For all the clever storytelling decisions, all the screenwriting effort put in behind the scenes, and all the other competitors that have tried and failed, the cinematic universe is just a marketing technique. It’s a series of gimmicks that tie together films of varying creative visions to create one all-consuming brand name, but it also raises tons of new questions.
Surely every Marvel movie is an event movie, but, even by the inflated standards of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,some stand above the rest. There’s always an upcoming project that commands hype, even before its title is announced to the public. And, right now, an unusual contender might have taken that throne.
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As fans know, we are currently living through Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It beganwithWandaVisionat thebeginning of last year, and it will end withBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverat the end of this one. Phase 5 has several projects announced, while Phase 6 has only revealed a few big names. The first of those set to premiere isFantastic Four, which is set to drop in 2024. The cultural conversation has shifted over the years as the MCU marches on, leaving its ability to see and adjust to fan response in a strange and interesting place. To see howFantastic Fourcould be handledgoing forward, it’s worth looking at the event movie structures of the previous phases, and how they’ve changed the franchise as a whole.
Phase 1 was something of an experiment in the nascent concept of universe-building. Every film was an origin story, every element was carefully constructed to stand alone, and everyone was still unsure of whether the big payoff would work.The Avengerswas themoment fans had been waiting for with four years of history behind it and a sincere feeling that they were watching something that had never been done before. Calling it an event feels like an understatement. It was simultaneously the performance of a death-defying stunt and a massive firework display celebrating its own existence. It set the tone for the universe as a whole and defined the basic format of the next two phases. Phase 2 followed the same basic model, solo movies for the returning champions, big debuts for newcomers, and another fireworks display in theform ofAge of Ultron. Phase 3 is what forced the franchise to shake things up.
Infinity WarandEndgameweren’t just the explosive finale of a decade of Marvel filmmaking, they served as one of the most massive moments in modern cinema. The first big event movie was a proof of concept, the second was a doubling down, but the third was the game changer. Phase 3 ended at the biggest imaginable moment for the MCU, and there’s no real way to recapture what they did. Three phases, threeAvengersmovies as the big finish. Anything thatdares to followEndgameis facing a deadly uphill climb, so the smartest thing the franchise could do, is make something else the headliner for once. An obvious candidate for that position would be one of the biggest comic book mainstays that Marvel didn’t have the rights to when this project started.
SinceSpider-Man: No Way Homedirector Jon Watts left the project, Marvel has beenopenly seeking out new talentto helm Marvel’s first family’s debut. While something likeGuardians of the Galaxywas the passion project of James Gunn, a director who brings a unique spin,Fantastic Fourseems like something else. The previous event movies have followed the same general format, bringing the teams together to face a foe that was gradually introduced or hinted at in the previous films. Doing something completely new would shake up the franchise and ensure that comparisons to the previous phase’s big showstoppers would be kept to a minimum. Especially since theFantastic Fourmovie could have one of the biggest character reveals of the franchise.
The previous event movies finally brought the heroes into conflict with foes that were set up by their previous actions. Loki was a returning threat given new agency, Ultron was the payoff of Tony Starks pathos as a character, and Thanos was quietly appearing in cameos as far back as 2012.Fantastic Fourcould do the opposite, by introducing one of the franchise’s new biggest villains in the form of Victor Von Doom. Fans already know that the next Avengers double-feature will see them face offagainst Kang the Conquerer, but Doom is the kind of central figure that could pop up countless times across the MCU. This gives the franchise a chance to subvert expectations with their next big event movie.
As the years go on and tricks get old, the MCU has to adapt to survive. Hopefully, those in charge of the franchise see the ways in which they can keep things fresh as it grows through its next few phases.
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