The MCU is a Giant. But how do you Turn a Giant into a Titan?

Avengers: Endgame was a pinnacle of cinema unlike anything we’ve really seen before. It was event cinema at its most blatant and well-defined, concluding a saga over 11 years in the making, and with a crescendo that took the fourth Avengers movie to the top of the all-time box office takings list, struggling past Avatar, the previous #1.

After a relentless decade of scene-setting and character building, Marvel concluded this current set of stories in the grandest way possible: with consequence and a massive dose of action and emotion. And while the saga concluded the stories of some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, there are still plans to continue mining characters from the unprecedented and incredible back-catalogue of Stan Lee. But keeping things fresh will only become that little bit harder with every movie that is released. So how does Marvel and Disney take something from the page to the pictures and continue to inspire content that people still want to watch, even when entering decade number 2.

For total clarity, my love of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is entire. I can watch two or three of the movies in any one week and not really get bored. Yet, post-Endgame, I did feel a general fatigue towards the franchise. I had ridden that wave for so long and I’d gotten a conclusion I was happy with. Tony Stark’s Iron Man was my favourite character in these movies but even I loved the conclusion, the death, the actual finality of what had to happen for there to be a water-shed in the story so far. Iron Man’s sacrifice will always be spoken about in the terms of #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan, but whichever side you were on, I would find it difficult to not be pumped with the emotion and story arc that that particular character went on. But now we’ve seen real consequence, Kevin Feige and his team at Marvel need to keep that up. Shaping a franchise that has reached such high peaks must be hard going forward, but having characters’ actions have serious and genuine (no backs, too) knock-on effects in the short and long-term should be high on the MCU agenda.

The Iron Man story arc was one of the greatest achievements of the decade of the MCU.

If you compare phase one of the series to phase three, the creativity and diversity is completely chalk and cheese. Whilst the diversity of the series still has plenty of work to do (the coming phases seems to be addressing that in grand and exciting fashion), the level of creative thinking has to be commended by everyone at Marvel. They’ve thrown money towards some of the best in the business. And this isn’t just actor talent (but phoar, what talent), but I’m talking directors, cinematographers, writers, graphic artists, costume, the lot. There is no expense spared and the best thing about it is it shows.

This change in creative thinking started with Guardians of the Galaxy (with possible mention to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, too). A little-known (in comparison) Marvel property, Guardians cast a tight actor slate, some unfamiliar visuals, genuine humour and for the first time music as key tentpoles in an MCU film. This experiment was Marvel and Feige taking their first swing at the future of the franchise. The concept of the film was more out-and-out sci-fi than had been previously seen, and the characters are not what you would consider normal or mainstream. But this calculated punt worked. And this pointed the way to Dr Strange and Thor: Ragnarok, via an unfortunate divorce from Edgar Wright on Ant Man. GotG was the moment Marvel knew unusual and creative thinking would work for the audience and the future. And this needs to continue. And not only continue, but to evolve.

It is no longer enough to offer the same thing but recooked with different actors and different settings. This is evident from the way the X-Men franchise went from a promising competitor to the MCU to an underwhelming damp squib in a matter of years. It was clear that Fox (now a Disney asset) stopped showing due love and care to the franchise. This can’t, and won’t, happen to the MCU.

The care and attention that is shown doesn’t always relate to the on-screen action, but also timing and reading of an audience and a mood. There has been a clamour for a more diverse characters in the franchise and it seems like Disney have taken note. The latest San Diego Comic Con saw announcements that Shang Chi, Black Widow and Blade will all have their own movies, whilst there will be sequels to Black Panther and Captain Marvel. The spread of character stories and origins is expanding. And this means so will the types of stories and styles and cultures that are available for mainstream audience consumption. This can only be a good thing for the studio and Hollywood in general.

Original ideas and unique approaches to future movies needs to be at the forefront of Marvel’s master plan for phase 4 and beyond. In the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor and Black Panther, the story and art was driven by interesting and appropriate voices. Talent was sought after from beyond the usual. Taika Waititi, previously a director with a cult following more than a mainstream darling was hired to jazz up a character that to many minds had been one of the first Marvel failures (Thor). Now, you could argue, Thor is one of the least disposable characters (watch this space though for Love and Thunder) in the universe.

Creative use of current and new IP is the bets way forward for Disney, Marvel and Hollywood in general.

This is just one example that Marvel should and will take heart from. Having confidence in creative people to create unique art is key. Without that, there will become a point when superheroes become a boring norm. And no matter what your opinion is, comic book movies of all shapes and sizes are dragging audiences to cinemas and creating new habits in old cinema-goers. With any luck, that will only help the future of film-making and the MCU in general. But Disney needs to remember to continue to give care for their biggest and brightest asset and not get complacent. Something tells me they’ll do just fine.