How many films does one have to watch in order to know these characters?
Note: There are no spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War in this article.
It’s rather obvious that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the entertainment juggernaut of our age. From its humble beginnings in Iron Man, the franchise has diversified into multiple genres and crossovers that have essentially printed money for Disney. While almost all of films are at least passably entertaining, it’s important to acknowledge that they all possess a critical flaw that could bring down the whole project.
Where are new fans supposed to jump in?
This question certainly doesn’t apply to fans who started with the origin stories of Phase 1. I’m talking about those people who didn’t really think about seeing the movies or the youngsters who might not have been old enough at the time. With the release of The Avengers: Infinity War, these two groups will be expected to watch eighteen feature films in order to fully understand what’s going on with Thanos, Wakanda, Vision, Iron Man, and everything in between.
That’s a daunting task for anyone, and it differs quite a bit from watching a long-running television show or other film franchises. For the sake of simplicity, let’s take a look at Stargate and Star Wars.
New fans of Stargate may have to watch the movie in order to gain a proper understanding of SG-1, but the small (and likeable) cast, recurring villains, and easily digestible mythology turns it into a fun ride. Stargate Atlantis adds on to the thrills by playing with other characters and new situations in a different galaxy. There are a few crossovers between the two shows and some references to the original movie, but it’s not a significant problem.
Star Wars avoids the prospect of continuity lockout in a slightly different way. While it has a larger cast and more things going on, the structure makes it all worthwhile. In order to get a complete experience, prospective fans can watch each trilogy by itself, the mini-arcs in Episodes 1-6 and 4-9, or the entire saga.
Sure, many of us aren’t going to watch Episode IX after the garbage fire known as The Last Jedi, but we could do that if we wanted to.
By contrast, the Marvel Cinematic Universe ties critical plot threads into each movie, which can make it difficult for the casual viewer. For instance, Captain America: Civil War argues that The Avengers need to be regulated because of their monumental screw-ups in New York, Washington D.C., and other areas around the world. However, the referenced films point out that HYDRA and other outside forces are largely responsible for the catastrophes in question. The lone exception to the rule is the Battle of Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is entirely the fault of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
That sounds simple, but viewers wouldn’t know that unless they saw almost all of the previous films.
Fortunately, there is one way around this problem. The writers could do a soft reboot after Avengers 4 to give the old characters a way out and reintroduce the universe to the next generation. That way, new fans will have a chance to get into the action, whereas diehard fans will be satisfied because all of the movies that they love still happened.
What do you think Marvel should do with its Cinematic Universe? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
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