Between 1984 and 1985, the history of superhero comics changed forever. Its history as a genre and the history of the stories themselves constitute what have always been its two main distinguishing features. Marvel and DC almost simultaneously launched their first two mega-events in those years, in which most, if not all, of their personnel participated: Secret Wars from Marvel and Crisis on Infinite Earths in DC
These huge limited series (whose titles and influences were seen on the big and small screen but were never adapted) changed both universes forever. Spider-Man returned, for example, from those pages with the first sign of the Venom symbiote.
However, Interestingly, the title of DC’s first major event is more in line with Marvel’s current situation..
Last September, a group of Marvel creatives, including studio head Kevin Feige, gathered in Palm Springs for the studio’s annual meeting. In a normal year the atmosphere would be confidential, even arrogant, given The leading superhero brand, owned by Disney since 2009, has changed the entertainment industry with its image.
It doesn’t cost less. In ten years, Marvel has placed at least 2 of its films in the TOP 10 highest-grossing films of the year. Since 2012 AvengersIn fact, five of his films were the highest-grossing films.
But now they have 4, that’s not true. This course will Barbie. And that was by no means the biggest worrying factor in that meeting.
Marvel is facing a series of crises that it doesn’t know how to handle. Some of them are accidental, while others may be the result of poor planning.
- Modest critical and positive success of Phase 5.
- Abuse scandal involving Jonathan Majors, the actor who played Kang, the episode’s villain
- And doubts extend throughout Disney about the shift of its business model from the big screen to the small screen and streaming, which it has focused on in recent years.
Diversity was able to access what was discussed at this meeting. It’s sort of a compilation of the crises and catastrophic failures that the successful Marvel has endured thus far, and the options it has to deal with them.
The Majors and the Future of Kang: Looking for a New Villain?
Of course, the most pressing issue discussed at the meeting was what to do with Jonathan Majors, the actor destined to lead the next phase of the cinematic universe Marvel as the villainous heir to Thanos, but will instead go on trial in New York later this month on multiple domestic violence charges.
The actor insists he is a victim and received a false complaint, but the damage to his reputation and the possibility of losing the case has caused Marvel to reconsider its plans to focus on the next phase of its films, always interconnected and where Major’s character Kang the Conqueror had something to say.
At the Palm Springs meeting, executives discussed contingency plans, including the possibility of switching to another mythical comic book antagonist such as Doctor Doom.
But making any changes comes with its own headache: Majors have already appeared in addition to Loki V Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February, and the stage was set for him to star as the antagonist in the new film. Avengers in 2026.
In addition to the bad press about the majors, Marvel officials are also dealing with the current release of the majors. Miracleswhich, as we know, has been remade several times and which now looks set to disappoint at the box office.
Having reached the top… Is Marvel about to fall?
It’s all happening with a brand, studio and characters that have had almost uninterrupted success since they began producing their own films with Iron Man in 2008 and then being acquired by Disney.
An extremely profitable career culminated in the film’s $2.8 billion box office success. Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the highest-grossing film in history and the icing on the cake for a studio that has grossed nearly $30 billion from 32 films. In modern cinema, Marvel, for better or worse, is synonymous with success.
But of course It is not easy to reproduce this phenomenon. And even more so with a new generation of characters who no longer have the connection to comics that so many do.
Marvel’s success since 2008 is largely due to the fact that it has become generational. The comic book readers of the 80s and 90s who went to the movies loved it and instilled that love in their children. But now these new generations will have to become ingrained in the consumption of TV series and films at an almost industrial level. And then it seems that something is wrong.
Disney Plus Bet: Marvel’s Golden Cage?
If we had to set a date, the source of Marvel’s current problems goes back to 2020. The COVID pandemic has led to the need to use Disney Plus at all costs. Streaming premiere Black Widowand it seems that despite many trials, Neither Marvel nor Disney have been able to find the same high margin of profitability in streaming as they have in theaters.
According to Marvel’s plan, there will never be a shortage of superheroes: a movie or a new series will be released in theaters at any given time. Did no one think that perhaps the viewer could be given some oversaturation and fatigue?
It’s possible that the need to weave an interconnected plot across so many different shows, films, and platforms created a confusing narrative that left viewers confused.
Certain signs of abuse in the marked calendar are also evident, such as the fact that there is a delay Miracles or changes to your calendar.
Computer graphics specialists work 14 hours a day
In February last year, when the premiere took place Quantumaniathere was criticism for the poor quality of visual effects in some scenes. Especially those related to the new version of MODOK.
“There were at least 10 scenes where the visual effects were added at the last minute and were out of focus,” an industry veteran who attended the premiere told Variety.
Then we will know the origin. Fed up with 14-hour days with no overtime, Marvel VFX workers voted unanimously to unionize in September, starting an industry-wide trend.
“2023 was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Anna George, a former assistant visual effects coordinator at Marvel Studios, as she appeared before the US Congress to testify about the studio’s impossible deadlines and working conditions. “The wages and long hours at Marvel were the reason we had to start the process of unionizing there. The conditions were completely unbearable.”
A month after the disastrous premiere Quantumania, the guillotine fell on Victoria Alonso, who oversaw production, post-production, visual effects and animation at the studio. Although the reason given for her sudden dismissal was her unauthorized role as an executive producer on the Oscar-nominated film. Argentina 1985It soon became known that this was not the only reason.
The addition of visual effects has already become evident, with some final effects for Disney+ series such as WandaVision And She-Hulk: Lawyer inserted after its streaming debut due to criticism.
Lots of expenses, but now less income
Marvel films have in most cases proven to be ideal products from an economic standpoint, often returning their investment by 4 times, not including film sales. merchandising or access to Disney theme parks.
But the series doesn’t seem like that.
For example, one episode from She-Hulk worth about 25 million dollarsexceeding the budget of the episode of the last season Game of Thronesbut without such an effect.
Solution: Return of the original Avengers?
Some sources are already pointing to a radical solution that is beginning to be discussed: return to Avengers originals.
This will include revivals of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow.. It won’t be cheap, but it will probably be something like deuce from the car in which, like many times in comics, some characters were revived and Kang disappeared without any further explanation.
Also on the table is the option of reformulating Kang and leaving the Majors on the side, as Feige did when he replaced Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 with Don Cheadle. In fact, Marvel isn’t afraid to change course, even after making big announcements.
Waiting for the X-Men and the Fantastic Four
The key to Marvel’s revival may be the arsenal of superheroes that Disney acquired during its purchase of 21st Century Fox in 2019. This deal resulted in some top heroes that are now in short supply. like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, back under studio control.
Fans are already looking forward to the next one Deadpool 3uniting Ryan Reynolds’ mercenary with a mouth with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and reboot Fantastic Four planned for 2025.
While it’s hard to imagine Marvel’s fall, it’s safe to say that it’s at its current point. very similar to the classic definition of crisis: A decisive moment that forces decisions to be made that do not necessarily lead to a worse outcome.
Source: Hiper Textual
