Is MARVEL STUDIOS Really The Only Studio Capable Of Making Consistently Good Superhero Movies?
As Venom hits theaters with a 30% Rotten Tomatoes score and Fox once again delays the troubled Dark Phoenix, we have to ask: is Marvel Studios really the only studio able to make great superhero movies?
It's been quite a tumultuous year for superhero movies. Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Deadpool 2 all broke box office records but two of Fox's biggest comic book adaptations were delayed due to behind the scenes troubles and Warner Bros. has just a single DC Comics adaptation coming out (and that's not until December). Sony, meanwhile, has now delivered the frightfully awful Venom.
While Aquaman could exceed expectations and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse looks, well, spectacular, Marvel Studios has clearly dominated 2018 (Deadpool 2 was good but not quite up there with the first instalment). In fact, they've dominated the genre for the past decade and while there has been bright spots - Logan, Wonder Woman, The Dark Knight - they've been few and far between.
With that in mind, is it fair to say that Marvel Studios is currently the only studio capable of producing consistently good superhero movies? Below, we take a look at every major studio's track record and how they stack up against each other and attempt to answer that very question. So, all you have to do to check out this in-depth analysis is to click on the "View List" button to read the entire article.
Two Different Eras Of Superhero Movies
Before we get started, it's important to note that there are essentially two different eras of superhero movies; before and after 2008. The Dark Knight was a game changer as was Iron Man and both movies set the genre on a totally new path. Before this time, there were a lot of great comic book adaptations - X-Men, Blade II, Spider-Man 2, and Batman Begins, for example - but also an awful lot of trash.
Movies like Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, Elektra, Catwoman, and X-Men: The Last Stand stunk up theaters and were a big part of the reason why Hollywood didn't have much faith in these characters before Iron Man proved that a B-List superhero could become an A-Lister and The Dark Knight very nearly changed the Oscars. For the sake of this article, we'll be sticking to the past decade or so.
Sony Just Can't Get Spider-Man Right
The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 both disappointed at the box office (particularly the sequel but mainly because they spent too much money on it) and it wasn't until they handled the wall-crawler over to Marvel that we got the first great Spider-Man movie since 2004!
Now, Venom is set to poison theaters this weekend with a 30% Rotten Tomatoes score and a take on the beloved character which is pretty much wrong from start to finish. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach - the men who have dropped the ball on Spider-Man for the past decade - remain in charge of the character and are now plotting a number of other sure to be terrible spinoffs, including Morbius and, uh, Jackpot.
Until there's a regime change and Sony realises that fresh blood is needed to get the Spider-Verse right, these problems are likely to persist. But hey, at least Into the Spider-Verse looks like a fun adventure!
20th Century Fox In Disarray
The problem is is that even good movies like First Class and Days of Future Past ended up disappointing in a number of ways; the team's origin story neglected the original five mutants fans wanted to see and the sequel failed to do the Sentinels justice. Even a beloved movie like Logan failed to give us the Wolverine vs. Sabretooth rematch we'd been craving and Deadpool was a very standard origin story.
Now, things appear to be falling apart at the studio. Both Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants have suffered huge delays in the hands of inexperienced filmmakers and need extensive reshoots, while the studio is greenlighting anything and everything it can think of, including Doctor Doom, Gambit (a "sex comedy"), and Multiple Man. Those are unlikely to happen when Disney ends up absorbing the studio.
Warner Bros. Goes Back To The Drawing Board
It's been a rough decade for Warner Bros. The Dark Knight Rises was a hit but not exactly beloved by fans, while Green Lantern, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League have all disappointed either critically, commercially, or both. In fact, aside from Christopher Nolan wrapping up his trilogy, the studio's only true success has been Wonder Woman.
When we're talking about characters like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, that's unacceptable and it's insane to sit back and watch the studio squander so many of its most iconic creations.
Now, multiple projects have been either cancelled, delayed, or put on hold and yet another regime change has led to the studio going back to the drawing board. On the plus side, though, things could be about to change for the studio because Aquaman, Shazam!, and Wonder Woman 1984 all look very good and the few movies we know they're developing definitely have a whole lot of potential.
What Does Marvel Studios Do Right?
Uh, everything? Joking aside, Marvel Studios' track record is nearly flawless. Yes, there have been some movies which weren't exactly masterpieces; Iron Man 2 was a mess, Thor: The Dark World was a letdown, and I would argue that even Ant-Man and The Wasp was somewhat forgettable. However, even their "worst" movies have still been well-received by most critics and succeeded financially.
Releasing twenty films over the past ten years, Marvel Studios hasn't produced a single box office flop or a complete critical disaster. Not a single other studio can say the same thing and they're all released significantly less comic book adaptations meaning they haven't had as many irons in the fire and really had no excuse to drop the ball on repeated occasions the way the others listed here obviously have.
What Does Marvel Studios Do Wrong?
Not a lot. They've dropped the ball on a fair few villains over the years and perhaps focused a little too much on humour but it's hard to fault the studio's Phase 3 output and they seem to be getting past those bumps in the road. Bad guys like Zemo, Killmonger, and Thanos have washed away the bad taste left by Malekith and The Mandarin, while the humour in Thor: Ragnarok saved the Thor franchise.
Kevin Feige and company has found a winning formula and, remarkably, it's showing no signs of going stale. Anticipation for Avengers 4 is through the roof, while Captain Marvel looks like it should be a hit on the same scale as Black Panther. Now, the studio is even expanding its reach to the small screen through Disney Play and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going from strength to strength.
Moviegoers are showing no sign of souring on this shared world as they already have with the new wave of Star Wars movies and it really does feel as if the studio can do no wrong for most fans.
So, Can We Only Rely On Them?
At the start of this post, I asked if Marvel Studios is the only studio capable of producing consistently good superhero movies. The key word there is "consistently" and the evidence speaks for itself. With not a single critical or commercial disaster across the course of twenty movies and even Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk are better than Venom, Justice League, and X-Men: Apocalypse.
Fox's days are numbered as the studio will soon become part of Disney and the X-Men and Fantastic Four will then be rebooted for the MCU. Sony Pictures, meanwhile, may produce the odd hit providing they find the right creative teams but Venom is not a good start to its live-action Spider-Verse. Warner Bros., meanwhile, is definitely on the right track and could rival Marvel Studios soon enough.
For now, Marvel Studios is the only studio we can rely on to deliver greatness on a CONSISTENT basis.