Highlights
- The MCU's success in creating a shared universe has led to both success and risks for the production company, with 32 films under their belt.
- The Infinity Saga brought a satisfying conclusion to the MCU's collective story, but the post-Endgame era has seen a shift towards focusing on set-up for upcoming films rather than standalone stories.
- The DCU has the advantage of starting fresh and can learn from the MCU's mistakes, giving them the opportunity to build their own successful shared universe while the popularity of the MCU is slightly declining.
The innate nature of comic book stories is the element of each story standing alone while being a part of this broader shared universe. It works so well on the page because of the limitless boundaries of animation versus that of the live-action adaptations. When the stories have virtually no restrictions, it opens the door to countless storylines that either are or aren't part of a greater universe, thus, keeping things fresh.
The MCU challenged this idea with the Infinity Saga. They managed to produce 23 movies in total over about a decade, which told a collective story that came to a conclusion with both Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. But since then, the MCU has shown the risks that come with trying to extend a collective story by starting anew after bringing an epic era to an end. With 32 films under their belt in this cinematic universe, Marvel Studios has inadvertently helped teach other production companies not only what to do to have success, but what not to do.
The MCU Has Been Going for 15 Years
The MCU famously started in 2008 with its first installment, the iconic Iron Man film. The post-credit scene was the first time viewers were introduced to the idea that this stand-alone superhero movie was going to be a part of a greater story when Nick Fury invited Tony Stark to join the Avengers Initiative.
Before then, the majority of comic book movies -- like the various Batman films, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, among others -- were secluded to their own storylines that only focused on one superhero. The MCU was revolutionary in treating their movies like an actual comic book series, staying true to the art of comics and extending the universe among different movies.
After the immense success of the first Avengers movie, it was clear that this cinematic concept was very effective and could prove extremely successful, as other production companies -- like DC -- soon followed a similar path. However, that effectiveness can only last so long before it becomes repetitive, and in some cases, a bit stale.
Shared Universes Aren't Built to Last
A huge reason the Infinity Saga is still so beloved among Marvel fans is because it came to an end, and an awesomely satisfying one at that. There were only a select few movies in the Infinity Sage that fell a bit flat, however, even those less successful movies played a crucial role in the greater scheme of events of the shared universe. The films still worked because the main focus of them was it's given protagonist, with only a small element that played into the bigger plot of the universe.
The Infinity Saga had this unique quality to it that allowed for each film to explore who the heroes were and invited the viewers to not only learn about them, but understand and care about them. But after Endgame, the story among the MCU movies was stretching farther and farther from whom the protagonist was in a single film, and started focusing more on how they connect with the next upcoming MCU film. This forces each story to get closer to being a "set-up" film instead of being its own thing that happens to occur in this shared universe.
In other words, if every MCU movie was an Avengers movie, then it becomes repetitive and predictable. There's a reason there were only four Avengers films in the Infinity Saga, and it's because every solo film did such a good job at building to Thanos by slowly involving each hero in his galactic conquest. It never felt forced and each element that brought a single hero into the mix was earned, and played a small role in their own story. In the post-Endgame universe, it almost feels rushed to get to the next Avengers movie, and viewers have no time to learn about the new band of heroes.
The DCU Has the Advantage of Being Fresh
A tricky thing to accomplish when making a string of films that share a universe is keeping things fresh. That is to say that each film brings something new to the plot and when it comes time to bring it all together, it feels earned and necessary in order to push the story forward. This is a concept that the DCU still has the opportunity to stay true to, and they can help themselves if they learn from what the MCU did wrong.
With the end of the DCEU, James Gunn's DCU provides the opportunity to really start fresh, after Zack Snyder's departure from the franchise. Whether or not he'll incorporate the pre-existing stories, he has the advantage of building his own vision upon the DCU storyline with experience of MCU's immense success.
For many fans, the story of the MCU ended with Endgame and is a bit scattered right now, something the DCU should take advantage of by inviting those same fans to embark on a totally new journey of characters as they slowly unify into a greater team of superheroes. Without even a second Justice League film out yet -- and the uncertainty that it'll even play a part in the future of the Gunn franchise -- the DCU's timing in building their shared universe from such an early stage is perfectly in sync with the MCU's slight descent in popularity, allowing for more people to want a new story and giving the DCU a chance to build to their own Endgame.