The MCU Is Sort of a Big Deal

Now that Avenger’s End Game and Spider-Man Far From Home have been released, and the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have come to a close, can we just ahem marvel ahem at the crazy success of this movie franchise? No matter if you like the movies or not, or like the superhero-dominated box office, or like the fact that Disney owns the world—these movies are an impressive feat of creative and technical engineering.

Back with the first Iron Man, Marvel took a chance on a second rate property, cast an unlikely, somewhat washed up actor as their leading man, and got the director of Elf to make it. That is pretty risky, pretty crazy shit. And it worked—not merely worked—WORKED. Like, reinvented a genre worked. Revitalized a career worked. Like made you into one of the most prominent directors in the biz worked.

It is fucking marvelously insane and wonderful.

Now, I love the MCU, and while there are individual movies that don’t speak to me and some that are outright mediocre, that’s the worst they get: mediocre. Even the mediocre movies have great moments, and are more about not quite gelling together than about anything intrinsically not working. Chemistry not quite working, etc. I’m a huge fan of Natalie Portman, for example, but I think her on-screen chemistry with Chris Helmsworth is minimal (and I’m conflicted about her appearing as Thor in the next movie—I’d love to see her recast with a more interesting actor, such as Gwendoline Christie).