With the impending arrival of Captain America: Civil War, Marvel and its cinematic universe, the MCU, continue to fire on all cylinders. Even an occasional bump in the road like The Incredible Hulk hasn’t been able to slow down Marvel’s momentum. That success, however, will only last as long as Marvel Studios continues to put out good product.
That’s why Marvel really needs Warner Brothers to figure out how to fix the DCCU…IMMEDIATELY!
See if this sounds familiar:
Two giant media corporations with very similar properties are locked in a battle for viewers. One company, full of long established names, doesn’t think it has to worry about the other company and their less household names. Instead, they think that their fans will come out no matter what they put on the screen. This is, of course, a horrible miscalculation. The company full of less established names continues to put out cutting edge, quality product and eventually eclipses their rivals, going so far as to drive them out of business.
Does that sound at all familiar?
That’s because it’s a thumbnail synopsis of the 1990s “Monday Night Wars” between WWE and WCW. All of the bloated Hogans and Outsiders of the world weren’t enough to hold off the fresh talent of the Rock and Steve Austin.
Now, I’m not suggesting that Marvel Studios will put Warner Brothers out of business. Not at all.
What I am trying to say is that a strong DCCU will push Marvel Studios to continue upping their game with the MCU.
The MCU was founded by taking chances. Don’t believe me? Casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in 2008 was a huge risk for a couple of reasons:
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Iron Man.
Nobody expected the movie to work, but that willingness to take risks has paid off exponentially for Marvel, Disney, AND Robert Downey, Jr.
None of the other MCU leads were established blockbuster names when they were cast. They were all solid, journeyman picks that built something special.
Now with projects ranging from movies to television to Netflix, the MCU is starting to sag a bit under its own weight. Sometimes it feels like solid storytelling takes a back seat to setting up the next thing…whatever that may be.
When you’re the top dog, you can do that.
Meanwhile, over at Warner Brothers, they still can’t get a handle on Superman.
The DCCU is a hot mess after only two movies. I’m holding out hope that Suicide Squad can start the process of fixing it. Think of Suicide Squad as Iron Man. It’s not a well-known, established property, but it could be the one to right the ship.
What’s my point?
My point is Marvel will need to be challenged along the way. If they aren’t they’ll get complacent. When they get complacent, well, we could get more things like this.
Nobody wants or needs that.
Get it together DC.
Please.
