Origin stories, crossovers, and cameos are no longer a novelty. 2017 so far is shaping up to be one of the most significant years for cinematic universes. This growing Hollywood trend can be seen as a blessing and a curse, with the system at its best illustrating ambitious multi-film narratives, but at its worst coming off as a high-production television procedural keeping audiences on the hook for the next entry. Regardless of opinions, it’s abundantly clear that cinematic universes are here to stay. With the recent introduction of the Dark Universe’s The Mummy and the increasing news of Sony’s foray into Spider-Man, we might only be seeing the beginning of what studios have planned. So let’s take a recap of where are now in the state of cinematic universes.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Studios Involved: Disney, Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures
Platforms: Film and Television
Source material: Marvel Comics
First installment: Iron Man (2008)
Strengths: Marvel Studios sets the standard for strongly interconnected stories with multi-film arcs and payoffs. Entries like The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War are particular showcases for the ambitious scenarios that are possible with cinematic universes.
Weaknesses: The films often play it safe when it comes to narrative stakes. There are many instances in the films in which threats are quickly undermined by fake deaths. The villains are rarely consequential. While there are stand-out individual films, they often function to set up later entries.
The one that started it all. In the mid-2000s, Marvel Studios began taking significant steps towards self-financing and producing films in-house, whereas previous films donning the Marvel brand (such as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic 4) were licensed out to other studios. Releasing in 2008, Iron Man became the first of many films to follow that would compose of Marvel Cinematic Universe, using a post-credit cameo of Nick Fury proposing the Avengers Initiative.
The MCU was not a set plan from the beginning, but rather an idea that organically took shape through subsequent projects. Most characters within Marvel Studios’ possession are not as widely recognition as the Marvel characters taken on by other studios. This gave Marvel Studios both the challenge and opportunity to showcase strong character stories at core of the franchise. They grew successfully both in reception and finance, with Disney purchasing the studio in 2009. As the number of films increased, so did the narrative connections, character crossovers, and, of course, the emphasis on the Infinity Stones.
The MCU branched into television in two different directions: ABC and Netflix. ABC greenlit Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Peggy Carter, both of which have close ties to the films and are tuned to fit network television standards. In the other direction are the Marvel Netflix series (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist) that share very little connection to the films, and are more in line with adult-oriented cable shows. Similar to The Avengers, the characters in these shows will have their ultimate crossover in The Defenders later this year.
What’s ahead:
MCU films are currently aiming towards the final two Avengers films to close off the Infinity War saga in 2019, but there also are plans to extend the film series beyond that, including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
ABC will be premiering their third Marvel show, Inhumans, on their main network channel, and Cloak & Dagger on their Freeform channel (fka ABC Family). Netflix is premiering The Defenders and The Punisher this year, and has renewed Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage for an additional season.
Fox’s Marvel Universe
“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Platforms: Film and Television
Source material: Marvel Comics
First installment: X-Men (2000)
Strengths: Rather than having a singular interwoven narrative, the Marvel films on Fox’s roster serve more as spin-offs of one another. This allows every entry of the series to assume its own unique identity.
Weaknesses: Because of the lack of focus on continuity, it becomes difficult to connect the films together meaningfully. Also, the films can vary in quality since there is not a uniform style or formula to adhere to.
While Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is often the reference point for origin of contemporary superhero films, Fox began that work a couple years prior. This franchise first started out with the original X-Men trilogy from 2000 to 2006, but took its first step into being a cinematic universe with 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Fox’s original plan was to continue with the “X-Men Origins” series with the next installment being “X-Men Origins: Magneto”, but revisions and improvisations ensued. Eventually that film morphed into the prequel, X-Men: First Class, followed by the sequel-prequel-sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past, and then it’s sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse.
Wolverine spin-offs then continued with 2013’s The Wolverine and 2017’s Logan. Deadpool (2016) is also within the X-Men universe, though serving more as a satirical side-story. And they took their hand into TV with the FX series Legion, also taking place within the X-Men universe without having explicit crossovers.
Fox has not tacked on an official universe title, but that seems to the defining quality of these sets of films. Unlike their Marvel Studios counterpart, Fox’s take on the Marvel comics are decentralized and less beholden to a grander narrative, continuity, or even a style. In fact, their recent adult-oriented outings have demonstrated a large range of creative freedom, with Logan carrying a neo-western dystopian interpretation, Deadpool subverting the superhero genre, and Legion distinguishing itself with is visual and tonal experiments.
What’s ahead:
Currently on the horizon are the follow-ups, such as Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as well as the new spin-off appropriately titled X-Men: The New Mutants. For television, Legion has been renewed for a second season on FX, and Fox will be premiering the new series The Gifted.
Sony’s Marvel Universe
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
Studio: Sony Pictures
Platforms: Film
Source material: Marvel Comics
First installment: As of now, Venom (2018)
Strengths: TBD
Weaknesses: People are naturally nervous about this. Possibly including Kevin Feige.
Rounding out the list of Marvel universes are Sony Pictures’ future films. While Sony only has the rights to one Marvel comic, it is perhaps the most popular one: Spider-Man. As of now, no plans have been announced to include Spider-Man in the Sony’s Marvel Universe, however Sony will still be making films on Venom, Black Cat, and Silver Sable – all of whom are characters from Spider-Man comics.
Generally speaking, this is a good business decision for Sony. Spider-Man has been one of the highest-grossing franchises and making more films based on the property will allow them to hold on to the rights. However, the odds right now seem really stacked against Sony in terms of crafting these films. They are rebooting Spider-Man for a second time the last five years after being unsuccessful at launching the Sinister Six film. But more importantly, fans are wondering how these stories will even function without Spider-Man being featured in them. In the comicbook lore, for example, Venom himself is created after an alien symbiote attaches to and detaches from Spider-Man.
Sony has made it clear that the Venom film will aim for an R-rating, in the veins of sci-fi horror, and will feature other Spider-Man villains, like Carnage, Kraven, and Mysterio. We’re not sure if that means Venom as a character will be filling the Spider-Man role as the hero (or anti-hero) for this universe. In the best case scenario, Sony will take Fox’s approach to the comics, making a rich character-focused story that may surprise everyone.
DC Extended Universe
“Worlds lived. Worlds died.”
Studio: Warner Brothers Pictures
Platforms: Film
Source material: DC Comics
First installment: Man of Steel (2013)
Strengths: DC boasts some of the most iconic and archetypal characters in the comicbook history. The films also embody distinct visual styles and music that sets it apart from other films in the genre.
Weaknesses: Most of the films received mixed receptions and have made controversial choices in relation to the source material. The films have an uphill battle against the standard of Marvel and The Dark Knight Trilogy before it.
2013’s Man of Steel reenvisioned Superman in the grounded and realistic tone of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. When it came to developing its sequel, Batman seemed to the be next logical obstacle for Superman to take on, as a human being with no superpowers posed different challenges than an alien, like Zod . Originally slated to release in 2015, Batman V Superman was delayed for a year giving the filmmakers time to evolve the story into being the launching point for other DCEU films, like Justice League, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. DCEU’s lineup in 2016 (Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad) stirred divisive reactions among audiences, leaving their faiths in later films to improve on the series.
With the recent success of Wonder Woman and new tone of the Justice League trailer, the DCEU is indicating a transition away from the Nolan-esque interpretation and towards lifting the lore of the original source material. Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, who recently have been given the roles of running the DCEU, confirmed this shift in a recent interview. They cited having learned from the narrative and tonal missteps of the previous entries, and are sticking with hope and optimism as the running theme going forward.
The DCEU structure somewhat inverts what Marvel laid out. Marvel had individual character films episodically lead up to the crossover. With the exception of Man of Steel, the DCEU provides a crossover films first (Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League), then has the individual character films stem from their introductions in the crossover.
What’s ahead:
The DCEU is only in its infancy. After Justice League premieres later this year, there will be a huge lineup of solo films, including Aquaman, Shazam, Cyborg, The Flash, The Batman, Green Lantern Corps, Batgirl, and Nightwing. Sequels are also in the works, such as Wonder Woman 2, Man of Steel 2, and the follow-up to Justice League.
DC adaptations have an extensive history in being stuck in development hell, many facing delays and cancellations. However, this time around, the films appear to be gaining more traction and notable talent to propel themselves forward. Among all the attempts, we can be confident that this will be the one to live.
Star Wars Expanded Universe
“May the Force be with us.”
Studio: Disney, Lucasfilms
Platforms: Film, Television, Books, Videogames
Source material: Originated on film
First installment: Star Wars (1977)
Strengths: Creative goldmine
Weaknesses: Creative differences
Now that we got the superheroes out of the way, let’s look at the franchise that needs no introduction. Star Wars has a long and complex history that received a major restructuring in 2014. With Disney acquiring Lucasfilms, they applied a similar connected continuity as with Marvel Studio. Essentially, every Star Wars media prior to 2014 (aside from the 6 six main films, and The Clone Wars animated film and TV series) were rebranded as non-canon.
The Star Wars universe has laid a platform for infinite stories with its rich characters, worlds, and lore – this is exactly the potential that Disney is tapping into. This rebranding gave Lucasfilms the blank slate needed to create anthology films, like Rogue One and the upcoming Han Solo film, as well as making tie-in novels to accompany the narrative. The new cross-media canon proved its effectiveness in Rogue One, as those who followed the Star Wars Rebels TV series and read the tie-in novel, Catalyst, got the most out of the film.
What’s Ahead:
The next installment of the main series, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, will premiere during the holidays and will conclude with Episode IX in 2019. More books are set to release giving the backstory to characters who don’t get the spotlight in the films. The upcoming videogame, Star Wars Battlefront II will also feature a canonical story that will pick up right at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi
While the anthology films are an opportunity for the filmmakers to exercises new possibilities for the franchise, their productions have been ironically been met with creative clashes. Rogue One received significant rewrites and reshoots as evidenced by comparisons between the trailers and the finished film. The Han Solo film also received a major shake-up recently as the director duo, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were dismissed for creative differences after having already begun shooting. They were recently replaced with Ron Howard, leading to much speculation on the future of the film.
MonsterVerse
“Let them fight.”
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Toho, Tencent
Platforms: Film
Source material: King Kong (1933), Godzilla (1954)
First installment: Godzilla (2014)
Strengths: The universe at the moment only centers around two strong cinematic titans, allowing for tightly woven world-building.
Weaknesses: Nothing really.
Making a crossover between the world’s most iconic movie monsters sounds like a studio cash grab – in fact, it’s actually been done before in Toho’s 1962 film King Kong vs. Godzilla. However, what makes the MonsterVerse work is that both Godzilla and King Kong individually have backstories that lay the grounds for a seamless connected narrative.
2014’s Godzilla was not originally written to have crossover with King Kong, but it lends itself to a sequel. The film introduces other kaiju as greater threats, having Godzilla turn into the reluctant hero by defeating them and saving humanity at the film’s conclusion. Kong: Skull Island took a similar approach, having introduced an entire island of monsters and playing off King Kong as the hero in the end.
The MonsterVerse has such a convincing narrative platform for these franchises to coexist in, so much so that fans were anticipating a crossover between the Godzilla and Pacific Rim franchises. The post-credit scene of Kong: Skull Island officially established the MonsterVerse, featuring the secret government organization, Monarch, exposing reports of Godzilla and other monsters from the Godzilla universe.
What’s ahead:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is set to release in 2019, and the ultimate showdown with Godzilla and King Kong in 2020. But we’re still holding out hope for Pacific Rim to join the party.
Dark Universe
“Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters.”
Studio: Universal Pictures
Platforms: Films
Source material: Universal Monsters/Universal Horror
First installment: The Mummy (2017)
Strengths: Universal has a large host of iconic characters under their belt, and can potentially serve up unique individual stories.
Weaknesses: Recent remakes of these properties have not gained much traction recently. There is also nothing inherent in these characters to warrant a narrative crossover
Closing out this list is the most recent and, perhaps, most controversial cinematic universe: the Dark Universe. This is the rare occasion where a film universe is both branded and promoted prior to the first entry in the franchise. Universal released a promotional trailer for their new venture, citing it as a celebration and revival of the Universal Monsters/Universal Horror from the classic studio era. They even promoted a Dark Universe cast photo featuring Russell Crowe, Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, and Sofia Boutella weeks before the release of The Mummy.
Crafting interconnectivity is not inherently bad, however it certainly raises some eyebrows to feature the Mummy, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Phantom of the Opera in the same cinematic universe. Each of these characters have very iconic individual stories that might undermined if forced into a crossover event. However, given that these characters already have numerous iterations, one could argue that the Dark Universe is the next progression for packaging these characters for a modern audience.
The Mummy unfortunately did not open to positive reception, and in fact underscored the potential issue for this universe. One of the prevalent criticisms of the film was its emphasis on establishing the Dark Universe rather than making a good Mummy story.
What’s Ahead:
Next Dark Universe film, Bride of Frankenstein, is set to release early 2019. Other characters with films in development include the Creature From The Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man, Van Helsing, Wolf Man, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. While The Mummy was mostly panned, Universal still has plenty of time to make the rest of the films work.
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