Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe Doomed to Fail?

Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe Doomed to Fail?

4 years ago, everything that has transpired in the MCU was just a distant dream. But now that it has gotten off the ground, will it eventually crash and burn?

Editorial Opinion
By consultant - Apr 16, 2012 07:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Avengers

You all probably got the worst goosebumps ever when you saw the post-credits scene in Iron Man or Incredible Hulk(depending on which you saw first. I saw TIH first). I remember basically sprinting home from the theater to discuss it with my friends. And now with the upcoming Avengers movie, a long time dream has come true for all of us. I remember seeing the following blooper from X-men and thinking "Why not do that?!?"



Anyway, we're getting the Avengers soon. And whether you like it or not Kevin Feige and the boys at Marvel Studios is got future plans. Antman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, possible Fantastic Four reboot, etc.

Even though all that sounds mother-effin exciting and I want it to go on forever, I think there are some concerns facing the MCU in the future. Now keep in mind, I'm discussing possibly around 10 years into the future

1)Robert Downey Jr is a god. He is one of my role models. No other man is as smooth as him. But truth is he is 47. Now I know that is still not that old for being an actor, even for acting in an action movie. Tom Cruise is 49 and he climbed Burj Khalifa for MI4. However after Iron Man 3 and Avengers 2, he'll probably enter his 50s. Iron Man gave RDJ his big break after his hiatus but there's a chance he won't reprise his role after that. Let's face it, right now RDJ/Iron Man is the face of the MCU. If RDJ didn't resign his contract, fans might not respond well to a new Stark. A bad response plus a sense of boredom from Iron Man may badly hurt the MCU. There isn't a single soul on god's green earth that can play a better Stark in my opinion.

2)It's all about the money Lebowski. I know the producers at Marvel Studios love their work and love the characters. But lets face it, the next wave of Marvel characters to arrive in MCU are third/forth tier characters. We know them well, but the general moviegoer probably doesn't. If a few of those movies don't make back their budget in the box office, it might be a big blow for the future of other new characters and the MCU.

3)Character progression my also be an issue for our original crew (Cap, IM, Thor). We got good origin stories and a sequel for Iron Man. After Avengers they'll go their own way and keep progressing. But how far until there is no where left to take that character and it just becomes an action movie. We can think of some ideas for what Iron Man 3 will revolve around. But what where will Tony's character go for Iron Man 4 or Avengers 2. There's quite a room for Cap to evolve but how about Thor. After Thor 2, what can his character bring to the table?

4)The MCU can be transferred. Other studios can mainly tell their stories on the main screen. Eg. Nolan's Batmans, Transformers, etc. However there is always a chance for Marvel to decide to transfer that content to the comic book realm, or to TV. Thus they have leeway to drop MCU if it becomes unprofitable/unpopular

I could have made this more organized and easier to read but I guess you catch my drift. With the long term project Marvel Studios has set itself, it has also created certain reasons or risks for Marvel Studios to pull the plug on the project. This is mainly because in my opinion, they are trying to put stories and developments into films, that should actually be on TV shows, or something more recurring. Don't get me wrong. I think for the next 5-6 years MCU will do great and make a lot of money. But in 10 years there's a chance it could be over. What then? Reboots? What are your thoughts?

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ComicBrooks
ComicBrooks - 4/16/2012, 7:50 PM
Great article. I too have pondered these what-if scenarios but the best answer i have is enjoy what we've got because we are lucky to have it. I hope it never ends! AVENGERS MAY 4TH!
Knightrider
Knightrider - 4/16/2012, 7:56 PM
There is part of me that this could signal the beginning of the end of interest in CBM's. As thinking about it, if the Avengers is seen as the pinnacle of CBM's then as a public if we have seen what is believed to be the best interest in solo films may start to decline. Like climbing a mountain once you have reached the peak you start the decent and this could do the same for CBM's. Yes they will continue to be made, but think about it does Iron Man 3, Captain America 2 or Thor 2 solo movies sound as appealing after The Avengers.
Knightrider
Knightrider - 4/16/2012, 7:56 PM
I fully understand that there are still ways forward a JL movie etc, just pointing out 1 of many possibilities
novaprime
novaprime - 4/16/2012, 8:50 PM
Nah it won't end this will Keep on until we Die and are kids, kids,kids, kidskids. Live on to see this
Benjamitesandwich
Benjamitesandwich - 4/16/2012, 8:51 PM
What I want is the last movie to be Infinity Gauntlet. That way, Nebula can reverse time not 24 hours like the comic, but several years, to the beginning of the Marvel Universe; back to when Cap was still frozen and before Stark meets Fury. That would make the movies a continuous loop without end. An it would be quite the emotional ending.
RolandD
RolandD - 4/16/2012, 8:51 PM
Some good points. I probably would have seen Iron Man no matter who played the part and it was a well-done movie, but RDJ made it so much better, but the general movie going public are not geeks like us. He was a bit more smarmy than I would have imagined Stark to be, but it worked so well, once again because RDJ has the chops to play it and he looks the part to boot. I could see IM falling flat without him. That being said, if he is willing to continue to play the part, I could see him doing it for a while. He looks good in the face for his age and is in great shape. If he is not playing Stark, not a death knell by far. I would not have expected a Joker to stand next to Nicholson's and years later we got Ledger's Joker who was very different, but fantastic. We could aslo easily get someone bland to take the part or someone who tries to do RDJ and goes over the top.
Lego
Lego - 4/16/2012, 8:52 PM
Marvel has a formula. making mediocre movies. Hire some smuck director to make a average movie that fanboys will go "YEA AN EXPLOSION THIS IS AWESOME!"

they have no depth. its just plain boring stale hollywood movie making their good at. But they can't go on forever like this. They need to take these movie adaptations seriously.

Thor could have been on the level of Star Wars. An epic for the eyes. but instead it was "Meh"

I blame the fans. they eat up this average shit. but keep feeding someone garbage eventually their gonna bite and eat it up.

Plus what do comic book fans know about movies? Show a cinephile a Marvel film they'll laugh in your face at how cheesy it is. All these fans are like 17 years old anyway. they don't give a shit.

BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 4/16/2012, 8:53 PM
Some legitimate concerns. I don't think we need to be worried though.

1) I think the MCU will actually act as a cushion for the blow of losing the actors we know. If we see a new Tony Stark actor (let's just say Bradley Cooper) in Avengers 3 alongside Chris Evans as Cap and Chris Hemsworth as Thor, yeah it's going to be kind of awkward, but you still have the boost of the familiar characters and the successful ensemble franchise. Then if they make Iron Man 4 with Cooper as Tony, if he has done a good enough job and the story looks good enough, it could really help make the transition smoother for the solo franchise. Or I could be completely wrong.

2) Let's not forget, Iron Man was actually pretty obscure before his movie came out. It's all about making the new lesser known heroes look appealing. If the Avengers is a success, being a part of the MCU should give lesser known characters a bit of a boost because people will make the connection (they might need to be told explicitly, but it's not impossible)

3) Very good point. I'm not a fan of the James Bond movies because they don't really seem to tell meaningful character stories. I'd hate to see these movies devolve into just random adventures for the sake of making money off the characters. The best thing to do is to just give it a rest. Cap 2 is due out in 2014 I think. Cap 3 is probably 2017. Avengers 3 might be 2018. At that point, hopefully Marvel has started to build up their second generation (Dr. Strange, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, etc.) so they won't need to make movies for the first characters to keep the universe alive. Absence can make the heart grow fonder. If people have to wait 7 year to see Iron Man on screen again after Avengers, there will be some excitement to see the return. That would also avoid the awkwardness of changing actors. Let RDJ make his 6 movies then retire the character for a while. People will know that it wouldn't make sense to have a guy pushing 60 flying around as Iron Man.

As for the general fear, that people will tire of super hero movies, I really do think it depends on how well made they are. Things have been pretty crazy this past decade with one almost every year, and they may slow from that. However, no one worries that people are getting tired of normal action movies, or horror movies. People say that's because superhero movies are all similar, but that's going to be the challenge moving forward. Honestly, I think you could argue that superhero movie are less generic than action movie in general when you have TDK, X-men First Class, Thor, and Iron Man. Thor can really play up its fantasy element to be very unique. GL (just to talk about superhero movies in general) should be heavy sci-fi.
Vapes
Vapes - 4/16/2012, 8:55 PM
Well, the way I see it... it's not that it's doomed to fail, but after we get the Iron Man trilogy and the Cap trilogy, Thor trilogy, Avengers trilogy and maybe a spinoff or two with various characters... then what?

How do they top that?

We've all got our own ideas on what they should do next, but I really can't imagine what they've got in store after the Avengers winds down.
LoudLon
LoudLon - 4/16/2012, 9:06 PM
I'm not worried about the MCU. Downey said from the first Iron Man flick that he was at an age where he only had a window of 5 years or so where he'd be able to pull off these action-heavy types of roles, and I'm sure Feige and company are equally aware of that -- thus why they cast "younger" guys like Evans and Hemsworth (both around 30 years old) who can carry these type of action extravaganzas for a number of years. And of course, eventually there will be a third and final Iron Man flick, a third and final Cap flick, a third and final Thor flick, and Marvel Studios will then likely haul out other characters for a series of films.

When you consider a trilogy of films can take upwards of ten years to complete, the Cap, Thor and The Avengers franchises alone can carry them to 2020. After that, they could start trilogies with other characters and be set for another ten years. And with the wealth of great characters at MCU's disposal, so long as they continue their knack for casting the perfect actors and pulling the perfect directors for each project, they could literally continue making Marvel flicks 'til, well, the end of freakin' time LOL

That's pretty smart if you ask me, and lends itself easily toward longevity. The Blade flicks (the first two, anyway) proved that even a lesser known character can rake it millions at the box office if done right and prove popular among the fanboys.
LoudLon
LoudLon - 4/16/2012, 9:08 PM
Whoops -- I went off on a tangent at the end there. Dammit, CMB, bring back the friggin' edit button!
LoudLon
LoudLon - 4/16/2012, 9:08 PM
CMB --> CBM. See? We need the edit button!!!
RedSkull667
RedSkull667 - 4/16/2012, 9:11 PM
Wasted my time reading this crap ughh
TheGambitFreak
TheGambitFreak - 4/16/2012, 9:18 PM
Here's my thoughts on the subject of RDJ, When he is all grey and what not, have Dominic Cooper take over the mantle, fans will respond politely to it and he is exactly like Tony in so many ways, besides, we still have John Slattery to play Howard.

tumblr_m0dcenGlvD1qk66g2o1_500

But then again, I feel as if we no longer need Iron Man movies after IM3, by the time the SHIELD Movie is all done and completed, I assume SLJ will be tired and will want to retire, therefore, pass the Mantle of SHIELD to Maria Hill or Iron Man.

Director of Shield

Also, on the issue of Money, the answer is crossovers! Have Cap show up in Iron Man, or Banner, vice versa, it'll get people in the seats, and it'll keep fanboys entertained. Similar to how when Spidey went to court, Matt Murdock was his lawyer.

And one more thing, GO COSMIC! If Marvel goes all out, Annihilus Wave, Conquest, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, it could be Marvel's answer to Star Trek and Star Wars, remember, audiences love to see Sci-Fi, but even more so, amazing visuals and cosmic/laser beams type stuff. Thor could've been a hella lot more better if the fight with Destroyer was more Epic and longer, as well as if it had taken more place in Asgard, same with Green Lantern God rest it's soul. I hope the Game of Thrones director for Thor captures that Switzerland-esque atmosphere. And Cap 2 is gonna be great (well, I'm honestly a little scared by the director choices, but he's my fav, so, I gotta love it)



But I love to live within the moment, and the status quo is Avengers, May 4th, 12:01am, IMAX 3D, in my Captain AMerica Get-up and bro in his light up arc reactor tee.
RedSkull667
RedSkull667 - 4/16/2012, 9:19 PM
Anyone who has such kind of questions can go watch Star Wars original trilogy

And Dominic Cooper can be a great Tony Stark IMHO. Like Father like son

Also RDJ is his role model LMFAO. What are you a pre established Hollywood actor or something ?
RedSkull667
RedSkull667 - 4/16/2012, 9:21 PM
Also this bullshit article is going to turn into a rampage ground for Anti Marvel brigade soon
TheGambitFreak
TheGambitFreak - 4/16/2012, 9:23 PM
Whoops, didn't mean to underline the rest of my post, just the GO COSMIC! part, anyways, good job on this article, it brings up some important issues.
Betaraybillybob11
Betaraybillybob11 - 4/16/2012, 9:30 PM
I would love to see a Neil Gaiman's Monsters movie or possible series.
IwasGroot
IwasGroot - 4/16/2012, 9:31 PM
Lego@ You must just LOVE the mediocre Nolan Batman films! I would pit any Marvel Studios film against TDK anyday, and the truth is that they are just way more fun and entertaining! Sorry, but Nolan's Batman films (which still I enjoy) are nowhere near as good as the Marvel movies have been for one reason...Nolan is short sighted and his Batman movies are ultimately a bore.
ironpool007
ironpool007 - 4/16/2012, 9:32 PM
I can understand your concerns. You make valid points, but I am sure Marvel has a plan to keep things going. Through further sequels or reboots, these characters will be around for a while. As for smaller characters like Ant Man, I think Marvel is making a foolish bet by thinking that such a character can carry a theatrical release. For smaller characters, like this, I think the direct to video market would work better. And I mean that as no insult. It's all about knowing where to pick your battles. Certain characters will not always hold up under the same venue.
IwasGroot
IwasGroot - 4/16/2012, 9:37 PM
TheSharkKnight@ If you're going to insult someone, at least use the proper form of "you're" and spell "loser" like you're NOT a complete fool! I mean WE all know already that you're a complete idiot, and Nolan apologist, but c'mon man! Read a book Ass hat! Oh, and one more thing! DC has an Oscar that was given as a pity award for a dead guy! The Oscars have been a joke for years, so your argument is a total FAIL!
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 4/16/2012, 10:10 PM
"Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe Doomed to Fail?"
nope :)
and Nolanites can suck it :)
AvengersRock
AvengersRock - 4/16/2012, 10:12 PM
The Avengers isn't out yet and you're already thinking it'll die a slow death in 10 years. Have you forgotten that Marvel has 50 years of comic book stories to draw from? Do you really think they can't keep it interesting? I say thee NAY!

The great thing about the Avengers, is that the general public will be more aware of Marvel movies generally and will want to go see the individual movies (IM3, Thor2, Cap2, etc.) to see the common thread between them.

How many 007 movies have there been? How long has Star Trek been around? I think you're worrying over nothing.
AvengersRock
AvengersRock - 4/16/2012, 10:13 PM
Last comment - if the movies are good - well written, well directed, well acted - then people will see them, because in the end they are very entertaining.
Lego
Lego - 4/16/2012, 10:22 PM
@nerdman

its not about DC vs Marvel you dipshit. its about Quality, I don't care about Nolan's movies. i'm not a fanboy like you fighting over them. its about Marvel making shitty ass movies and the fans eating it up like stray dogs.

Fall back.

and listen to how stupid you sound
Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon - 4/16/2012, 10:37 PM
I don't think it will fail.

As I see it, the MCU isn't even a real franchise; it's a gimmick. A way of promoting other Marvel-made movies by throwing in cameos and easter eggs and callbacks. (Not that I'm complaining!)

And they will likely continue this string of fan service for as long as they want, no matter whether they use it to creates the illusion of a larger plot line, or just tease the next movie in line.
TheMyth
TheMyth - 4/16/2012, 11:40 PM
Please folks just ignore SharkKnight and report him every time he does anything that could be construed as trolling. He is a moron and I do mean moron as he hardly knows how to spell or use grammar. I make it a goal anymore to at least once a day, find him in the comments section of articles that interest me, and report him. I'm hoping Big G will catch on soon that this guy is not welcome and will perma-ban his sorry ass.
Ace101
Ace101 - 4/17/2012, 12:01 AM
you know i cant understand how ppl can get sick and tired of a genre of films especially CBM lets look at the facts: 100 plus action, comedy, romance, drama, thriller, horror, sci fi, martial arts movies come out each year and they have been doing so for decades, SO where is the logic that ppl will get sick and tired of watching CBM the only genre that pumps out 4movies per yer maximum. "oh im gonna get sick and tired of cbm's cause they pump out a movie like every four months", that sht just pathetic.

MCU will go on forever, just as long it doesnt go down with the collapsing economic model.
surtur
surtur - 4/17/2012, 1:30 AM
They can slow down the production of movies for the MCU then transition the MCU into a different media like Cable TV or something. Perhaps cable tv shows on characters like Luke Cage, Ben Urich, or Matt Murdock that's set in the MCU, so we get cameos from Maria Hill and SHIELD etc.

I agree with them not making another Hulk film so soon, and after Thor 3, IM3 and Cap 3, they should just use their "Big Three" for future Avengers sequels.

They have so many characters and properties they can still use in the future. For one thing, I can't wait for marvel to get the rights back for x-man, spidey, and fantastic four. I want to see how those characters interact with the MCU.
BuzzKiller
BuzzKiller - 4/17/2012, 1:44 AM
I believe this will be leading to a Civil War storyline, as long as Marvel/Disney can reacquire some other properties/characters, by the 3rd Avengers. Imagine how many new characters can be introduced. Some new characters would certainly steal the spotlight and create interest in solo or team movies,never-ending possibilities.
marvel72
marvel72 - 4/17/2012, 2:44 AM
nope it won't fail,it'll get bigger & stronger with each movie released.
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