Tag Archives: The Marvels

Mar 17 2024

Regarding MCU’s Cancelled Projects

The big news this past week regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was that Disney cancelled a few MCU projects that were being prepared as a way of getting MCU and Marvel Studios back on its feet. What was noticeable about the news was that the projects included followups to Eternals, Captain Marvel and Ant-Man. There are also reports that long-announced projects like Ironheart and Armor Wars are also on the chopping block. While it is understandable why they have been cancelled, there is also some cause for concern.

The reasoning behind the cancellations was that Marvel Studios should focus on projects based on popular characters that will be guaranteed hits like Spider-Man, the Avengers and the X-Men. It makes sense but it just means that Marvel Studios will be forced to play it safe. It’s a shame because Marvel Comics has a huge plethora of intellectual property to mine from. To just go back and do films and TV shows about the same characters over and over again runs the risk of over-relying on them. Then you wind up with the situation Warner Bros. has with its DC characters where the only thing the company focuses on are numerous Batman films and related TV shows. Of course, these film studios need hits and it doesn’t hurt to rely on what works to fund future projects, but doing so risked overusing certain characters and diluting their appeal in the long run.

By playing it safe, Marvel Studios will avoid taking risks and approving projects based on lesser-known Marvel characters. This is understandable given the time and money that will be used to produce films and TV shows on characters few have heard of. But if Marvel Studios always followed this mentality we never would have gotten Guardians of the Galaxy. Back when that film was first announced, many were convinced that it would be Marvel Studios’ first flop. After all, few people heard of the characters who were outlandish. A talking raccoon? A walking tree? These doubters were sure no one would pay money to see films featuring such bizarre characters. But as we all know, the film was a huge hit and turned the Guardians of the Galaxy into beloved household characters.

Marvel Studios has tried to replicate the success of Guardians of the Galaxy with other lesser-known properties to varying results. For every Black Panther there was Eternals. While not everything Marvel Studios tried worked out, this does not mean that the film studio should avoid experimenting and trying out new characters. This will pay off for the film studio in the long run. Just look at the Scarlet Witch. When she first debuted in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she had an impact but her popularity did not truly take off until WandaVision years later. That show was so popular that it has spun off a couple of its characters into their own film and TV show, that being Photon and Agatha Harkness. Unfortunately, Photon’s film The Marvels flopped and Agatha: Whatever is the Subtitle still hasn’t streamed yet, so the jury is out on the TV show. However, the failure of The Marvels cannot be blamed on the character of Photon. The same would have to go with the other main characters in that film and going further with Nick Fury in Secret Invasion or Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Those projects failed but it was not because of the characters. They had their own issues and the characters were mostly well received in other appearances.

Thankfully, Marvel Studios will continue to utilize these characters in other projects. For instance, Ant-Man is supposed to appear in the next Spider-Man film and the next Avengers film. With Eternals, even though that film won’t get a proper sequel, the characters and events from the film are rumored to be incorporated into the next Avengers film. It would make sense that if the fifth Avengers film is no longer about Kang the Conqueror then it could be a cosmic-based film that features the Eternals and even the Guardians of the Galaxy in a loose adaptation of the Annihilation storyline from Marvel Comics (this was the comic book event that introduced the modern incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy that we think of). Some creative scripting could have the events of the cosmic plot in that Avengers film continue the Incursion/Multiverse arc and lead into Avengers: Secret Wars.

Marvel Studios should not hesitate with continuing to introduce new characters all the time in their films and TV shows. Although not all of them will take off in popularity, they should be featured to at least test the waters and see how they are received.

Maybe after a few hits under its belt, Marvel Studios will once again take creative chances with Marvel’s other characters. After all, the richness of the vast Marvel Universe deserves to be fully explored for MCU fans.

Nov 27 2023

The MCU Woes, Part II: How To Correct Itself

The latest online trend has been to bash Marvel Studios and its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Toxic trolls have been pouring out with uncontrolled glee proclaiming Marvel Studios is too woke and deserves to fail. They point to the disappointing reception for many of the MCU’s latest offerings as proof that the brand is dead. Further adding fuel to the fire, Marvel Studios has delayed many of its productions to improve them.

It is undeniable that the MCU brand has taken some hits and is not regarded as highly as it was during its heyday, to call the brand dead or beyond repair is a gross exaggeration.

Thankfully, Marvel Studios and its parent company Disney have recognized the situation and are taking concrete steps to course correct and ensure the MCU regain its reputation for quality superhero films and TV shows. Sure, the MCU has taken its lumps, but what brand is not immune to this? Many times it is good to take a tumble, this gives one the chance to learn from mistakes and improve. This is what is going on with the MCU.

First of all, Marvel Studios has shown the willingness to scrap what they have worked on and start over. One example is the Daredevil: Born Again TV show which has been scrapped and been redone. Another example is that Captain America: Brave New World has been delayed in order to rework it due to a poor test screening. Then there are the rumors that Kang will be written out of the future films and TV shows in favor of Doctor Doom. This would take care of the situation with Jonathan Majors facing trial for domestic abuse, especially if he is found guilty. These examples demonstrate that Marvel Studios is willing to take the necessary steps to take the time to produce the best projects possible.

Better Scripts Needed

However, the first and most important step that needs to be taken is to devote more time to the scripts. Allow the writers to tell proper stories and DO NOT GO INTO PRODUCTION UNLESS THE SCRIPTS ARE COMPLETED TO EVERYONE’S SATISFACTION. This would largely take care of the problem of realizing a film is not working and having to do major retooling with it in post-production. This is why recent projects like Secret Invasion fared so poorly. It’s been reported that Secret Invasion had major overhauls and rewrites in the middle of its production, which is why the end product seemed so underdeveloped and rushed. On the other hand, look at two recent MCU successes: Loki Season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3. Both productions had well-crafted scripts that were full of heart and flowed well. More importantly the stories logically reached their conclusions while servicing the characters. This is a major reason why both projects received so much acclaim and performed well.

Even though it is important to follow a certain narrative as dictated by the higher ups and to meet deadlines, the screenwriters should be given more autonomy with their scripts. It is also important at this point with the MCU to hire great writers who have a record of turning in terrific and solid screenplays.

The same should go with directors. This is a difficult task given that Marvel Studios is more hands on with their productions than normal. Still, the past has shown us that great directors like James Gunn and Ryan Coogler, and the Russo Brothers can work within the confines of an MCU production and deliver great films. Oftentimes, Marvel Studios hires relatively unknown directors who wilt under the pressure and demands of the studio and turn in mediocre films or TV shows. Marvel Studios has to make sure that the best possible directors are hired for their projects. If they want to go with lesser known (and cheaper) directors, have them feel their oats with some of the TV shows. Michael Giacchino is a prime example of this. Known only for his film scores, Giacchino blew everyone away with his directing duties in Werewolf By Night.

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Nov 18 2023

The MCU Woes, Part I: How Did It Get To This?

Given all the downbeat news lately about Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s pretty understandable why MCU fans are so alarmed. It was not that long ago when the MCU was an undisputed entertainment behemoth that could not do anything wrong.

Now, there have been noticeable tumbles with their projects, especially this year. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed in the box office, the Disney+ TV series Secret Invasion was widely derided and what was worse is that the recently released MCU film, The Marvels, is performing worse than the third Ant-Man film.

Then the behind-the-scenes turmoil further added to the impression that the MCU is falling apart. Reports have revealed that productions were rushed and reshot. This explained why many MCU films and TV shows felt so disjointed and undeveloped.

Another dilemma involved the actor Jonathan Majors who plays Kang the Conqueror and is slated to be the major villain in the next few MCU films. He was recently arrested for domestic abuse and Marvel Studios and its parent company, Disney, is struggling over what to do with Majors and the character of Kang because if he is found guilty this would disrupt any upcoming films or TV shows.

Then there is the issue of what direction should the overall MCU should take. In the first three phases of the cinematic universe there seemed to be a goal that the films were reaching towards. Although the Multiverse Saga has been introduced in the Phase Four and Five of the MCU, many films and TV shows have ignored the concept and as a result the overall narrative of the MCU seems aimless and less interconnected than previous films.

Adding to the disjointed and convoluted nature of the current MCU is that a lot of characters and storylines have been introduced but many of them have not been followed up. For example, what happened with the Eternals after the Celestials kidnapped half of them? What is the story behind the Hulk suddenly having a son? Will we ever see Hercules carry out his quest of vengeance against Thor? What happened to the symbiote fragment that was left behind in the main MCU by Venom? What happened with the crusade of the United States against aliens?

What happened behind the scenes was that most of the productions had their scripts drastically altered during filming, which led to a slapdash feel to the finished film or TV show. This in turn strained the special effects department who were forced to work under insane deadlines and resulted in horribly bad special effects that in some cases were tweaked after a film or TV show was released.

What was worse is that the MCU was such a victim of its own success that the higher-ups at Disney demanded more projects from Marvel Studios to pad out the roster of Disney+ inventory. The reason for this as many know was due to the launch of Disney+, which had few original programs, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Both incidents caused Disney to demand more productions to be launched on the streaming app since it was the only way to present the MCU productions during the outbreak of the pandemic. As a result multiple projects were put into production, even though the demand for some of them was questionable. Does anyone actually want to see an Ironheart TV show?

This stretched ability of Marvel Studios to deliver quality films and TV shows and people noticed. Productions were rushed in order to meet deadlines and were heavily reshot during post-production. This in turn not only drastically changed some plots but disrupted the narrative flow of the stories. The results were less than satisfying films and TV shows, though the quality of the MCU productions varied. Still for every WandaVision or Black Panther: Wakanda Forever there was a Secret Invasion or Eternals. Marvel Studios saw diminished returns for their projects, which became very apparent this year given how poorly Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion and The Marvels were recieved.

So is all lost? Is the MCU headed in the same direction as the hapless DC films?

No, to both questions.

Marvel Studios has shown that it’s capable of putting out truly great films and TV shows. Just look at this year’s offerings of Loki and Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3. There is still demand and goodwill for upcoming MCU projects like the third Deadpool film and Avengers: Secret Wars. But more importantly, the film studio and Disney are being proactive and are addressing the situation. The best days for the MCU may still be ahead of us.

In a follow up post, we’ll look at what Marvel Studios can do to right the ship and point out how they are taking concrete steps at this moment.