Marvel faces its next major challenge as it attempts to complete a Phase

 

The concept of a Marvel Cinematic Universe has given its films an operatic flavor from the start, with the interlocking template larger than any single title or character. To borrow a phrase from another Disney franchise, the studio's formal unveiling of new "phases" of its grand plans at Comic-Con highlighted how the challenge of connecting multiple movies into one sprawling organism could have become a trap.

XEM THÊM :
Mách bạn mẹo chơi bài xì dách luôn thắng hay nhất

Marvel worked tirelessly toward "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame," delivering a massive two-part, five-hour-plus, every-hero-imaginable Thanos saga conclusion in 2019. The end result was a massive commercial success, saying goodbye to a pair of iconic characters who helped launch this series of films.

What else could the studio do for an encore? The latest chapter in Marvel's cinematic march, Phase 4, was intended to address this, serving as a multi-movie palate cleanser while resetting the table by introducing new characters and capitalizing on existing ones.

Three significant events followed "Endgame," two beyond anyone's control and one above Marvel's pay grade: a global pandemic that threw the entire movie industry for a loop; the tragic death of "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman; and the late-2019 launch of Disney+, a streaming service that became another very hungry mouth to feed as a major priority for Marvel parent Disney.

As stunning as the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" footage shown at Comic-Con looked, losing Boseman created a no-good-answers dilemma for the sequel, clouding the future of a franchise that appeared poised to be a major linchpin of Marvel's plans after the first film.

Meanwhile, the pandemic disrupted studio schedules, making it difficult to evaluate the box-office performances of "Black Widow," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," and "Eternals," as well as the impact they may have had.

Finally, buoyed by its enviable film track record, Marvel not only aggressively supplied Disney+ with original shows but chose to treat them as further extensions of its universe, which added to the logistical challenges.

The flood of Disney+ series has, in the best-case scenario, provided a way to tease specific characters – such as the next "Captain America" film or the introduction of the villainous Kang (Jonathan Majors) in "Loki" – and, in the worst-case scenario, further stretched the Marvel brand at the risk of diluting it.

Whatever the impact of the second and third factors, Phase 4 has been a mixed bag in terms of creativity, as evidenced by the lukewarm reception to "Eternals," which introduced lesser-known characters (although, like Shang-Chi, they've been around in the comics since the 1970s), and "Thor: Love and Thunder," the latest sequel featuring one of the original Avengers.

The Phase 5 movies and the teaser for Phase 6 show that Marvel is eager to restore the epic scope associated with the story that culminated in "Endgame."

The fact that Marvel dominated trending topics and eclipsed other high-profile commodities at Comic-Con demonstrates the company's enduring strength. Even a less mortal Marvel is holding an extremely powerful and enviable hand.

Nonetheless, there's something to be said for concentrating on individual titles rather than their place in the larger MCU. Beyond the sequels and cameos that they can do in the films that follow, just getting the Fantastic Four right seems like a formidable goal.

It's also worth noting that the comic books Marvel has relied on for inspiration regularly produce world-threatening threats. Movies take a few years to make, so each film already faces the daunting task of hatching a plot worthy of that weight.

Marvel's success has owed much to the fact that its films are viewed as events by fans, and the interconnectedness of its universe has undoubtedly contributed significantly to that dynamic.

But, as is so often the case in Hollywood, a blessing can become a burden. For the time being, the studio would be best served by delivering some truly satisfying films and letting the rest of the equation fall into place.

If you succeed, we might look back in 2025 and say that Marvel was just going through a phase.

READ ARTICLES :

https://medical-heartu.blogspot.com/2022/07/why-is-covid-19-killing-filipino.html

https://medical-heartu.blogspot.com/2022/07/reestablishing-social-ties-learning-and.html

https://enterta1nmentguide.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-best-upcoming-new-tv-shows-we-cant.html

https://blogenvironment01.blogspot.com/2022/07/volunteer-groups-vow-to-sustain.html

https://blogenvironment01.blogspot.com/2022/07/plastic-bag-ban-creates-new.html