Whenever we post an article about Marvel and the direction it has taken in Phase II, people start complaining, saying that we hate the studio and its productions. This, by far, isn't the case - for example, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the best superhero flicks, while Guardians of the Galaxy has been one of the entertaining movies in recent history. Nobody can deny what Marvel (and Disney) have done for every comic book lover.
Even if we are to take sides and say that DC is better (how can it be, with just one so-and-so movie under its belt), DC and Warner Bros wouldn't even try to get their shared universe off the ground if they didn't see that it can actually work. So, even if in this article we will point some directions Marvel can take, it is all strictly subjective - and it isn't like Kevin Feige is going to come snooping around and actually make these changes.
One more thing should be added: Age of Ultron made about $1.4 billion worldwide on a budget of $250 million - and it was considered a failure (not a flop, a failure) by Disney. So yes, some changes will be made.
Check out the first change, on the next page!
You only live once
When it comes to its characters, particularly its heroes, Marvel doesn't like taking any chances. If the studio believes they have found the perfect actor for the perfect character, it isn't going to let it go too soon. This is the reason why Robert Downey Jr. was able to renegotiate his contract several times, making $80 million this year alone with one single movie. This is also the reason why Loki has been brought back - after all, it was all just because of Tom Hiddleston's charisma.
So even if one such character appears to bite the bullet, the biggest chances are that he will be brought back. We aren't going to bring Coulson in the discussion, since he is dead for the MCU (as Whedon stated). However, Nick Fury falls in the same category, just like Loki himself, or even Quicksilver (about whom we don't really know whether he will be brought back or not).
Apparently killing someone simply doesn't cut it. There is no real threat any longer. For example, Coulson was one of the characters who brought the movies together during the Phase I. His death (a rather heroic one) showed us that Loki meant business - making a show on TV around his character diminishes the importance of his death.
The same goes for Nick Fury. Why is the Winter Soldier seen as the best assassin, if we do not actually see him assassinating anybody at all? Sure enough, there is the cannon fodder - but nothing else.
So maybe Marvel should consider letting its dead characters stay dead. Live and let die and not You only live twice.
As far as Quicksilver is concerned, we might believe that he is dead - though we don't know how a speedster can be killed with simple bullets. But we do believe that Marvel will bring him back - after all, Age of Ultron presented the technology which can do that.
Sure, these are movies based on comics - and in comics nobody really stays dead. But comics have been about for decades now, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe roughly has one.
Check out the second page too, just for fun!
Tone down the quips
Again, the perfect example for a Marvel movie which managed to balance the tone between seriousness and funniness is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. At the opposite side, we have Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron - and some of us feel a bit cheated, especially since the trailers all promised a turn towards a more dramatic side.
This doesn't come to say, nonetheless, that Marvel should renounce all the wittiness and all the quips coming from characters which are known to be this way. But can you imagine what will happen when Star Lord finally meets with Iron Man? You'll have an Infinity War filled with one-liners.
Nobody is saying what you believe we are saying - that DC's darker tone (again, we only saw one movie from them, so"¦) is best suited for comic book movies featuring supervillains. We're not saying that - by all means, these are movies based on comics, so funniness should be in here. But a line shouldn't be crossed.
For example, did we really need to hear Ultron saying that he was about to puke in his mouth? That was supposed to be a serious scene, in which (part of the) Avengers were facing for the first time Ultron - were they supposed to be scared when the robot made jokes about breaking eggs?
Check out the next page for the connections!
Like a rug tying the room together
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is all about connecting one movie to another. And sometimes it is done in the best ways possible - by small details or minor characters - as said about Coulson, who ultimately met his demise (or not). The Easter-Eggs are more than just small details, blink and you'll miss it scenes or items for the hardcore fans to search.
Another fine example is Senator Stern, who first appeared in Iron Man 2, only to be revealed as a HYDRA agents in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
What didn't work out from this point of view? Well, what about the vision Thor had in Age of Ultron, vision which was so forced that it didn't actually make it out of the editing room. Another connection which wasn't explained (in the MCU at least) was Odin using dark magic in order to send Thor on Earth before the Chitauri invasion - Odin, all powerful, would have deserved an explanation of some sorts for this awesome feat of bypassing the Bifrost.
And this leads us to some other issue, which we believe will be spotted all throughout any kind of shared universe. If Thor faces an army of Dark Elves bent on destroying the Universe, how come nobody else notices it? London came out pretty battered - so maybe at least Iron Man (who brought world peace, as he said) should have been there to lend a hand.
If connections are made, they shouldn't feel too forced - Age of Ultron is the perfect example for forced connections, since it announces both Ragnarok and Infinity War via the same vision.
Which leads us to another point, concerning the breaking of Joss Whedon - check it out on the next page!
More freedom for the Marvel minds
As said, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all about creating connections between individual movies, towards larger events (Avengers movies). And it is pretty difficult to come up with a solution to presenting your own idea, while keeping in mind that a movie follows another and is followed by some others.
As Joss Whedon said, when he came onboard with Marvel he already knew that adapting the Age of Ultron storyline will be his second Avengers movie. What he didn't actually realize was that he was also supposed to listen to what the powers that be have to say about connectivity. Hence, some of the scenes from this movie feel so rushed and out of place.
Where did that romance between Black Widow and Bruce Banner come from? We have no idea - as far as we are concerned, it was just a trick to show us that the beast can be tamed.
Another fine example is in Guardians of the Galaxy - the movie which further explored the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. And when you go so deep into the outer space, you have to have just one small mention about Thanos, right? Well, not really - and you can see it in that scene.
We said that Marvel broke Joss Whedon - and it is exactly so. The guy has no projects planned for the near future, whether we are talking about directing, producing, or writing. As he said, it was a nightmare directing Age of Ultron, simply because he had to juggle with more than just his own sole movie.
Check out the next page too!
More diversity
We love Robert Downey Jr. - he was meant to bring Tony Stark to life. But we do have the impression that this character is overused - 3 solo movies, 2 Avengers ones, cameos in some others, as well as further appearances in the Infinity War movies as well as, maybe, in the first Spider-Man one.
But the diversity issue can be seen from another perspective too. Thus far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a strictly technological one - even the Asgardians say that their magic is simply science beyond any human's comprehension. But this will most likely change once Doctor Strange arrives.
Or maybe it won't"¦
