Highlights
- Marvel Studios Special Presentations have been a successful way for the MCU to explore lesser-known characters and test new ideas without major risk.
- Despite initial excitement and plans for more specials, there have only been two released so far, leading to concerns that they may be done with the concept.
- Fans are hoping that Marvel continues with Special Presentations as they provide a fresh and unique approach to storytelling, especially for characters who may not get a spotlight in the main films.
There is a lot to love about the modern MCU, and one of Marvel’s biggest triumphs in the eyes of many is their Marvel Studios Special Presentations. They are fun little special events that are intended to be a way to flesh out characters, tell fun stories that don’t quite make it to the big screen, and introduce characters with less mainstream appeal. Realistically, the special presentation allows the MCU to try new ideas with little risk.
To date, there have only been two of these special presentations despite Marvel positioning them as something fans would likely be seeing more often. The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special and Werewolf By Night are the two unique offerings thus far. Both special presentations focused on tertiary and odd characters rather than major leads, and fan reception has been great, but with little word on future specials, some worry they may already be done with.
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Marvel Studios Special Presentations Were Part Of Marvel's Release Strategy
Back in 2018, it seemed like Marvel was getting ready to begin a blitz of streaming programming with multiple specials at the forefront, allowing for a light to be shined on the weirder aspects of the MCU. The purpose of the strategy overall seemed to be for Marvel to give lesser-known but still fan-favorite characters a shot in the universe, setting them up for bigger appearances down the road without bogging down major movies. With a strategy like that executed to perfection, it wouldn’t have been hard for the MCU to set up multiple team-up films without ever having to release a film. If a special proved to be a surprise hit, that would also let Marvel know that there is more potential with an oddball character than they may have initially thought.
Eventually, Marvel Studios announced that two special presentations would be coming, each centered around a different holiday. They were branded as special presentations, something that was discussed as an entirely new format for the MCU as a whole. These new, shorter pieces of content that still told full stories were going to be the way to introduce major players one by one across the different realms of the MCU. While some presentations could be hits, the goal seemed to be for them to be their own stand-alone presentations so that Marvel could keep moving forward with different concepts and have the ability to pull characters and concepts from previous special presentations.
Marvel Is Slowing Down Its Output
While the Marvel Studios Special Presentations strategies sound like a winning play, especially when considering the burnout some experienced from the many series, the presentations have seriously slowed down. While initial announcements for the presentations occurred in 2020, fans wouldn’t see either of them until October and December of 2022. Since the release of TheGuardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special, there really hasn’t been much word on any more of the presentations outside of one rumor. That rumor, much like many others in the MCU, is centered around a potential Mephisto special presentation.
While it is possible that Marvel is simply being a bit quieter about its ongoing slate outside of its big releases, it’s also possible that the concept has been cut entirely. It’s no big secret that there has been controversy and debate surrounding the quality of the MCU streaming shows, and with even more drama on the business end for Marvel, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the initiative to have been trimmed altogether. While that is nothing but speculation, many fans are hoping it isn’t the case thanks to what a breath of fresh air the two special presentations have been. To many Marvel fans, there is still an open spot in their hearts for these kinds of shorter oddball stories.
Is There Still Room For Marvel Studios Special Presentations?
There seems to be a major sentiment among Marvel fans that Marvel Studios Special Presentations should absolutely continue. Even those who didn’t love either of the two specials that have already come out have voiced praise for Marvel being willing to try something new like focusing on tertiary characters of major teams and even doing an entire black-and-white film. With how many different realms there are to cover in the MCU and how many oddball characters likely won’t ever get a spotlight on the big screen, special presentations stand out as a fantastic way to keep fans happy while safely straying from the usual MCU formula.
Moving forward with the MCU, Marvel Studios Special Presentations could be more important than ever. Once a team like the X-Men is established, special presentations could serve as a way to focus on a single mutant, show off their powers, and have them join the team all without ever having to appear in a feature film. The same could be applied to the Avengers or any other team moving forward in the MCU. This concept could be even more important for the build-up to Avengers: Secret Wars as, depending on which version and how they tackle the event, the MCU is going to need a much bigger active roster than it currently has – and that goes for both villains and heroes.
Considering how much praise the two presentations to date have received, it’s not hard to see how Marvel could continue trying different concepts, genres, themes, and strange characters with a lot of fan support. If Marvel’s plan ends up being to open up the multiverse as has been teased quite a bit, special presentations could act as a great way to clue fans into other versions of MCU characters and offer ways for potential jumps to the main MCU. Even more, the presentations would be easy to keep separate as unique one-off events or just as easy to reveal that they’ve all been tied together resulting in the devastation of many universes at the hands of Kang or some other still unrevealed threat. There are just too many potential options for unique storytelling for Marvel to let a concept with two big wins slip away.
Marvel Studios Special Presentations are available to stream on Disney+.