Marvel Movieverse

*Originally published on 6/18/09


After a plethora of movies based on Marvel characters had been released, ranging from extraordinary to downright abysmal. Marvel decided to launch their own movie studio to get a larger cut of the profits as well as have greater control over the quality of the films being made. One of the neat things that also came about from this was the ability to tie all the movies together and create a whole universe, much like the comics did.

It started last year with Iron Man. Jon Favreau was signed to direct and Robert Downey Jr. was cast in the title role. Some were skeptical, but Favreau showed an enthusiasm for the work he was doing and fans were giddy when they saw that Downey was a perfect choice for the role. The cast all did a great job, the writing was high quality and the movie itself was fun without being campy or stupid. The humor was never at the expense of the characters. The material was treated seriously. If you stuck around after the credits you were treated to a stinger where Stark walks back into his apartment to find a mysterious figure already inside waiting for him. The man reveals himself to be Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, and he informs Stark that Iron Man isn't the only superhero around and that he's putting a team together in a project called "The Avenger Initiative".

A mere two months later, fans were treated to another Marvel Studios film with The Incredible Hulk. This movie ignores Ang Lee's attempt and basically starts fresh. Like Iron Man, the movie delivered on every front. It was the Hulk movie that fans had wanted to see for awhile. Nick Fury doesn't make an appearance, but the organization he works for, SHIELD is. Stark's technology even makes an appearance in the film when the army tries to combat Hulk on a nearby campus. While there is no post-credits scene, Stark himself does make an appearance at the end of the film to talk to General Ross. Like Fury, Stark informs the general of a little team that's being put together.

That is all that has been released thus far, but there is a whole laundry list of movies coming out in the near future that build on the Marvel movie universe.

Iron Man 2 has a planned release date of May 7 2010. The core cast is returning and Mickey Rourke will play one of the villains, Whiplash. Most of the cast will be returning. Terrence Howard, who played James Rhodes in the first film, was replaced by Don Cheadle. Fury will also have a larger role and Scarlett Johanssen has been cast as the Black Widow.

Thor will be released on May 20, 2011. Kenneth Branagh has been signed on to direct. Thor will be played by Chris Hernsworth, while his nemesis Loki will be played by Tom Hiddleston. Jackson is expected to reprise his role as Nick Fury. From what I've read, a vast majority of this movie takes place in Asgard so I'm guessing Fury won't appear until the end after Thor arrives on Earth to recruit him to join the team.

First Avenger: Captain America arrives in theaters on July 22, 2011. This film will be directed by Joe Johnston. I was originally under the impression that the film would take place almost entirely in World War 2. However, it may be a 50/50 ratio of time spent during WW2 and in the present. I'd be very surprised if the Red Skull wasn't the villain in this film.

Finally we come to the big daddy of the Marvel superhero movies, The Avengers, set to release on May 4 2012. Featuring a team up of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America as well as appearances by Black Widow, War Machine, Loki and Nick Fury, this movie is going to be huge. There was talk about Hulk being the villain, with the other heroes having to try and stop him. This would make sense as he is a huge threat that would require the other heroes banding together to stop, but it seemed like Banner was starting to gain some, if only a little bit of control over the beast within him. If Hulk is on the team, it just begs the question who the villain is. Could it be Galactus? I mean the real one with the purple helmet not that cosmic cloud nonsense. I for one, can't wait to find out.

There has been talk of Marvel movies to be made after the release of The Avengers. While nothing on these films is concrete and it is all speculation, it is worth bringing up.

Ant Man is a title that has come up on more than one occasion. It's set to be directed by Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame. I love both of those movies, but Ant Man? Really? I haven't read any of the comics but I find it hard to believe that he deserves his own movie. Wright is welcome to surprise me and deliver a great movie. Nothing would make me happier in fact. I just think that there are other Marvel properties that would be more effective in getting people out to the theaters to check out the latest Marvel venture.

A few months back, Samuel L. Jackson signed on to do nine movies with Marvel playing as Nick Fury. A solo film for him has been brought up. This, I could see working very well. A high octane action flick with espionage elements. Who knows? They could go back to his roots and cover his days as a howling commando. I'd pay to see that movie, that's for sure.

Runaways is another film in talks. I haven't read it and know next to nothing save for what I read on Wikipedia. It has been well received. I'm all for them bringing lesser known titles to the mainstream. I only discovered Hellboy because of the movies. I know, I said earlier that lesser known characters should be pushed to the back burner, but just from the titles alone I can say that there is a huge difference between The Runaways and Ant-Man.

Sub-Mariner is also in talks to be made into a feature film with Namor as the protagonist. I always saw Namor as a poor man's Aquaman, but I've heard from a few reliable sources that Namor's no slouch in the hardcore department. Even though I know little about the character, I could see Namor translating well to screen. Something akin to The Abyss only with superheroes, sure, why not?

Dr. Strange would make for an amazing movie. Producers agree, which pleases me. A while back there was mention of Neil Gaiman writing the script and having Guillermo Del Toro direct....freakin' perfect doesn't begin to describe that. Like Iron Man, Dr. Strange is one of those characters who many people know even though he hasn't gotten a whole lot of mainstream exposure. He's in that healthy middle ground where mainstream moviegoers won't pass due to unfamiliarity, but won't feel like they've seen it done a dozen times before. If done well, a film about the sorcerer supreme would be stellar in my opinion.

Finally, it is my humble belief that Black Panther should get his own movie. He's a character with a rich history and will bring the lesser known character into the mainstream.

Many film-goers are sick of seeing comic book adaptation after comic book adaptation. I can see why they would get sick of it, but I have no problem with it as long as the movies are well done. If the two movies already released are any indication, we should be in store for some great superhero movies coming from Marvel Studios over the next couple of summers.