What Happened?

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel revealed plans for several upcoming projects, including the next Avengers films. Along with announcing the change in direction by unveiling the retitled Avengers: Doomsday, the Russo brothers were also announced to be directing both it and its follow-up Avengers: Secret Wars. But the biggest moment came when it was shown that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU. This time as another Marvel Comics mainstay, Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom. Will he be the real Dr Doom, a variant, or something else? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Marvel: The Big Picture

These announcements come at a time of relative uncertainty for Marvel. After the MCU’s prior Phases, all managed to outperform each other Phase 4 only just managed to outgross Phase 2. Despite incorporating more projects and having the benefit of already being an established brand. Plus Phases 5 and 6 have suffered major delays. 

Of course, there are wider issues to bear in mind. Phase 4 had to weather the impacts of a global pandemic which will have skewed the people willing to attend cinema screenings for its early films. Phases 5 and 6 were also impacted by the SAG/AFTRA and WGA strikes, leading to delayed productions which can impact audience enthusiasm and budgets. Plus Marvel has had to overhaul its narrative plans due to Jonathan Majors’ assault conviction. Marvel can still recover. Deadpool and Wolverine just had the most successful MCU run since Spiderman: No Way Home.

But whether it be the continual stories about them short-changing creatives, the less consistent positive reception for their movies or the fact that they have seen their first genuine box office loss, despite being a pop-culture juggernaut for years, Marvel no longer enjoys an unstoppable reputation.

Could It Work?

Having the directors behind some of Marvel’s biggest hits back will likely attract Marvel fans. Plus bringing Robert Downey Jr back to the MCU as someone other than Iron Man, undoubtedly his most recognisable role, will be a huge draw for general audiences. Especially, since he is playing one of the most recognisable comic book villains ever.

That said it’s hard not to feel cynical about this. After years of hiring new and interesting filmmakers (Chloe Zhao, Nia DaCosta, Destin Daniel Cretton etc.) and working with some of the world’s best actors (Gael Garcia Bernal, Oscar Isaac, Florence Pugh and more coming) this feels like a toothless move.

Some may say this is needed to generate as much excitement as possible but that doesn’t ring true. Marvel has spent years honing its look. Many commentators state that filmmakers with unique voices have often, with some exceptions, had to subordinate their talents to making films in Marvel’s style. Therefore the Russo brothers’ return seems to merely be a nostalgia ploy. Functionally, if the producers don’t allow any creative freedom the new Avengers projects will look like every other Marvel film. Regardless of who directs them.

Marvel has also picked talented actors to play their villains before. So long as they build their presence enough and they have good material to work with they can thrill viewers. See Josh Brolin’s Thanos for proof. But having RDJ as the first face leading the upcoming Avengers movies serves at best as a cheap mystery box driven by the actor’s reputation. At worst, it gives the impression that Marvel can think of nothing better to revive interest than bringing a popular actor back, which cheapens Robert Downey Jr’s talents and makes him into just a marketing gimmick.

Summary

Of course, this is just my opinion and there is no reason these announcements won’t potentially lead to a great box office. As it says, the next Avengers projects are in stable hands and provide enough mystery to get people interested. But ultimately given how much Marvel makes and its pull in the industry this move feels incredibly cheap. And if Marvel is to retain audiences as the storylines continue to become more complicated it can’t just rely on mystery marketing and nostalgia to sustain it forever.

Also Read: Deadpool & Wolverine: The Antidote For A Stagnant MCU?

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Loose lips sink Starships

Anticipation for the next big franchise instalment can be a double edged sword, on one hand, there’s always lots of attention and excitement, but on the other, everyone wants to know what happens. Leaked footage and photos are constantly making their way onto the internet, sometimes even because of the stars of the films themselves. The Russo Brothers put out letters to the fans before the release of their “Avengers” films, warning fans that “Thanos demands your silence” and urging them “Don’t spoil the Endgame” after leaked footage was uploaded online. Creators obviously want moviegoers to enjoy their work on the big screen as intended, not recorded on a phone with people getting up for the toilet halfway through.

As such, they often go to some extreme lengths to prevent potential leaks. Even Quentin Tarantino asked for a spoiler ban when his latest film “Once upon a time in Hollywood” premiered at Cannes ahead of its official release. Avengers: Endgame crew gave cast incomplete scripts containing only their scenes and filmed against green screens, so the cast could not give anything away. The new series of Star Wars films even stage out toy and merchandise releases, so as not to reveal any surprises. Game of Thrones famously claimed to film multiple endings to throw people off, after previous episodes were leaked, including the final episode.

Cursed with Knowledge

Despite all these leaks, it is possible to go spoiler free, although the internet does make it more difficult. Muting keywords, and avoiding certain websites are key, but that won’t stop someone posting a spoiler on the comments of something entirely unrelated. Obviously, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to avoid spoilers (“Empire Strikes Back” came out in 1980, almost 40 years ago), seeing the film or episode as soon as possible is ideal. The Russo brothers’ ban on spoilers lasted two weeks, although they admitted they would have liked it be longer stating “we can’t control the internet”.

Staying off the internet is the most effective way of avoiding spoilers, but even then you might not be safe, some trailers can give away important story beats in an effort to get people excited. Even actors can give away important plot points in interviews, making many interviews potentially unsafe for spoiler-phobes. Many reviews and previews can detail particular scenes even if they are not major plot points, so avoid those too.

Great Power, Great Responsibility

With spoilers literally everywhere, and the extremes both creators and audiences go to avoid them, not to mention the consequences for those who do spoil things, some are beginning to wonder if it’s going too far. Even if isn’t going too far, who’s responsibility is it to keep audiences safe from spoilers? Filmmakers? The Audience? Critics? The trailers for “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” all but confirmed the death of a major character, but the director insisted it wasn’t a spoiler. Many people would likely argue that the death of a major character is indeed a spoiler, no matter where in the film it takes place. Fan theories can tread a fine line between outlandish and spoiler, with countless theories posted online, some closer than others.

Ultimately, unless one decides to live under a rock, it is almost impossible to go into something completely spoiler free. With behind the scenes information such as actors contracts regularly reported, and constant rumours and leaks, not to mention fan theories, audiences will never go in completely blind. How much this bothers someone is entirely up to them, after all, while knowing a twist might help the audience pick up on subtle clues and foreshadowing, you only get one chance to experience the twist the first time.

Also Read: American Psycho: 19 Years On

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