WandaVision is now available on Disney +, marking the first Marvel Cinematic universe content we’ve had in over a year. Yet, WandaVision is a project that Marvel Studios has warned fans about would be different from anything they’ve seen before – and so far it’s not the instant hit with fans that most MCU projects are. Kevin Feige and other creators at Marvel Studios said Phase 4 will offer some of the most diverse content ideas the franchise has created – an approach that Warner Bros. and DC Films embraced it wholeheartedly with its multiverse cinematic approach.
But after so many years of running (and winning with) the same game formula for years, can Marvel Studios succeed using the DC formula?
First, this is not an antagonistic question to ask. Ironically, it is a direct reversal of the question the industry was asking a decade ago. At the time, the MCU had just revealed its Avengers stars and was releasing solo films like Thor and Captain America: the first avenger in 2011, leading to the long-awaited (and ultimately revolutionary) The Marvel Avengers team film in 2012.
At DC / Warner Bros., Chris Nolan had just taken superhero films to billion dollar box office heights and important prize considerations with the release of The dark Knight. However, Nolan’s success also left DC / WB in an obvious dilemma: what to do with the biggest franchise in the cinematic universe that Marvel was building? Nolan was committed to making his Batman trilogy an isolated story; in 2011, Henry Cavill’s Superman was announced for the reboot of Zack Snyder (Steel man), Nolan was announced as part of the creative team for this film. This led fans to wild speculation that Nolan would be the Kevin Feige of the DC film universe, and that eventually Christian Bale’s Batman would join Cavill’s Superman to form a Nolenverse Justice League, which would be very different in tone. than Marvel’s MCU offerings. When it later became clear that Nolan was finished, and Snyder was taking the reins of the DCEU, the debate shifted to whether Snyder was looking to emulate Marvel’s PG-13 action / comedy tone.
For better or worse, DC’s “Snyderverse” films followed a very different path from the MCU. Still, the chaos and confusion that arose from Snyder’s incomplete vision forced DC / WB to adapt its thinking on how to build a franchise. The new leadership at Warner has resulted in a “Multiverse” content approach for the DC brand, where there will now be any and all types of film and TV. Movies like Wonder Woman, and Shazam, offer something more Marvel-Esque, while Clown was classified as premium bait; the next Batman will offer a darker view of the Dark Knight than Nolan, while The Flash the alternate reality story of the film will officially establish a DC cinematic multiverse. DC also has streaming series of an equally wide variety to go with its diverse movie content – be it a courageous procedural crime (Gotham PD), dark comedy for adults (Peacemaker), or sci-fi anthology (Green Lantern)
Marvel Studios is clearly approaching DC in terms of content strategy: Phase 4 of the MCU will bring a variety of movie content, in terms of concepts, gender influences and cast (Eternals, Black Widow, Shang-Chi, Black Panther II, Thor: love and thunder) The Marvel Disney + series will take even greater risks, offering fans unique gender approaches to Marvel material: WandaVision is making a riff about the evolution of TV sitcoms (and their social significance); Falcon and the Winter Soldier will become socio-political between great moments of action / espionage; up until Loki is doing a fun assault / comedy scam on the cosmic madness of the Marvel multiverse.
But will it work for Marvel?
The Disney + Marvel series is of particular concern. Marvel Studios never had to achieve big wins in an episodic format from week to week before, and the franchise has had to attract fans to a high-concept premise since 2008, when Iron Man established the model for Marvel films, or 2012, when Avengers established what Marvel event films are. It is no surprise then that WandaVision The slow ode to classic TV tropes is leaving the fan base more divided than usual.
In our opinion (see: WandaVision official review) Marvel Studios started well with WandaVision; fans may just need more time to adjust to the idea of getting unexpected or surprising types of content from the MCU. If all goes according to Kevin Feige’s plan, the huge story that spans the multiverse we’ll see in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of madness and Spider-Man 3 will send fans back to content, like WandaVision all over again, to see what was that weirdness of the genre really all about.
Do you think Marvel can take the same multiverse content approach as DC right now? Or are you hungry for that familiar Marvel flavor? Let us know in the comments.