History In The Making

A lot of people like to talk about something happening now as if it is one of the greatest things in history, but the dictionary definition of the word history requires one to step back and evaluate things from a distance - evaluate things that are in the past.  History is defined as something that you cannot appreciate in the moment.  The Disney purchase of Fox, but more specifically Marvel Studios re-acquiring the rights to make X-Men and Fantastic Four movies, is immediately a game-changer for the industry but more than that, it will one day cement Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige in cinematic history as a true pioneer.  What he has done already is something that others have tried, and failed, to replicate - building a world that has all of the best components of most stand-alone movies and franchises while also building a brand that is consistently churning out high quality products at a higher quality return.  And Disney’s new acquisition has given him the ability to make the last decade look like somewhat of a warmup act.

What is somewhat curious, or maybe an even bigger credit to Feige, is that when he planted the first seed almost ten years ago, it was with the well-known, but lesser idolized property Iron Man.  It had to be hard for any outsider to predict that the charismatic, perfectly cast Robert Downey Jr would not only set the tone/stakes for the 17 movies (to date) that have followed, but that he would set the bar for how well-rounded and wide-appealing a superhero movie can truly be.  Even Downey Jr or Feige could not have imagined the wild success that has unfolded since, but that success also comes with the constant pressure to continuously top themselves in size and scope, without sacrificing the heart that has driven their quality.

While Iron Man started as a stand-alone movie with a solid script that was elevated by great performances and creative directorial work, it ended with an after-credits scene that involved everyone’s new favorite hero being approached by a comic-book famous authority figure about joining a team.  From there, a world was built brick by brick.  The Incredible Hulk had some growing pains as Feige got his feet under him trying to figure out how to balance the quality of each individual film with the rollout of each piece to his puzzle.   Then Thor got his character’s trilogy kicked off with a quality entry before Captain America was introduced to complete the slow burn towards the first MCU Saga entry The Avengers.  And all of the good will that was built up by each individual entity resulted in the 5th highest grossing movie all time (with the later Avengers: Age Of Ultron right behind it at 7th).  With that, the first phase of what figures to be Feige’s life work was complete and he had earned enough credibility to begin to expand and to take chances.  And as each calculated risk paid off one by one, he was able to go bigger and wider into the corners of the Marvel universe - ask yourself, “what percentage of people had heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy before their film engrossed fans (and their money)?”.  Ten years and seventeen films later, the next Avengers two-part entry will include every main character that has been portrayed on screen in the MCU to date - the potential for upwards of 67 different characters.

Marvel and Feige’s foothold in the industry is heavily driven by their ability to weave comic book elements and themes into a live-action portrayal and story-telling that rarely seems too childish or too cartoony, but also rarely seems to get too dark or too gloomy. They’re almost supernatural movies that are somehow grounded in what feels like it could be real life.  It’s Universal and DC’s inability to operate in the area between extremes that continue to keep them significantly behind and unfortunately for them, Marvel has used the stronghold that they’ve gained in the good will department to venture deeper into character-driven stories and other-worldly odysseys that are now proving that they can put forth somewhat artistic products, too.  Take the recent Taika Waititia visually-stunning space comedy-adventure Thor: Ragnorok or genre movies like the forthcoming dark, gritty based Black Panther that takes mainly place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda.  There are even reports of taking these “genre stories with superhero elements” in another new direction with next year’s Ant Man and The Wasp being deemed a pseudo-romantic comedy.  

As more and more Oscar Winners and A-list celebrities join the Marvel family, it seems that the the opportunity to work within your own individual film, and potential franchise, but yet also be part of something bigger, continues to be the main draw.  An actor or actress has the ability to work on a film that might whet their personal appetite and where they can still be the star of the show, creating a fanbase devoted to their portrayal of an a comic book icon.  But as flattering and overwhelming as some of the fandom can be, it is also the opportunity to play in a bigger pond with the leads from each individual story thread, and the brotherhood/sisterhood of stars that come along with it, that is consistently driving appeal across the industry.  What Feige has been able to do is weave impactful characters in and out of stories, somewhat connecting their individual stories to other individual stories (“chapters”, if you will) or to entire over-arching narratives.  It also enables them to cross-pollinate in an effort to create more fun, buzz and excitement, or simply to draw varied audiences into one theater for their “team-up” movies.  

Recent efforts by other studios to replicate the success of the MCU have proven troublesome, with certain franchises stumbling with quality writing or directing while others struggle with a simple lack of interest in their product/characters.  It’s hard to argue that a retelling of The Mummy or the gangster-style Suicide Squad featuring characters like Deadshot, Enchantress, and Killer Croc compare to history-rich characters like Captain America, Thor, and now even Spider-Man.  What remains to be seen is if the smaller gap in quality between the MCU and the FOX franchises was only there because of Marvel Studios’ better vision, better writers, and better directors.  With the X-Men and Fantastic Four now being handed back to Feige, the word visionary would be common-place if he is able to bring those extremely popular characters into his world with the quality and success that he has shown just with the toys he’s already had.

Within the latest groupings of movies, Marvel has opened eyes to the world of magic through Doctor Stranger and other worlds through the Guardians and the most recent seasons of ABC Television tie-in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  The possibilities for Feige to reboot and recast any individual entity, and the breadth of storylines he can now choose from, do literally seem endless.  Think of a Deadpool/Spider-Man mashup.  Or a Fantastic Four/Guardians of the Galaxy tie-in.  And of course, what is on everyone’s mind, the inevitable demand for an epic Avengers versus X-Men film.  Feige has already done something that has never been seen before, and by the time he steps away, it will be difficult not to look at a his legacy as something that may never be seen again.

UPDATED 2/23/18 c/o Mark Olsen at the LA Times:    

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-black-panther-last-jedi-artisanal-blockbuster-20180223-story.html