A Guide To Superhero Cinema (Minimal Spoilers Attached)

Am I the only one that feels a deep sense of despair at the end of a TV show, movie, or series that I really enjoyed? My guess is no. If I am the only one, well, then I suppose I’m a little embarrassed. But really, as silly as it may sound, there’s a feeling that you’ve lost a connection to a group of characters and a storyline that you may never get back; something that brought you so much joy and took you out of your current reality for just a fraction of time. And rewatching just won’t fully do it for you. Well, Marvel (and DC to an extent) have taken the first step in solving this type of issue.

At this point, I feel the need to finally admit that, yes, I do have a little nerd in me-- okay, a lot. Those who know me well know that I enjoy Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other respective books, movies, and shows. However, one of my greatest guilty pleasures is the world of the superhuman; more specifically the worlds protected by our favorite superheroes. This is a conversation dominated by two superpowers (no pun intended): Marvel and DC. As of late I have been absolutely obsessed with superhero films and shows. It’s to the point that if my work supervisor were to see my search log, I would most likely be in for an intervention. I love looking up the comic roots and backgrounds of all of the characters! But because I have spent all this time researching different connections and putting together the pieces, I figured it is only right that I share some of my thoughts with the rest of society.

In order to most appreciate this post, you have to understand a few things first. Those with savvy in the superhero world know that the majority of stories and characters have their origin in comic book series. In fact, a lot of the more popular superheroes have multiple comic series based on their life. In these situations, from series to series, the context, the details, the supporting characters, the identity of the superhero, many things, can change. These specifics develop what we call a superhero universe. The specific universe defines the story of the superhero, but also, what other villains or superheroes that our protagonist comes across. The best example of distinctions between universes that we have seen recently in cinema, is the multiple versions of Batman that we see between The Dark Knight, portrayed by Christian Bale, and the new (Ben Affleck) version of Batman who will be a part of the Justice League. We have also seen multiple representations of Spiderman in the last decade. We’ve seen the Tobey Maguire Spiderman (my favorite), the "Amazing Spiderman" played by Andrew Garfield, and now the Spiderman who appears with the Avengers. Each rendition has its own identifying traits. For example, the Dark Knight universe is much less science fiction, much more realistic and socially pessimistic. The Amazing Spiderman shows a representation of Peter Parker that’s much less mature, much too talkative, and a bit obnoxious. These are all planned nuances originating in the comic book world with which they relate. Now, on to the good stuff:

Both Marvel and DC have embarked on strategic plans to create superhero universes that will keep us engaged at least through the year 2020. So keep in mind, Marvel began their current plan back in 2008 with the first Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man movie. That gives us 13 years (2008-2020) of traveling through our favorite storylines and growing with our favorite characters. Since 2008, Marvel has released countless other cinematic features all relating in one way or another to each other. Moving from the abstract to the concrete details of the Marvel situation, Marvel has released what they call phases (check out this viewer guide and wiki listing) of this journey that they have embarked on. The first phase spans from 2008 to 2012 and its highlights include (as mentioned) the first Iron Man, the first Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the first Captain America (Chris Evans), and culminating with the first Avengers movie. It also includes The Incredible Hulk (likely the worst film of the series so far) and Iron Man 2, and although they may not be quite as cinematically spectacular, their stories are still vital to the overarching plan for this Marvel Universe. After this point in time, it’s clear that this massive storyline of films will revolve around this core group of superheroes; specifically, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Let’s pause for a second and recognize the fact that Marvel would have never been able to pull this off had they not contracted the (in my humble opinion) perfect and most talented actors to fill their respective roles. They may not be the best actors in Hollywood, but together they form a group that fit their roles spectacularly.

Phase Two is where, in order to get the full effect, it would make sense to insert "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (the TV show)". Marvel does an incredible job of filling in the gaps between movies through the addition of multiple TV shows as well as what they call “One Shot” short films. These features help to answer some of the tougher questions from the movies, set the societal context for the issues raised in the movies, and even extend the scope of adventure beyond what us viewers had thought of (on top of that, they are flat out fun!). By adding the shows and the short films into the mix, Marvel emphasizes just that much more how incredible of a universe they have created and how everything intertwines. The movie highlights of Phase Two includes the surprise favorite for many, Guardians of the Galaxy, the second Avengers film in Age of Ultron, and the introduction of Ant-Man in his solo film. The aforementioned films were incredibly well done, and seem to mesh almost perfectly with all of the films proceeding them. The other films included in this phase are Iron Man 3, Thor: Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which each respectively serve to further the storyline of our individual heroes and move the overarching plan toward its climax.

Finally, present day we have just entered Season 4 of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," we are two seasons down in "Agent Carter," and one film into phase 3 thanks to Captain America: Civil War. A few comments up to this point: first, it should be noted that "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Agent Carter" are shows that seem to have some overlap and connection with the rest of the Cinematic Universe, but there are also shows, such as "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," and "Luke Cage" that have aired for at least a season that have yet to connect with the Cinematic Universe. I do, however, believe that they will eventually connect. But for now, the Avengers are protecting the Earth with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D., where The Defenders will be considered to be the protectors of the streets. Also, it seems that shows are on the way for other members of The Defenders like Iron Fist, Misty Knight, and more. Marvel has certainly bit off a lot to chew with regard to TV shows; they have a wild amount of storylines to keep track of. "Agent Carter" was not able to make it to a third season, and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has received its fair share of criticism, but overall it seems that Marvel has gotten things handled and will continue to produce high quality shows for the foreseeable future.

With regard to Phase 3 movies, Civil War was received in high regards. It deviated from the standard of the rest of the movies, as we don’t see one of our well-known infamous Marvel Villains appear. Instead (this shouldn’t be too much of a spoiler), the team of Avengers find enemies amongst themselves. In looking forward to the rest of phase 3, we are waiting for Doctor Strange-- arriving in November of this year--, the second installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, the solo movie for Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok which should bring a return to some of the core characters who have been MIA. Those are on the horizon for 2017. 2018, sadly because it’s so far off, brings the films that I will be most excited for. Black Panther’s solo movie, the next Avengers movie, and the sequel to Ant-Man’s movie. After this point, Marvel’s concrete plans are a little fuzzy, but it seems that they have some good plans for longevity. I will say, things could get a bit weird with Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel on the horizon. They could either be really good, or really bad (link here).

I want to take a brief time to talk about why I think Marvel has done so well. In my opinion, it all boils down to two things. The first, which I have already gone into depth on, is the way that all of the storylines connect around the mythical “Infinity Stones." The stories aren’t extremely original nor riveting, but intertwined it works to make a stellar viewer experience. More importantly though, I think, is the development of the main characters and the way that each is in the midst of fighting personal demons while trying to vanquish worldwide villainy. Some of these demons are blatant, like Stark’s relationship with his parents, Cap’s struggle to be loyal to his country while also loyal to those he cares about, and the Hulk’s inability to find an emotional balance that best suits the well-being of the Avengers. But more subtly we have seen Thor suffer with the shame and guilt of not fitting the mold of a king, we have seen Scott Lang (Ant-Man) trying to discern the best way for him to take care of his family, Clint Barton (Hawkeye) wanting fully out of this world of conflict but always returning, Natasha Romanoff (The Black Widow) try to make sense of her allegiance, Wanda (Scarlet Witch) suffer with the loss of family, even Vision grappling with his ability or lack thereof to experience emotion, and most recently, it’s the Black Panther resisting the urge to let vengeance motivate him. Yes, there was a lot there, but that’s precisely the point. Each character has an underlying background story that viewers can get connected with. I find myself having a new favorite character every couple of scenes. Additionally, all of these characters have been adapted to fit the role of actual characters from the original Marvel comics. This works to appease the comic geeks, but it also allows each character to have a rich history that has somehow been molded to fit the MCU (here’s a good source for doing background on characters).

To conclude my thoughts on Marvel, I’ll just say: I’m most excited to see where Marvel heads with the Black Panther and Ant-Man storylines. Although it’s a separate universe, Marvel has somehow managed to keep the X-Men storyline alive through their new revamp. Specifically, the addition of the crude character depicted as Deadpool (thanks to a job well done by Ryan Reynolds) has brought a resurgence of excitement for this chain. We’ll see how long it lasts. I'm hoping that they have given up and are going to let their latest Fantastic Four endeavor die. Also, the continuity of Stan Lee (the most influential name in Marvel’s history) having a comical cameo in each movie is golden. The day he dies will be beyond tragic. The guy is 93 years old!

It wouldn’t be right for me to ignore DC in this post, therefore here are my thoughts on their current projects. There is no other way to put it, except to say that DC has been DOMINATED by Marvel in the last few years. But to their credit, they had a great run with the Dark Knight trilogy and they are at least a couple of years behind in their newest large-scale production venture. As mentioned, what makes Marvel so great to this point, is how good of a job they have done in creating a coherent universe that contains very specific superheroes and villains originating in the comics. DC is now attempting to do the same, culminating-- as with Marvel --in a super-group consisting of our favorite super heroes. For Marvel it was the Avengers, and for DC it will be the Justice League. DC also has some shows out right now, but they don’t connect with this universe ("Gotham," "The Flash," "Arrow," etc.). Their initial movie within this series of upcoming movies, which they refer to as the DC Extended Universe, was Man of Steel, released in 2013. After my initial viewing of this movie, I left unimpressed and not very hopeful for the future. After my second time, however, I started to come to grips with the extreme sci-fi nature of the film and the extraterrestrial underpinnings. I enjoyed my viewing experience, and I compromised with myself by saying it was a good starting point for DC to build on this series and I was interested to see what would follow.

Of course, I watched it (Man of Steel) for a second time in preparation for the next installment into the DC Extended Universe which would be Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), starring Ben Affleck as Batman and returning Henry Cavill as Superman. And while I don’t think that these characters are as engaging or likable as the Marvel characters. I thought the respective actors did a good job. After watching Batman v Superman, I was actually pleasantly surprised. It got terrible reviews, so I expected the worst. I enjoyed the way that Lex Luther was played (by Jesse Eisenberg). Having already been desensitized to the extraterrestrial sci-fi theme that this series would inevitably have, I think that I was more prepared to take in this viewing experience. I was also quite excited (as I always am) to see the teases of the future Justice League members who will be introduced in the coming films; Wonder Woman, who plays a significant role in the film, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg, who all have brief cameo appearances.

Ratings continue to plummet, though, after the first film of the series (you’ve gotta think that somebody’s ass is on the line for this one). Suicide Squad, their next film, brought a lot of attention due to a few things:

1) The film is based around a set of supervillains as the “protagonists” as opposed to superheroes.

2) They use a cast of well-known actors, specifically Will Smith, but also Jared Leto and Margot Robbie (among others).

3) It seemed to be following the trend of “dark” superhero movies with edgy characters and contexts.

4) Finally, it has a HYPE film album.

I do think DC dropped the ball with this one. It had all of the potential to be the breakthrough movie for this new cinematic endeavor. I’ll begin by reiterating that DC did a good job casting again with this one. I was impressed by Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto. Their characters were very engaging and they got me hooked to their character development. To my pleasant surprise, I was also impressed with other characters. I enjoyed captain Rick Flag as well as the Diablo and Captain Boomerang characters. However, there were also a few that I didn’t like, namely Killer Croc and Katana. Actors/Characters aside, I thought that DC wasted their potential by implementing a lackluster and uninspiring plot to follow the premise of the movie. I won’t give away any spoilers. These words are far enough apart that I can use them to refer to different things. I thought the premise was very promising, while the plot failed to add positively to our engagement with the characters. What I mean by a promising premise is that the setting, the characters, the characters background, and the context for the situation was set up very nicely. Whereas the plot, the story following the premise, was subpar to say the least. I thought that DC basically tried to take the sci-fi and mysticism that they have seen in Marvel cinema, and double down. More extremity, more edginess, more oddities. It was too much. Additionally, I didn’t like (small spoiler) how they only allowed brief cameos for the Justice League characters (Batman and Flash). If you are going to have them show up, have them be a significant part in the film. Otherwise I think it’s appropriate just to mention them without showing them. It gets our hopes up as we’re excited to see them, only to be disappointed that they don’t return to the plot. I hate to be so pessimistic about DC and to keep contrasting them from Marvel, but these are my thoughts. I will say, however, that I am excited to see where the Justice League and the Suicide Squad (particularly Deadshot and Harley Quinn) end up when it’s all said and done. Be on the lookout for Wonder Woman and Justice League both set to release in 2017!

I wish I could go into more detail, because I could write about this stuff for days, but I didn’t want to give away any spoilers. I plan to write a follow-up piece to dig deeper in to some of the TV shows, but first, I need to catch up on them all. Stay tuned.