Superhero movies have been around forever with DC Comics, Marvel and Universal all releasing their own. But there’s a reason that Marvel is now starting to take a commanding lead.
Sequels are one of the biggest challenges that movie producers face having to retain the actors and keep the story running along a similar line with slight changes to keep the interest.
Keeping the interest and the actors is often the hardest part as people find newer, more contemporary entertainment and actors and actresses find more exciting opportunities. The idea of a complete ‘cinematic universe’ of superheroes, therefore, sounds virtually impossible to execute.
Maintaining relevance through an ever-evolving culture is a huge challenge as the superheroes stay the same but the culture changes. So far, Marvel were the ones who started it all and they are now the ones who are excelling.
Their latest release, Avengers: Infinity War, has already seen huge success and has taken the Marvel Universe to a huge $6 billion at the box office over the last 10 years through 19 blockbuster films. Each of these films has been met with excitement and appreciation for their cultural relevance and incredible cinematography.
The introductory stage from 2008 to 2012 saw Marvel introduce us to the core of their universe, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America. Each one told their own story before coming together as a great team in The Avengers and making it look easy to produce quality superhero films.
DC Comics and Universal have both tried and failed with films such as Justice League and The Mummy not reaching their desired targets. It appears that Marvel have simply made it look easy, but there is a skill in their doings.
From the very beginning Marvel has focused on the characters, not the plot of the action, but characters themselves. Admittedly, they have had some luck in casting Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), the, at the time, unknown Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Chris Evans (Captain America) but maybe it wasn’t all luck.
All of these actors fit their roles perfectly, suiting the stature and attitudes of their characters. Marvel have successfully based on their films around the character, the actor and let them go to work. It creates a closer, deeper connection with the audience as we now following these people in their on-screen and real lives. This is what makes people care and puts Marvel ahead of the rest.