Surely these past months we all spent more time at home, forced to stay inside, almost incarcerated, due to the world health crisis and lockdown measures. It was inevitable, then, to feel the need to explore creative ways to spend these eternal hours at home. Some chose to focus on their studies, either for school or university, while others preferred to devote themselves to exercising and sustaining their physical health. Personally, as a genuine movie and series lover, I decided to revisit one of my favourite movie series: Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Be my guest, then, in the following paragraphs and discover the movies’ extraordinary components and the ingenious approach on which the entire project is crafted.
First of all, for those unfamiliar with the brand, Marvel Comics is the biggest and most acclaimed comic book and graphic novel publishing and distributing company worldwide. This corporate giant has gifted the world stories and adventures of heroes like Spiderman, Captain America and Iron man. Ever since the very first comic book publications by creators and authors, up until the heroes’ hesitant debut on the big screen, public excitement, as well as the urgency for more action, flourished. The dawn of a new culture arose!
This culture is current and developing up to this day, having now become an inextricable component of pop culture. The wide public is now enticed with this genre, thanks to Marvel and every other comic book company’s biggest endeavour in the last decades; Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU). It consists of a series of superhero movies with direct connection to one another, that also share some rather specific characteristics. It might sound like a simple notion, but the plot of each movie and its connection to the next or previous one is actually a well-studied and planned procedure. Take for example the post-credit scene, a scene found in every movie after the final credits, used as a hint for the plot of the series’ next movie. On top of that, as the movie goes on, the viewers can notice distinctive clues suggesting characters or sequences to be found in the movies yet to come.
All movies are exceptionally directed and incredibly written, and most of them manage to break box office records. The universe is like a music album, with coherence between songs, which also belong in different genres, while all of them are ruling their genre’s charts. Something different can be found on every piece of this gigantic puzzle, from stunning spectacles starring action scenes, to even severe sociopolitical takeaways.
So, this puzzle is assembled in three parts, or phases, up until now. Phase One was meant to introduce the series’ main heroes in individual movies, through individual stories. The narrative starts with movies presenting the leading foursome: Iron man, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk, all acting as the principal pillars of the entire series. “The Avengers” marks the turning point of Phase One, giving centre stage to the heroes’ union, as they were urged to confront a common threat. Being able to connect seemingly random characters in an extravagant production was something relatively original and unique, both for the audience and movie producers in general. Phase Two narrates the results of the heroes’ “collaboration” after “The Avengers’” New York fight, while concentrating, in the meantime, on the characters’ development, seen on individual movies, serving as sequels. Meanwhile, new heroes, such as Ant Man and Doctor Strange, are released through independent movies, reaching the Phase’s peak through a common movie once again, that finds all characters setting their differences apart and uniting against an enemy they created themselves, as is the plot of the well-known movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Lastly, Phase Three is the most important one of this cinematic universe, since it holds the greatest interest. The audience’s favourite heroes are turning against each other during “Captain America: Civil War,” creating gaps in the previous allyships, when secrets from their pasts are revealed. This time, the common enemy is a difficult to face challenge for the divided heroes. Elements such as plot-twists, drama and redemption are intensely found within the ending of the first decade of movies, as “Avengers: Infinity War” left the audience speechless, while “Avengers: Endgame,” the series’ finale that came out the following year, was truly a masterpiece and a landmark for this newly-founded culture.
The series’ legacy is still moving up to this day, introducing Phase Four, full of plans for new series and movies, significantly expanding the universe as regards to the characters and their stories. As someone that grew up reading comic books and watching cartoons with said heroes, I cannot describe my excitement and the prevailing awe every time I get involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, as an objective viewer and a huge film freak, I must admit that these movies are truly remarkable, touching upon significant issues, not to mention the breath-taking acting and almost flawless directing.
If anyone desires to give a chance to this movie genre, and easily integrate themselves in this culture, I strongly encourage you to watch the movies mentioned above.
Have fun and enjoy watching them!
Photography by Simeon Maniatis (@simos_maniatis)
