Congratulations to everyone at Disney and Marvel Studios who worked on getting 22 films and 11 years to get to Avengers: Endgame making this conclusion to the biggest opening in US box office history with $350 million and making $1.2 billion in its opening weekend alone.
The biggest respect is to Kevin Feige, who has been overseeing this achievement since becoming Marvel Studios president in 2017, this man changed Hollywood and the blockbuster, for better or worst, and for that he should have nothing but respect from moviegoers everywhere.
Movie studios turned to copy and paste (but still make it their own) and failed.
Universal tried with their Dark Universe focusing on their iconic monsters with stars like Tom Cruise, Javier Bardem, Sofia Boutella and Russell Crowe involved. Since the studio has dropped the shared universe angle and got Blumhouse on board to help usher new life into these legends with Leigh Whannell attached to direct The Invisible Man, without Johnny Depp.
This is what Universal should’ve done in the first place. As Feige looked back to the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s comics and seeing he still had the core Avengers members, which were at the time pretty much C and D list built the universe behind the scenes before adding mid and end credits scenes to tell the audience these films are connected.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros originally tried to begin a cinematic universe with their DC Comics characters in 2011 with Green Lantern and that film was a massive flop. Then a couple of years later WB went again in 2013 under Zack Snyder’s control they released the incredible Man of Steel and was followed up in 2016 with the masterpiece that is Batman v Superman.
Despite my feelings to these films they were divisive, and they’re still talked about today many shows how great they were, and after the critical reaction, the studio got cool feet and handed control to Geoff Johns and Jon Berg.
That summer Suicide Squad was panned before finally getting a “win” with Wonder Woman and then Justice League happened, Snyder left due to a family tragedy and was replaced by Avengers director Joss Whedon to take control of reshoots and editing and we all saw what a mess that movie turned out to become.
This led to Johns and Berg leaving and Walter Hamada has come in and settled the ship. As Aquaman and Shazam being successes and Birds of Prey recently finished production and other projects are in the pipeline.
It has taken WB/DC years to finally find their voice, but it was still time wasted with their need to compete with Marvel and Feige.
Elsewhere, Sony Pictures tried with Spider-Man, and with two of the best comic book movies with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 under filmmaker Sam Raimi, they fucked it up.
As The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was going to launch a Spideyverse with a planned Sinister Six movie in production but the lacklustre box office of $709 million forced Sony to hand Spider-Man back to Feige and Marvel to the joy of fans.
Since then Sony is trying again with their Marvel (Spidey less) Universe or the crap name of Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters with the surprise success of Venom and now Morbius currently filming with Oscar-winner Jared Leto starring.
However, Sony’s Spider-Man success might not be in live action but in animation, thanks to the wonderful and well-received Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and the success that brought.
For a while, Fox was looking to set up something bring together X-Men and Fantastic Four and build a cinematic universe around those characters. We’ve seen how that idea never became more with Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four bombing mega hard and the current X-Men series not setting audiences crazy it was only a matter of time before they went back to Marvel.
Finally, Paramount is looking set to build their own cinematic universe as it’s likely to be with the Transformers first before even thinking of adding Hasbro own properties with the likes of G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K.
Which is why Bumblebee looks to be the good start as you could look at Iron Man as a similar beginning.
We can’t forget Lionsgate and trying to start something with Power Rangers and Warner Bros again with King Arthur.
With all his achievements and the fact no one else has been able to do it better, I think at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, once Spider-Man: Far From Home is released closing Phase three, would be the perfect opportunity to say his goodbye.
I’m sure this idea would be rejected outright by film bloggers and journalists as well as MCU fans, but I have to ask what else has he got to prove or actually do in the MCU?
He’s begun and ended the three phases of the MCU, has currently made a worldwide box office total of $19.8 billion and it’s not crazy to think it could reach the $21 billion mark once Far From Home theatre run is completed.
It wouldn’t be like his plan wouldn’t affect the future heading into this new era with Black Widow getting her solo film, The Eternals in pre-production, James Gunn coming back to finish off the Guardians trilogy, Shang-Chi getting his own film and introducing the X-Men and Fantastic Four.
The only reason why I think he’d stay is because of the X-Men and Fantastic Four and bring them into the MCU as it would be a lovely moment as the first Marvel movie he was a producer on was X-Men in 2000.
Apart from that, the studio is a well-oiled machine and in Victoria Alonso have the ideal person to take over as she’s been part of the universe involved in all but one film and is Marvel Studios’ executive vice president of productions.
She knows what’s happening currently and in the future of the MCU and I think would have the trust of fans. Additionally, what a massive boost to the public image of the studio that the person to take over from Feige is a Latina woman.
As for the Marvel fanboy himself? Well, I can’t see Bob Iger wanting to lose him as there’s a chance if/whenever the Disney boss moves into politics or simply retires, Feige is in position to take the job.
So I can 100% see him staying in the family but maybe move to 20th Century Fox taking an overall deal to produce original, more importantly, Oscar contender films or take a Chief Executive Officer position at the studio under a new production banner.
The Bear Cave 