Given the mega-success – and indeed the mega-profits – that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has generated to date, you’d be hard-pressed to call anything Marvel Studios are going to put out “a risk”.

However, the upcoming slate of movies – of which there are eleven leading up to 2019 – does contain a number of movies that don’t look like guaranteed box office hits on the face of it.

Sure, a number of the movies that are set to be released in the MCU are absolutely certain to generate hundreds of millions – if not billions – of dollars, but there are definitely some that might not hit those financial heights.

In this article, we’ll take a look at all of the upcoming MCU movies and assess them in terms of risk – starting with the least risky and moving towards the most risky.

 

Avengers: Infinity War – Parts 1 & 2

Granted, Avengers: Infinity War will actually happen over the course of two movies – Part 1 in 2018 and Part 2 in 2019, respectively – but it’s essentially the same event and both movies will have the same risk factor; that being none.

Any movie with “Avengers” in the title is a sure fire hit, as the last two Avengers offerings have amassed around one and a half billion dollars each.

The Infinity War event will pit an army of superheroes against an Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos (and whoever else he brings to fight alongside him) in what will truly be an epic adventure. It is guaranteed to make a huge amount of money – each installment has a genuine chance of becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Captain America: Civil War

Like the Avengers: Infinity War movies – and although it isn’t actually an Avengers movie – Captain America: Civil War will indeed feature every member of the superhero team shy of Hulk and Thor. It’s being touted as Avengers 2.5 and, with that in mind, there’s really no risk involved in this one.

The last Captain America movie – Captain America: The Winter Soldier – was a huge success and people will be looking forward to the follow-up in 2016.

The only risk comes in the form of the fact that this movie will pit heroes against heroes, which is very different to the standard superhero movie formula, but it is being extremely highly-anticipated, it looks fantastic from the trailers and fans will surely flock en masse to see it.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

After the phenomenal – and somewhat surprising – success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie in 2014, it’s safe to say that the misfit group of space heroes have quickly become the second most popular Marvel Studios franchise after the Avengers.

With that in mind, a sequel was absolutely inevitable and, more to the point, is guaranteed to be a huge success.

Two years ago, if someone had said that the likes of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be making one of the most hotly anticipated big screen comebacks in superhero movie history 2017, they would have been laughed at. But that is indeed the case and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 is a risk-free venture for Marvel Studios and will likely become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest successes to date upon its release.

The Untitled Spider-Man Solo Movie

If there’s one thing previous Sony Pictures Spider-Man movies have proven – Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, for example – it’s that the Webbed Wonder isn’t completely untouchable when it comes to receiving criticism regarding his cinematic adventures.

That being said, bringing him over to Marvel Studios and the hugely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe is surely a near sure fire recipe for success – or is it?

Well, you’d certainly think so, and the likelihood is that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man mingling with the likes of Tony Stark will prove incredibly popular, but throwing him into the deep end in a world full of existing superheroes is indeed new territory for Hollywood and there is something of a risk, therefore.

Doctor Strange

There are number of pros and cons to discuss when it comes to the riskiness of a Doctor Strange movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the general consensus at the moment is that it will be a relatively successful installment in the franchise.

The introduction of real magic is something that fans have been wanting for years, which is a good thing, but the fact is that it is so far removed from anything seen before that it could end up not fitting in correctly.

Moreover, Benedict Cumberbatch’s casting in the lead role has split opinion. However, set photographs of the British actor in-character have appeased fans and the general view is now that Marvel Studios were right to introduce the character, but only time will tell for sure.

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is set to be one of the biggest events of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, bearing that in mind, you might be surprised to see it so high up this list in terms of the level of risk involved – but the fact is it’s definitely quite a risky prospect and in no way a guaranteed mega-success.

The fact is, the two previous Thor movies have been some of the poorest performers in the franchise to date (Thor is tenth, Thor: The Dark World in sixth), so there’s clearly something about the Asgardian hero that doesn’t guarantee pulling power.

Admittedly, this movie is different. It will feature the Hulk, it’s a major cosmic event and the repercussions of Loki’s actions in Thor: The Dark World will be shown – which people will want to see – and that’s why it’s not even higher up the list.

Black Panther

Black Panther is definitely something of a risk for Marvel, given that the character isn’t exactly widely known in the mainstream – although the fact he is making his first Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance in Captain America: Civil War should work in his favour.

For some reason, movie studios have been reluctant to put solo movies about black superheroes out there over the years – there have only been a handful – and 2018’s Black Panther will actually be the first one in the MCU. Do Marvel Studios see it as a risk for some reason? They certainly shouldn’t on that basis.

That being said, Black Panther is very different to anything the MCU has seen so far, due to his highly unique origin story, and it remains to be seen how he will be received. He could be the new Iron Man, he could be the new Thor, in terms of his solo movie success levels.

Ant-Man & The Wasp

There’s absolutely no denying the fact that the first Ant-Man movie was a resounding success – and it’s exciting that he will be appearing alongside the other heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War – but just how many Ant-Man solo movies can be truly entertaining?

Granted, the second installment in 2018 will add the Wasp into the mix, but the principle will still be the same and that can’t be entertaining forever – especially considering that the rogues gallery available for use in such movies are very limited.

It would surely be better to keep Ant-Man and the Wasp as the shrinking members of Avengers ensemble movies from now on – that power could be interestingly put to use as an accompaniment to the other heroes’ powers – but there’s only so long that it can hold its own movies for and that is probably one solo movie. Another is a risk.

Captain Marvel

When you think of Captain Marvel, you generally tend to think of the DC Comics superhero who is powered by the wizard Shazam (and who has more recently become known as Shazam himself). However, there are, in fact, a number of Marvel characters who go by that name – one of whom is Carol Danvers.

The character – who is more famously known as Ms. Marvel – will get her own movie in 2019 and will become the first female character the get a solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The reason behind a lack of female superhero movies is obviously because movie studios see the idea as a risk – there’s a distinct lack of them throughout history and the ones that have been made have tended to flop terribly – and Marvel will be hoping that Warner Brothers’ Wonder Woman sets the tone nicely and proves they can be a success in time for the release of Captain Marvel.

Inhumans

Inhumans is undoubtedly a risky project for Marvel Studios – not least because of where it’s being positioned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule.

The movie about the group of altered humans – who have already been introduced and, therefore, somewhat spoiled, in the MCU-linked Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series – will close out Phase Three after the second Avengers: Infinity War movie in 2019 and that could be a massive anti-climax.

They’re quite an obscure group of characters – the likes of Black Bolt and Karnak are hardly household names – and there’s no guarantee that fans will flock to see them at all. Marvel Studios will be hoping the group become to the MCU what the X-Men are to Fox, but that is far from guaranteed in the circumstances.

What do you think? Which are Marvel Studios’ most risky upcoming movies? Have we got the order right here? Have your say below!