A deep dive into the cultural phenomenon and my favorite franchise ever, the MCU. Potential spoilers for most of the MCU (besides Shang-Chi, which I haven't seen as of writing this)
For the last 13 years, mainstream media has been completely taken over by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The massive film franchise spanning 25 movies and at least 4 shows (at the time of writing this) with dozens more to come has catapulted the comics company into the spotlight, but they haven't always taken to success so easily. While the comic industry was a goldmine for decades, in the mid 90's the industry collapsed and Marvel had gone bankrupt. In an attempt to save the company, Marvel started selling off the film rights to their most popular characters. Left with only some B and C list and relatively unknown characters at the time, they decided on their biggest gamble yet. They started their own film production company and staked EVERYTHING they had into the production of 2008's Iron Man, and it's safe to say that it all worked out for them! The MCU has become the most profitable film franchise of all time, and I could not love it more. I only find myself falling more and more in love with this franchise as time movies on, and as they continue to grow and evolve. This silly little superhero series of movies makes me so happy for countless reasons that I'm going to try and breakdown here and answer the question of why I love the MCU.
If I wanna explain this right, then I need to start at the very beginning of my relationship with Marvel. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a fan of Marvel. My dad introduced me to the ever expanding universe when I was very young, and from the moment I laid my eyes on it I was hooked. One of the earliest Marvel properties I can remember watching was reruns of the animated series Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. I would watch this show religiously, and this is where it all began. I was obsessed and I wanted to get my eyes on anything Marvel that I could. I'd watch older cartoons like the X-Men and Spider-Man animated series (I'd watch lots of the DC animated shows too like Justice League Unlimited, but this is an essay about Marvel, but just know that I love DC too). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch the first Iron Man movie in theaters so I wouldn't be introduced to the MCU for a little bit longer, but in 2009 Marvel released their newest animated series aimed at children, The Super Hero Squad Show which was the greatest thing ever for 8 year old me. I had all of the little toys (which I still have hidden away till this day) I had the theme song downloaded, I even made a shelf in my room poorly painted with the logo on it! This one show deepened my love of Marvel so much, so when I was finally able to watch Iron Man I was in love. It was everything I wanted out of Marvel as a kid, but it all looked so real when brought to live action. I mentioned this a little bit earlier, but I fell in love with Marvel because of my dad who showed me this fascinating world. Marvel soon became this bond that we had together and still have to this day. We would both watch all of the shows and the movies together, going to the theater to watch all these new movies coming out, and it's something that's really special to the both of us. I don't think I would be as interested as I am right now if I never had that connection with my dad, and it makes this huge interest of mine mean even more when I get to share it with people who mean a lot to me.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is everything I could have wanted from a live action comic book movie universe and then some. Marvel has over 80 years of iconic stories to choose from and bring to life in this grand universe, and they've done it in some really amazing and interesting ways. They have taken these iconic moments that fans have yearned for for years, and they've made it happen in new and interesting ways. Personally, I think it's boring to have a shot for shot remake of a comic book storyline since there's nothing new or interesting about that, so I am a big fan of how Marvel adapts their stories form the comics. Look at something like Captain America: Civil War for example. They take one of their most popular stories ever and they modernize it and adapt it to work for the cinematic medium. It creates a story that has the same core concept of the comics arc, but does it in such a different and amazing way that makes it feel like the same kind of story! If you had told someone back in 2008 that Iron Man would snap his fingers to bring back half of the population that the Mad Titan Thanos killed 5 years prior, I think you would be classified as insane and sent to a hospital. It's mind boggling how the sheer scale of these movies have changed, and how their universe has evolved over time. Their phase format has also really helped them structure this universe and progress it in such a natural and satisfying way. The MCU's first three phases, known as "The Infinity Saga", work as this three act structure to the overall story that was being told. In phase one, we learn about the Avengers and watch them assemble for the first time. Phase 2 is spent diving deeper into those characters and spending more time with them and putting them all in different lights, while new characters like Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy are introduced. Phase three is then immediately kicked off by tearing the Avengers apart, and completely deconstructing these characters and bringing them to their lowest points before their inevitable meeting with the Mad Titan. The phase format has become a staple of the MCU, and it makes things so much more interesting as each phase is themed and we get stories that take characters in such fascinating directions. These movies have great stories that are always so much fun to watch and enjoy, Marvel has really mastered the art of the comic book blockbuster and what makes it work.
If there's one thing that Marvel truly has perfected, it's the cinematic universe. While Marvel were far from the first to bring a cinematic universe to life, they were the ones who were able to make it work the best, and to do it in the most successful way. Take for example the earliest cinematic universe dating all the way back to 1931, the Universal Monsters. While they were the first, there wasn't much interconnectivity besides some character crossovers, there wasn't some final destination for any of the stories they were telling, they just had their wacky monsters and wanted them to interact, and there's nothing wrong with that! When Marvel started their cinematic universe back in 2008, they had much more ambitious intentions that they were willing to risk their company on. They wanted to have characters that were able to standalone, and then eventually crossover with each other. They made it so every single chapter of this franchise was equally important, and would set the direction of the next movie. All of their movies became essential viewing if you wanted to truly appreciate and understand what was going on. This interconnectivity is what set apart the MCU from all other attempted cinematic universes, and made them stand out as something special. I wouldn't be joking either when I say that the MCU has changed the way movies work nowadays. After the success of the MCU, all studios wanted to replicate that profit for themselves and tried to rush out their own cinematic universes. Let's look back at the Universal Monsters, because Universal actually tried to reboot them with their own "Dark Universe" which you probably haven't heard of because it bombed in every way because they immediately rushed it for the sake of money and not story. Even Marvel's lifelong rival DC tried to get their own shared universe out, but they rushed it and are still feeling the repercussions of that to this day even if they have finally landed on their feet. One of the MCU's biggest strength's is the interconnectivity of it all, and it's a huge part of why I love it. Everything feels so important, and it's always so cool how characters can pop up anywhere at any time, like Abomination in Shang-Chi! It makes the universe feel so lively, and I love seeing all the crossovers they do with these characters and trying to figure out where they can end up next, especially heading into phase 4 where there's more content than ever. Even now with all of the Disney+ shows, we get to spend more time with the characters and the shows will be affecting the movies too, like how Sylvie killed Kang to unleash the multiverse, and Sam became Captain America and will get his own movie as him soon. Everything relates to each other, and it's important to watch and it keeps the universe feeling so fresh and interesting. The movies wouldn't be nearly as special and fun if it weren't for the cinematic universe aspect of it all and I love it so much.
If there's only one thing that I had to choose as my favorite aspect of the MCU, it is easily all of the characters and how they build them. Marvel will expertly create all of their characters in ways that make them all interesting, whether they be the leading star of the movie or the supporting cast, they all feel fleshed out and interesting. I especially love how Marvel wasn't left with many notable characters when they wanted to kick this all off in the early 2000's. You might not believe it now, but Iron Man was a C list comics character before his big break in 2008. People were shocked when Marvel Studios announced their first movie to be about Iron Man of all people, but they knew exactly what they were doing and that movie and that character would set the tone for the rest of the MCU for years to come. They took this asshole arms dealer, and they made him go through a fascinating character arc where he became likable and just wanted to right the wrongs of his life and use his weapons for good. He also has that signature quippy dialogue that everyone can enjoy. Marvel can take characters who seem unimportant or bland, and they give them so much depth and relatability. Captain America is a great example of of a character who Marvel reinvented for the big screen. At his core, Captain America was supposed to just boost morale in the war and stands for patriotism and all that stuff. In the MCU, they used Steve Rogers to ask the question of what it really means to be a patriot, and they show him going on this journey about how he shifts his priorities from fighting for his country, to fighting for what's right. He's an incredibly relatable character because he's just a kid from Brooklyn who doesn't like bullies. He is the moral compass of the MCU and is so interesting. Marvel haven't always hit the ground running with their characters though, like with Thor for example. At the start, Thor was a very selfish character who gets humbled and learns nobility. The only problem was that Marvel didn't really know the right way to use Thor in the beginning since he was A GOD. After the critical failings of Thor: The Dark World, we can see Marvel begin to reinvent Thor into more of a comedic character and then into a tragic character dealing with loss which is really important and relatable for everyone. I also really love how Marvel can take characters that weren't even very popular with die hard fans, and turn them into household names like what was done with the Guardians of the Galaxy. They took those nobodies, and made them all relatable, likable and plucky and now everyone loves them and they're more popular than the X-Men to mainstream audiences. One thing that I have been loving with phase four is how Marvel is handling the legacy of these popular characters. The entirety of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is dedicated to the burden that comes with taking up the mantle of Captain America, which is such an interesting topic that I loved watching them dive into. Looking at the lineup of phase four, we can see just how important legacy is going to be to all of these characters, as most of their successors are being brought in. Whether it be Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, Ironheart or Jane Foster's Thor, we're seeing them pass the torch to a new team of iconic heroes who will all become household names. There's no other company making as many likable characters as Marvel, they have something for everyone. Oh you want a wizard learning to be less selfish and care more about the bigger world out there?? Doctor Strange! You want a witch who's overwhelmed with grief and you just can't help but feel bad for her? The Scarlet Witch! How about a friendly neighborhood teenager trying to balance life with great power and great responsibility?? Spider-Man! Marvel can appeal to so many people with their ever so successful way of introducing perfectly casted characters. While they were dealt a bad hand, Marvel used it to their advantage and brought so many characters to life who have dominated all of pop culture for 13 years. These lovable characters have become the biggest success in all of Marvel, making all of their movies even better because you're invested in these characters. Lots of people come to the movies just because of how much they care about the characters and wanna see where they go next. I love Marvel's characters so so much.
Is the MCU perfect? No, of course not it's got it's flaws. But the MCU is and always will be my favorite franchise. That whole universe means so much to me, I've grown up surrounded by these characters and with these movies and now shows an influential part of my life. Whether it's bonding with my father over these films, or waiting in line with my friends to watch Iron Man 3 opening night, or the absolute silence in the theater at the end of Infinity War, this universe has given me experiences that I'll never forget. I've been able to meet new people and make new friends sharing my interest of the MCU. Not only has this movie franchise inspired me creatively and entertained me for over a decade and for the majority of my life, but it's changed my life in so many ways. I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I sharing this universe with the people I love. I love being on the edge of my seat in anticipation for where these stories are going to go next. I love waking up at 3AM every week to watch the newest episode on Disney+ of any of the shows. I love growing invested in these characters and following their journeys for over a decade. I love getting excited for what's to come and anticipating the abundance of content. I just love the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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