Credit: Inside the MagicIf you’ve been keeping up with recent coverage, things have been far from incredible for Marvel Studios. In the wake of superhero fatigue, the strikes in Hollywood, and multiple cancelations from both Marvel and Disney, it might be a long while before we see our next summer superhero blockbuster.
We’ve mentioned before how the studio won’t be able to live up to the high standard set by the Infinity Saga, but that doesn’t mean they should necessarily halt all productions. On the contrary, many fans have speculated that what the studio needs isn’t an Avengers-level-threat, but a step back away from the high-octane, action-packed, superhero narrative.
How Marvel Can Make Movies Meaningful Again
u/Ok-Sir8600 posted on the studio’s Reddit page on how the studio can save themselves with a “low stakes” Avengers movie. In light of recent events surrounding the franchise, they might be right.
The user points out that,
“The general feeling is that we have a lot of characters and a lot of new characters that we see once and then we have to wait years before seeing them again. Also, after Thanos we have multiverse and secret wars and etc, which are like really big universal events.
And
“I think they should do a in-between avengers movie, something on the feeling of the New-Avengers (when the team got together after fighting a breakout on Ryker’s), so that we can have some team action that is not necessary end-of-the-world threat. Basically Avengers but without Avengers-level-threat.”
An “Avengers but without Avengers-level-threat,” is a line that incredibly resonates, and it might be just what the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs. Not only that, but other users provide evidence as to why it’s perhaps the best idea to work in the studio’s favor.
u/HelixFollower adds two great examples by writing,
“The best MCU movie since Endgame has been GotG3 for me. And that movie was all about saving a friend rather than saving the world or the universe. No Way Home also ranks high, and while the threat in that movie did escalate to threaten the world, at its core it was about Peter and his friends as well.”
And u/billytheskidd cosigns at the beginning of their comment with,
“Outside of the Avengers films, the MCU thrived because they were all more about the people behind the mask…”
Heroes are what the brand was founded on, but it’s the villains that give characters like Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man a chance to be brave and fearless. While Loki is getting his second season and Johnathan Majors is currently keeping Kang at a controversial boil, it’s going to be hard to compete with someone as devastating as Thanos. Then again, they might not need to.
u/diabeetus64 makes a brilliant point when they add,
“We need another villain whose motivations are similar to those of Zemo. It should absolutely be personal and the heroes should be the ones in danger instead of the entire ****** multiverse.”
Sometimes the simplest approach is the best answer. Not every great villain needs to be a planet/Multiverse-destroying mad titan, and sometimes a bad guy in a mask and over-the-top outfit will do the job just fine.
Not every Marvel movie needs to try and outdo the last phase of the franchise and even creators like James Gunn have pointed out that fatigue arises when the movie is all action and no substance. Hopefully, this will be a direction the studio chooses to take.
Should Marvel back off and tell simpler stories? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!