As a longtime Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fan and someone who has followed the industry closely for over a decade, I’ve seen the MCU evolve from a small collection of interconnected films to a sprawling multimedia juggernaut that spans movies, TV shows, and streaming services. And while I’ve enjoyed the vast majority of what Marvel has put out over the years, I must admit that I’ve grown weary of the seemingly endless stream of interconnected stories and characters that demand viewers to keep up with an ever-expanding body of content.
At Comic-Con last Saturday, the Russo brothers, known for their successes with Marvel’s Avengers films, made an exciting announcement during Marvel’s panel. Accompanied by ominous figures wearing metal masks and robes, they received a warm welcome from the audience. The directors unveiled that they would be working on the fifth Avengers movie, titled “Avengers: Doomsday,” focusing on the notorious villain Dr. Doom. To everyone’s surprise and delight, Robert Downey Jr., widely regarded as an exceptional actor, was introduced as the ideal choice to portray this character.
At San Diego Comic-Con’s massive Hall H, thousands of people dressed as their favorite characters reacted excitedly when it was announced that Iron Man, now 59 and portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., would return to the dark side in the 2026 film “Doomsday” and its sequel “Avengers: Secret Wars.” This news generated global headlines, but it also hid some less pleasant truths. For instance, Marvel had skipped the convention the previous year.
In other words, for this specific Avengers project, the chosen actor and directors were not initially Marvel’s top picks. With the underperformance of The Marvels in the box office, the lackluster reception to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania from fans, and Disney’s decision to cut down on the number of shows and movies they distribute due to superhero saturation, Marvel is now taking a step back to address concerns of superhero burnout and market oversaturation.
The Kang-Doom Continuum
At Comic-Con 2022, Studio president Kevin Feige revealed his plans for the fifth Avengers film, titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” featuring Jonathan Majors as the villain Kang the Conqueror. However, following Majors’ arrest and subsequent sentencing for domestic violence in late 2023, Marvel dismissed him and discarded all storylines involving his character and its destructive consequences for the universe. Destin Daniel Cretton, director of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” was initially announced to helm “The Kang Dynasty,” but he later withdrew in November to focus on the sequel to “Shang-Chi” and a new Disney+ series called “Wonder Man.” Recently, Marvel has been considering offering the directing role for “Avengers 5” to Shawn Levy, who is currently busy with commitments such as writing, directing, and producing the successful “Deadpool & Wolverine,” as well as working on a new “Star Wars” movie and directing episodes of “Stranger Things.”
Although the Russos have successfully directed some of the highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe films, such as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” and the last two “Avengers” movies, which earned over $4.8 billion collectively, they haven’t been able to replicate their success outside of the Marvel universe. They co-directed Netflix’s action film “The Gray Man,” starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, and Apple TV+’s drama “Cherry,” but neither project received positive reviews or attracted significant viewer interest. However, they made up for it by producing the critically acclaimed and award-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which won the Best Picture award at the 2023 Oscars along with other top honors.
The Fantastic Four in the MCU — Nominally, at Least
At the San Diego Comic-Con, the highly successful third instalment of “Deadpool,” which earned an impressive $438 million globally during its opening weekend, was prominently showcased. This included an electrifying nighttime drone display above Petco Field, reportedly the most intricate drone show ever, and a panel on Thursday with Levy, stars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, and special guests Chris Evans, Dafne Keen, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, and Jennifer Garner. Additionally, “Deadpool 3” served as an exciting precursor to Marvel’s SDCC announcement of “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
At Comic-Con in 2022, Levy shared that the production of “D&W” would deviate from MCU norms as it wouldn’t serve as a setup for another film. Instead, it would stand alone with no need to conform to the intricacies of nine other movies. Likewise, Feige unveiled that the upcoming “F4,” set for release in July 2025 and featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, would be a period piece with a retro-future aesthetic, likely taking place in an alternate universe. During the same presentation, it was revealed that “First Steps” would occur outside of the primary MCU reality, known as the Sacred Timeline, and may not interconnect with Marvel’s Phase Five and Six characters. A sneak peek of concept art introduced Galactus as a potential adversary for the Four, despite Dr. Doom having been an earlier antagonist to “Marvel’s first family,” starting in a 1962 Marvel comic.
New Cap, Same Homework
Why does the MCU, known for its intricately connected stories and recurring characters across films, opt to establish the new Fantastic Four storyline in an alternate timeline or peripheral realm within Marvel’s cinematic universe instead of fully integrating it? I’d call it a side project or assignment.
In two frequently referenced instances of MCU’s expansive storyline, viewers were required to have kept up with the events of “WandaVision” on Disney+ to fully understand “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” in cinemas. Additionally, without watching the six episodes of “Ms. Marvel” on Disney+, it would be challenging to follow the happenings in “The Marvels.” As Feige stated at Brazil’s CCXP in 2019, “The MCU will weave its storyline between your TV screen at home on Disney+ and the movies, creating a continuous experience.”
After several years of implementing this approach, some fans have started to negatively respond to what they see as the forced merging of streaming and cinema experiences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Consequently, movies like “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Fantastic Four: First Steps” are being released under the expanding MCU label but do not significantly contribute to its overarching narrative.
As a long-time fan of Marvel movies, I’m always excited for the latest news and updates from Comic-Con. And this year’s reveal about “Captain America: Brave New World” truly piqued my interest! I was already looking forward to seeing Anthony Mackie take on the role of Captain America after Chris Evans’ retirement, but the addition of Giancarlo Esposito as a charismatic adversary named Sidewinder really took it up a notch.
The film won’t be suitable for viewers who dislike watching educational material. It must align with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s existing storyline and act as a foundation for future Marvel projects. Its primary fans are those already attached to Captain America’s evolution in Phase Six of the Avengers.
As a movie buff, I ponder over Marvel’s content strategy and what it could mean for us in the future. It seems that the studio intends to take a calculated risk. They will continue producing films within the Cinematic Universe while also releasing stand-alone projects with an irregular release schedule. This approach aims to lower viewers’ expectations, making each movie an exciting surprise instead of a predictable event. The recent success of “Deadpool” and “Wolverine,” which shattered pre-release revenue estimates, is evidence that this strategy may pay off handsomely.
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2024-07-29 20:54