutes later, at 11:04 minutes, the Ancient One echoes Wong’s warnings:

Ancient One: The greatest sorcerers of the past could not reverse an Absolute Point.

Strange: You don’t know that. Books have been lost. Libraries destroyed.

Strange doesn’t listen. Less than a minute later, at 11:57 minutes, we see that Strange’s journey has led him to a jungle, where he meets a stranger, a Black man. This character is voiced by Nigerian actor Ike Amadi.

Strange: I’m looking for the Lost Library of Cagliostro. Library? Hello? You know, books? Reading? Knowledge?

[No answer, as the stranger walks away, and Strange follows him.]

Strange: Where can I find Cagliostro?

Stranger: Maybe here, maybe there, maybe nowhere.

Strange: Please tell me you’re not Cagliostro.

Stranger: The name’s O’Bengh, librarian for the books of Cagliostro.

O'Bengh introduces himself as a librarian
O’Bengh introduces himself as a librarian

They arrive at the Lost Library of Cagliostro, and what a sight this library is to behold! A cherry tree grows in the center, and a few books hang from chains along the ceiling (visually intriguing but very impractical). Strange refers to these as “the lost books.” (My spouse wondered if the Book of Vishanti was there, hah!) We also see bookcases lining the back walls of the large room.

O’Bengh: How long will you be staying here?

Strange: As long as it takes.

One of the books that Strange consults, a book on time manipulation, states that you can “gain the power through the absorption of other beings.” Strange ultimately rejects O’Bengh and the library, saying, “The library isn’t enough. Those beings have what I need.” Despite another librarian’s warnings (and first aid help), Strange continues on his destructive path of battling monsters and absorbing their powers.

Eventually, Strange returns to the library and finds O’Bengh on his deathbed.

Strange: O’Bengh, what happened to you?

O’Bengh: Time. Put that away [the Eye of Agamotto]. You used magic to remain frozen for centuries. I chose to live. Even in our world, death is part of the plan. Maybe the other Strange will [accept death].”

In this closeup, it’s clear that O’Bengh has one blue eye and one brown eye (this rare genetic phenomenon is called heterochromia).

O'Bengh on his deathbed
O’Bengh on his deathbed

This Lost Library of Cagliostro scene ends at 20 minutes into the episode, lasting 8 minutes total.

Strange’s actions have disastrous consequences back in the alternate reality’s New York sanctuary with Wong. At 22:17 minutes, Wong, as usual, gets straight to the point.

Wong: Ok, wait, so the fabric of reality is breaking, and only you can stop it because you are causing it.

Strange: Let’s be honest, we’ve been through weirder.

Wong: Do you want to stop him?

Strange: At the very least, to save you.

At this point, my spouse shouted out:

He’s not wrong. Without Wong, there is no MCU!

Both Wong and O’Bengh serve primarily as Information Providers, as they provide information (and warnings) to Strange and the viewers. I would also argue that both also serve as Comic Relief, as they both display senses of humor (Wong refers to the bathroom as “the little sorcerer’s room” while O’Bengh calls Strange “Sorcerer Armani.”)

Is O’Bengh indeed Cagliostro? Burkely Hermann, in this thoughtful analysis post of this episode, states that this is implied. Hermann also brings up some interesting points to reflect on with this reel librarian portrayal:

It is disconcerting the number of roles he [O’Bengh] takes on in the episode: an all-knowing person, a medic, and a sorcerer, to name the three most prominent. Archives in Fiction (AIF) makes a good point that while the space was beautifully rendered, it is “utterly impractical” and argued that the episode has the subtext that “librarians are magic” or that they are “expected to work miracles.” In response to AIF saying that they since when anyone calls “us” (archivists, librarians) miracle workers, even if it comes “from a good place,” saying that there is “really nothing miraculous about the work we put into making things findable,” I said that that perspective makes sense.

Burkely Hermann, “Doctor Strange’s quest for power and the Black sorcerer-librarian,” Pop Culture Library Review, 12 Oct. 2021.

Episode 5, “What If… Zombies?!”


Benedict Wong has no lines (other than grunts) in this episode, but I had to include a look at Zombie Wong!!!

Zombie Wong first shows up at 3:39 minutes into the episode, and (SPOILER), he gets his head chopped off by a portal at 4:11 minutes.

Zombie Wong
Zombie Wong

Episode 7, “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?”


Although there is no library in this episode, there is a running gag in this episode about Thor’s so-called study group and how “knowledge is magic.”

At the end of this episode, at 28:50 minutes, Captain Marvel flies down to Thor and hands him a tablet full of info about humans, in order to help Thor save face in front of his mother, Frigga. It’s interesting to note what resources made the cut!

Thor, here’s the information you requested on human civilizations, and I loaded a few documentaries, PBS specials, NPR podcasts.

Knowledge is magic, indeed. Marvel provides Thor a table full of info about human civilization.
Knowledge is magic, indeed. Marvel provides Thor a table full of info about human civilization.

Episode 8, “What If… Ultron Won?”


In this episode, Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye team up to try and figure out a way to stop Ultron. This journey takes them to the KGB Archives, while the Watcher watches them and agonizes about whether or not to intervene. The KGB Archives are housed in a vast warehouse of seemingly never-ending rows of bookshelves and file boxes. No archivist is ever seen, or even mentioned.

At 10:54 minutes into the episode, Natasha and Hawkeye arrive at the archives.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Watcher: One last hope.

Natasha: Welcome to the KGB archives.

Hawkeye: Your country ever heard of PDFs?

Natasha: Hard copies are harder to steal, easier to destroy. But code, code is slippery, and it never dies.

Hawkeye: So, where do we start?

Natasha: Just pick a box.

[Pause here to scream into the void while I go all capsy. NO!!! Any kind of library or archival material is organized according to a system, a classification system, and there would be finding aids or signs or SOMETHING to help explain that system and where things are generally located. This archives warehouse looks VERY organized, by the way, with every file labeled within each box, so there’s no reason to think that there wouldn’t be a system for these archives. “Just pick a box” is NOT a system, and the time these two waste going through random boxes makes me want to scream for an archivist!]

They also mention the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie as they’re walking down the shelves of archives. (Read here at Pop Archives about how annoying it is that Raiders of the Lost Ark has helped create everlasting public confusion between archaeologists and archivists).

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

The Watcher spies the exact file they need and debates on whether or not to intervene. The scene also includes an archives ladder, plus an Easter egg where they find the Red Guardian’s shield (a connection back to Black Widow).

Hawkeye finally has had enough.

Sorry to break it to you, Natasha, but the Death Star plans are not in the main computer.

Star Wars and MCU crossover alert! This is referencing the archives adventure plot of Rogue One! 😀

Conveniently for reasons of PLOT, Natasha then immediately finds the Zola file. The Watcher is relieved, whilst archivists and librarians collectively roll our eyes at this purposefully (and needlessly) frustrating archives scene.

This archives scene ends at 14:06 and lasts 3 minutes total.


Hawkeye (Nov.-Dec. 2021)


In this TV series, which is set post-Blip, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) reluctantly teams up with the young Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to confront enemies from his past. Will Hawkeye be able to make it back to his family in time for Christmas? The series, which has 6 episodes, co-stars Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova (the new Black Widow), Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk (Kingpin), Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez (Echho), and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

I could not see any library or archives scenes in this entire TV series. There are a few research scenes, but they all entail Kate utilizing Bishop Security’s private database of security and criminal intel.


Moon Knight (Mar.-May 2022)


In this series, which includes 6 episodes, Oscar Isaac plays three different men, who are all distinct identities, or alters, stemming from a dissociative identity disorder (DID): Marc Spector / Moon Knight, Steven Grant / Mr. Knight, and Jake Lockley. The TV series co-stars May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly (the first Arab superhero in the MCU!), F. Murray Abraham as the voice of Khonshu, Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow, and Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart. The mystery plot of the series involves Egyptian gods and their human avatars.

Similar to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series, there are no official libraries or archives in this series, but there ARE several interesting examples of private libraries, as well as related (but distinctly different) fields of archaeology and museums that I thought would be interesting to share.

Episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem”


As the series begins, Steven Grant wakes up in bed, and we can spy bookcase shelves behind him — and those bookcases are arranged haphazardly (perhaps also an external reflection of his splintered mind?).

We also learn that Steven works at the British Museum in London, in the gift shop, although he not-so-secretly wishes he were a tour guide at the museum. He clearly knows more about Egyptology than the tour guides, as evidenced when he chats with a little girl at the museum.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Note: The British Museum and the British Library used to be united, but the British Library separated from the Museum in 1973. However, the British Museum continued to host the Library in its iconic Reading Room (the architectural inspiration behind the Library of Congress Reading Room, as seen here) until 1997. Therefore, I’m NOT counting this location as a library, as the British Museum and the British Library are separate entities now.

Confused yet? Even more confusingly, the actual external location used in this series for the British Museum was actually the National Gallery. Staff members wear uniforms with “National Art Gallery” printed on them, but there is no such place. London has the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, but only the British Museum has Egyptian artifacts. WHEW. Y’all still with me? 😉

At 10 minutes into the episode, we witness how Steven uses reading as a tactic to stay awake. He listens to an app (“Welcome to staying awake! … Bored with puzzles? Try a book!”), and he reads about Egyptian gods, highlighting passages in books. That’s how he knows more than the tour guides at the museum! This reading and research montage lasts under a minute.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 2, “Summon the Suit”


At 12:30 minutes into this episode, Steven is walking through a storage unit facility (archives of personal lives?), and the automatic lights click off. My spouse remarked how these lights echoed the automatic lights coming on in the archives scene in Captain Marvel.

Dramatic lighting in the archives scenes in Captain Marvel (2019)
Click the arrows to slide and compare the automatic lights in the storage facility in Moon Knight (left) versus the archives in Captain Marvel (right)

At 15:44 minutes, Steven brings Layla back to his apartment. We see many more bookcases, with books stacked everywhere, even on the floor. Steven also has card catalog drawers along one back wall, as well as a library ladder!

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 3, “The Friendly Type”


In this episode, we learn more about Layla’s dad, who was an archaeologist. Again, just to be clear, archaeology and archives are NOT the same thing. (Sam @ Pop Archives delves more into this misconception here in this post.)

But I found this quote interesting. Less than 2 minutes into the episode, Layla’s forger friend, Lagaro (Barbara Rosenblat), quips:

Archaeology. One big mess of obsessive bookworms.

Also, later in the episode at 26:30 minutes, Layla has a brief exchange with Anton Mogart (Gaspard Ulliel, who tragically died in a ski accident this year) about the nature of private collections of cultural artifacts.

Anton: I hope you understand this is more than a collection to me. Preserving history is a responsibility I take very seriously.

Layla: A self-appointed responsibility that you alone are able to enjoy, no?

BINGO. I love that Layla is calling out his privilege here. Anton describes this kind of private collecting in a way that probably sounds similar to how an archivist could describe their work. But most archival collections are meant to be shared with the public — even if that public has to make appointments in order to view or use the collections — and not hidden away for just one person to enjoy. If you’re an archivist and reading this post, please leave a comment and share your perspective on this scene!

Episode 5, “Asylum”


At 3:53 minutes into this penultimate episode, Ethan Hawke is portraying a psychiatrist who is trying to explain trauma and its effects to Steven. And he mentions a library in this explanation!

Harrow: The struggling mind will often build places to seek shelter for different aspects of the self from our most traumatic memories. It’s called just an organizing principle, ok? Some people, they see a castle right? Somebody else will see a name, or a library.

Steven: Or…a psych ward?

Harrow also has a bookcase in his office, and most of the books are white or neutral-colored. Is it just my (biased) librarian perspective, or do you find it suspicious when people match their books with their decor? (Side note: PLEASE never go to a library and ask a librarian or staff member for “you know, the book with the blue cover.” We do NOT organize books by color, and we do not make note of the color of a cover in an item record in the library catalog. We do sometimes make funny book displays, like “Books with Blue Covers,” though, when we’re feeling snarky. 😉 ) In the screenshot below, you can also see colored stickers on some of the book spines, which makes me think these books props came from a real library.

A personal library in a doctor's office
A personal library in a doctor’s office

Ms. Marvel (June-July 2022)


In this TV series, which includes 6 episodes and occurs post-Blip, we get to know Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a 16-year-old fangirl of the Avengers — and specifically Captain Marvel — who navigates the complications of daily life as a Pakistani-American as well as her own superpowers that develop after she puts on a mysterious bangle that used to belong to her great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat). The series co-stars Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan, Matt Lintz as Bruno Carrelli, Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir, Rish Shah as Kamran, Nimra Bucha as Najma, and Aramis Knight as Kareem / Red Dagger. This series is based on the graphic novel series by G. Willow Wilson, and the ending of this TV series directly sets up the plot of the upcoming movie, The Marvels.

This TV series has scenes set in and around the school library. Confusedly, the guidance counselor’s office seems to be INSIDE the school library (???), but I’m not counting the guidance counselor character as a reel librarian.

Episode 1, “Generation Why”


At 5 minutes into the first episode, we get a closeup of the school sign, which reads Coles Academic High School. The real-life inspiration behind this high school is the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School, located on Coles Street in Jersey City, NJ. The McNair HS even issued a press release about how proud they are to be connected with this series!

It has been a point of pride to be a real-life example of the various identities that this history-making character and story represents.

McNair Academic Brought to Life as ‘Coles Academic’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe” press release, Jersey City Public Schools, 3 June 2022.
Coles Academic High School plaque
Coles Academic High School plaque

You can also see “G. Willow Wilson” included as the first name on the Coles Academic sign. Wilson wrote the original Ms. Marvel comics, and also has a cameo on the series!

Onto another Wilson reference… at 7 minutes, we get our first glimpse of the school library and the office for the guidance counselor, Mr. Wilson (Jordan Firstman). Mr. Wilson is trying to be super cool and chill, but the teens obviously view him as a lame poser. Through the blinds of the guidance counselor’s office, we can see library shelves, and what looks like a common room with other offices? This school library’s layout seems really confusing! Also, note the cheesy inspirational sign on the back of the office door (“You Can Totally Do This”), as you will see more inspirational posters in upcoming scenes in this office!

Is the guidance counselor's office inside the school library?
Is the guidance counselor’s office inside the school library?

The guidance counseling session lasts 2 minutes.

Episode 2, “Crushed”


At 20:30 minutes into this episode, Bruno has a session with the guidance counselor. This time, the blinds are up, so we can see more clearly the library bookcases along the back and side walls, along with tables in the open area. Several students are using the school library space and browsing books on the shelves. (Click on the first screenshot in the gallery below to view the inspirational poster in this scene, which has a cat hanging off a tree branch below the words “Hang in there!”)

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

This scene lasts under 2 minutes.

Episode 4, “Seeing Red”


At 19:39 minutes into this episode, which is set in Pakistan, we enter the hideout of the Red Daggers, where we see their private library and collection of artifacts. I’m not counting this as an official library, but I thought it served as an interesting and different example of a private library.

We also see this private library again at 31:34 minutes, when Kamala is training with the Red Daggers.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Episode 6, “No Normal”


In this finale episode, Kamala and her friends hide out at the high school and create a plan for how to deal with the law enforcement officers who are coming for them. (Fair warning, there is a “trigger warning” at the beginning of this episode, as it is EXTREMELY disturbing to view cops tracking down and shooting at kids in a school.)

At 15:42 minutes into the episode, Kamala’s brother, Aamir (Saagar Shaikh), grabs a fire extinguisher in the school library. Call numbers are visible on the book spines.

A closeup of school library call numbers and a fire extinguisher
A closeup of school library call numbers and a fire extinguisher

At 21:28 minutes, Kamala and Kamran run through the library and hide in the guidance counselor’s office. Kamala is able to calm Kamran down, and they almost kiss before Bruno interrupts them. Kamala and Kamran escape out the back of the counselor’s office, where we see more bookcases and books with call numbers in a back room. It’s unclear if this back room is a storage room or a browsable extension of the school library? (Also, note the corner of one more inspirational poster in the guidance counselor’s office, with the words “Get Ready for College!”). Bruno distracts the cops by dancing in the library. The scene ends at 23:15 minutes.

Click on any image in the gallery below to view in a larger window.

Because of the additional back room glimpse, the guidance counselor’s office seems to be located in the MIDDLE of the school library. Is he supposed to be both the school’s librarian and the guidance counselor? Mr. Wilson is never seen doing anything other than counseling, so I’m still not listing him as a reel librarian. I don’t understand this set design. My best guess is that if this is a real school location, that they used the actual school librarian’s office and just turned it into the guidance counselor’s office, in order to save money and space.

Phase Four TV series yet to come

These TV series have not yet been released, or fully released:

  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (the first episode aired Aug. 18 and is currently scheduled to run for 9 episodes through Oct. 13th — and I’m waiting to watch this series until I can binge-watch the entire series, and I’m crossing my fingers for some law library scenes!)
  • Untitled Halloween special (scheduled to premiere Oct. 2022)
  • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (scheduled to premiere Dec. 2022)

Last month, Marvel provided updates about Phase Four and revealed more detailed plans for Phase Five and Phase Six.

These TV series are currently scheduled to be part of Phase Five:

  • What If… ?, season 2
  • Secret Invasion
  • Echo
  • Loki, season 2
  • Ironheart
  • Agatha: Coven of Chaos
  • Daredevil: Born Again
  • Note: No additional updates on Armor Wars or a follow-up Wakanda series

Since this post is going live before Phase Four officially finishes, I will revisit the completed Phase Four TV series at a later date. Until then… the Marvel Multiverse of Reel Librarians is a wrap! 😀

Keeping score

PHASE ONE:

  • 6 movies
  • 2/6 library or archives scenes
    • The Incredible Hulk – university library
    • Thor – public library
  • 0/6 reel librarian sightings

PHASE TWO:

  • 6 movies
  • 1/6 library or archives scenes
    • Thor: The Dark World – college library
  • 0/6 reel librarian sightings

PHASE THREE:

  • 11 movies
  • 3/11 library or archives scenes
    • Doctor Strange – Kamar-Taj library
    • Spider-Man: Homecoming – school library
    • Captain Marvel – U.S. Air Force archives
  • 3/11 reel librarian sightings – all Wong!
    • Doctor Strange
    • Avengers: Infinity War
    • Avengers: Endgame

Note: Except for Doctor Strange, the movies in this phase either included a library or archives but had no corresponding librarian or archivist — or vice versa, with a reel librarian never seen in a library.

PHASE FOUR (THUS FAR):

  • 6 movies + 7 TV series (thus far)
  • 6/13 library or archives scenes
    • Eternals – archives
    • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Kamar-Taj Library
    • WandaVision – public library in 3 episodes
    • Loki – archives in 3 episodes
    • What If…? – public library in 1 episode, Kamar-Taj Library and the Lost Library of Cagliostro in 1 episode, archives in 1 episode
    • Ms. Marvel – school library in 3 episodes
  • 6/13 reel librarian sightings
    • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Wong cameo
    • Spider-Man: No Way Home – Wong cameo
    • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Wong as a main character
    • Wanda Vision – public librarian in an uncredited cameo in 1 episode
    • Loki – archivist in 1 episode
    • What If… ? – Wong and O’Bengh

Half of the Phase Four movies and TV series included a library or archives scene and/or reel librarians. It definitely helps that Wong is such a fan favorite!

OVERALL (THUS FAR):

  • 29 movies + 7 TV series (thus far)
  • 14/36 library or archives scenes (39%)
  • 12/36 reel librarian sightings (33%)

Ultimately, a third or more of the MCU movies and TV series included a library or archives scene and/or reel librarians.

Sources used

  • British Library.” Wikipedia, 20 July 2022. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • Cross, Samantha. “Archives on TV: Loki.” Pop Archives, 24 June 2022.
  • Cross, Samantha. “They’re Digging in the Wrong Place: The Influence of Indiana Jones on the Archives.” Pop Archives, 7 Jan. 2019.
  • The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Created by Malcolm Spellman. Perf. Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Erin Kellyman, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “New World Order” (1.1, 19 Mar. 2021), “Power Broker” (1.3, 2 Apr. 2021); “One World, One People” (1.6, 23 Apr. 2021).
  • Hawkeye. Perf. Jeremy Rinner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga, Florence Pugh, Vincent D’Onofrio. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
  • Hermann, Burkely. “Doctor Strange’s Quest for Power and the Black Sorcerer-Librarian.” Pop Culture Library Review, 12 Oct. 2021.
  • Keane, Sean. “Marvel Cinematic Universe: All the Phase 5 and 6 Release Dates Revealed.” CNET, 31 July 2022.
  • Loki. Created by Michael Waldron. Perf. Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “Glorious Purpose” (1.1, 9 Jun. 2021); “The Variant” (1.2, 16 Jun. 2021); “The Nexus Event” (1.4, 30 Jun. 2021); “Journey into Mystery” (1.5, 7 Jul. 2021); “For All Time. Always” (1.6, 14 Jul. 2021).
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Five.” Wikipedia, 21 Aug. 2022. Accessed 22 Aug. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four.” Wikipedia, 7 Aug. 2022. Accessed 8 Aug. 2022. CC BY SA 3.0 license.
  • McNair Academic Brought to Life as ‘Coles Academic’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe” (press release). Jersey City Public Schools, 3 June 2022.
  • Moon Knight. Created by Doug Moench. Perf. Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, F. Murray Abraham. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2022.
    • Episodes: “The Goldfish Problem” (1.1, 30 Mar. 2022); “Summon the Suit” (1.2, 6 Apr. 2022); “The Friendly Type” (1.3, 13 Apr. 2022); “Asylum” (1.5, 27 Apr. 2022).
  • Ms. Marvel. Created by Bisha K. Ali. Perf. Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Rish Shah. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2022.
    • Episodes: “Generation Why” (1.1, 8 Jun. 2022); “Crushed” (1.2, 15 Jun. 2022); “Seeing Red” (1.4, 29 Jun. 2022); “No Norma: (1.6, 13 Jul. 2022).
  • Simons, Roxy. “‘Moon Knight’ Filming Locations: Where in London was the Marvel Show Shot?Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2022.
  • WandaVision. Created by Jac Schaeffer. Perf. Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “Don’t Touch That Dial” (1.2, 15 Jan. 2021), “Now in Color” (1.3, 22 Jan. 2021), “The Series Finale” (1.9, 5 Mar. 2021).
  • What If…? Perf. Jeffrey Wright, Chadwick Boseman, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lake Bell, Benedict Wong. Marvel Studios / Disney, 2021.
    • Episodes: “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” (1.2, 11 Aug. 2021); “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” (1.3, 25 Aug. 2021); “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” (1.4, 1 Sep. 2021); “What If… Zombies?!” (1.5, 8 Sep. 2021); “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?” (1.7, 22 Sep. 2021); “What If… Ultron Won?” (1.8, 6 Oct. 2021).
%d bloggers like this: