Was Scorsese right about the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Fifteen years ago, the movie industry witnessed the renaissance of the superhero genre with the release of Iron Man. It gave rise to Kevin Feige’s brainchild – the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). This provided a perfect blend of gravitas and humour and gave screen adaptation of comic books a newfound respectability. Newfound? Well, that’s debatable as some would point to Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000) or Blade (1998) as the catalyst. We could even go much further back to Richard Donner’s Superman (1978).

Penned by the renowned crime novelist Mario Puzo (The Godfather) with the most expensive movie budget at the time, the producers of Superman were keen to distance themselves from the campiness of the superhero genre. They courted many A-list actors and eventually nabbed Marlon Brando at an incredible fee for a brief cameo. The producers also nabbed Gene Hackman. They sought out reputable directors such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, both unavailable at the time. All in a bid to give the movie the desired recognition as a work of art. It all paid off in the end and Superman became a box-office smash attracting critical acclaim to a long-disparaged genre. The rest is history.

The Fall of a Genre

However, like practically every reign in history, there is a rise and fall- a Gaussian curve, as it were. At its peak, TV adaptations like The Incredible Hulk and movies like Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) were hits. Adults were more comfortable (dare I say less embarrassed?) watching the genre. It became more plot-driven and three-dimensional with the right blend of humour. There was nothing like the ‘biff-bam-kapow’ campiness of the 60s. This replicated an evolution that took place in comics a decade earlier when Marvel arrived on the scene. They revolutionized the comic book industry with mature stories and relatable characters. Back then, America considered comics the play-thing of young boys and juvenile adults. This was a sharp contrast to the cult devotion bande dessinée was having in Europe.

The fall of the superhero genre came, arguably, in 1997 with George Clooney’s Batman & Robin. This possibly rivalled Adam West’s Batman (1966) in campiness. However, while the latter sat more comfortably with audiences in the 60s, this 1997 movie was cringe-worthy. No A-list actors worth their salt wanted anything more to do with the genre. The hey days of Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Val Kilmer were over.

Marvel’s Rescue Mission

Marvel came to the rescue in 1998 with Blade and X-men two years later. They restored some sense of respectability to the genre with stories of a serious and dark nature. Heroes and villains were no longer black and white but shades of grey. This was no better exemplified than in the X-men movies. Two stellar thespians, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, were brought in to portray this ‘greyness’ with much depth and relatability.

You couldn’t help but admire the director, Bryan Singer, as he tiptoed across this fragile ecosystem of incredibility. It had been shattered in ‘97. The genre was just recovering from ridicule. There was a desire to stick to comic canon, but there was also a need to lure back ‘mature’ audiences. This was probably why web-shooters were ditched in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) for a more physiological, organic explanation. That said, the Spidey franchise was also a resounding success. Alfred Molina’s role as Dr. Octopus stood out for mention in the sequel.

Darker, more serious screen adaptations of the superhero genre dominated the early 2000s. They came with intricate plotlines, richer dialogue, and deeper characters. Batman Begins and Smallville TV series come to mind where characters were edgier and greyer- with some method behind their madness. While these DC adaptations are considered classics in the genre, Marvel craved to make adaptations of their characters in their own way: serious, relatable yet fun. Eventually, they got the chance in 2008 and Iron Man brought a breath of fresh air- a rejuvenation of a genre that, to some, had taken itself too seriously in reaction to the past. So just over a decade since Batman & Robin, the genre was ready to try its hand at some bit of fun again. 

The MCU Style

But the MCU style was different. Although the movie Iron Man tackled terrorism, arms proliferation, and its consequences, it did so with some light-heartedness. Its main character was perfectly portrayed by a garish Robert Downey Jr. The movie set off a chain of events that took Hollywood by storm and brought the genre to reckoning. It culminated in a tour de force The Avengers movie that pleased both fan-boys and neutrals alike. So many on the possibilities ahead. The Avengers was so successful that it was even used in academia to illustrate Tuckman’s Theory. Genre credibility and respect were achieved without much compromise to the Marvel mythos. Classic stories from comics like The Winter Soldier and Civil War were adapted with resounding success. Movies like Black Panther grew a cult following, especially among the black community, rekindling interest in African stories and culture. 

Marvel Entertainment had struck gold. Like the fabled Midas, everything they put their hands on, even obscure Marvel characters like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, were box office hits. Success, they say, has many friends and A-list actors vied for roles- a sharp contrast to the late ’70s when many turned down roles in the Superman movie. Money rolled in with every new MCU release and the genre trounced the rest- both in cinema takings and silver screen. As with capitalism, the more the profits, the more production for more profits until the law of diminishing returns sets in. In other words, the consumer eventually gets constipated, and/or the producer gets exhausted and standards begin to fall.

Taken by a Mouse

Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 billion. Ten years later, they acquired 21st Century Fox at $71.3 billion, bringing together most Marvel characters into one space and creating the highest-grossing franchise of all time. Be that as it may, one cannot deny the drop in story quality, especially from Phase Four.

The stories became somehow reminiscent of 1997’s complacently playful Batman & Robin. Was this a premonition, perhaps? Did this have anything to do with the launch of the Disney+ streaming site in 2019 and the House of Mouse’s mission to make all of the site’s content family-friendly? Could it also be the influence of certain actors in the production and direction of their movies, steering their characters away from source material to more personal interpretations? Or could it be the directors, with little knowledge of these characters and their history, opting for greater creative license and ‘artistic flair’ and subsequently ruining them for many? Hey, it could be a little of everything.

Like Marlon Brando suggesting Jor-El appear in the Superman movie as a talking green suitcase or bagel. One to which he would lend his voice. The producers naturally were horrified at this as it showed disdain for the genre as a serious theatrical art form. At best, it was ignorant of what made it tick or why its characters were so loved by generations. 

An Amusement Park?

Recall in 2019, Martin Scorsese told Empire Magazine that he didn’t consider Marvel movies as cinema but rather equated them to amusement parks. Those sentiments drew ire and backlash from many fans. Sentiments perhaps with elements of truth in them. Feelings many now share with the later phases of the MCU. Donner, Singer, Nolan, and Raimi had so desperately tried to change this with their movies in the genre.

MCU movies now coming out have the Disney formula: a certain ‘Alice in Wonderland’ style and setting. It makes you wonder whether the movies were first developed for new themes in their parks and for merchandise. They seem to pander to fans’ wish lists and lack the depth and complexity seen in Phases One and Two. Many appear to fill up space with cataclysmic explosions, war-like fight scenes, and wanton destruction for the heck of it. Then there’s the unapologetically glaring motivational speeches for the kids. Something for all the family, I guess.

Take for example, Waititi’s last instalment of Thor, had the main character more synonymous with Goofy than his person in the comics. While Hemsworth might have had more fun playing the thunder god this way, many fans missed seeing the canonical Thor they grew up reading. Here, Thor serenades his hammer (Mjolnir) and battle-axe (Stormbreaker) with both weapons displaying human emotions like Mickey’s broomsticks in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Groaningly Disney-esque. Later in Guardians Vol. 3, we come across Adam Warlock whom James Gunn has reimagined as another goofy character. Save for hard-core comic fans, few knew the Warlock character so he escaped with far fewer groans in the cinema. Nothing is sacred. Might as well have made him a talking green doughnut. 

A Spoonful of Sugar makes the Cheese go down

While I understand that each MCU movie sets its own tone for variety, some however seem to stretch this to the point of absurdity- especially as it is a shared universe. Judging from the last four MCU movies, it seems the movies are now tailored toward a much younger audience. It lacks the development that helped steer this genre away from derision. So was Scorsese right about the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)?

The mature storytelling we enjoyed in the Marvel Netflix series (Jessica Jones, Punisher and Daredevil) are guaranteed not to survive family-entertainment MCU-Disney. Even the Moon Knight series with its initially sombre theme was rounded up (literally) with a talking, light-hearted hippopotamus more reminiscent of the hippo ballerinas in Fantasia than the Egyptian goddess Taweret. Which brings to mind Ms. Minutes- the talking cartoon clock in the Loki TV series? Where did that come from? Mary Poppins? It seems the whole multiverse thing, where nothing is ridiculous or impossible, has provided Disney with a vast playground to create new themes and characters for their amusement parks to the detriment of a genre that has long struggled to escape the stereotype of campiness and artless writing. 

If takings from MCU’s last two Phases are anything to go by, there seems to be a dip in the Gaussian curve. Since 2021, no Marvel movie has broken the $1 billion mark worldwide which it had done ten times in the past. Is this a result of superhero fatigue, post-covid recession, or the alienation of an older demographic? Only time and Kang will tell.

Milking sustainably

Regardless, there is a need for MCU to take stock like every good brand, slow down on quantity and focus on quality. Don’t milk a cow until it’s drained, move on to another and let it replenish. This might be an alien concept in a capitalist world but evolution is key to survival. Leave numerous sequels that encourage ill-advised tinkering to avoid stagnation and move on to new characters.  

MCU started in 2008 with a perfect blend of story, action, and fun- in that order. Now focus, sadly, seems to be in reverse.