People often forget that Jon Favreau laid out the groundwork for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008’s “Iron Man.” It is a great movie with a lot of heart, swagger and humor that is just as entertaining 10 years later.
It feels like an actual movie, which is a weird statement to make. There is a real sense of filmmaking in both “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk,” which came out the same year. Aesthetically speaking, they are gorgeous films, and more so than most Marvel movies that came afterward, Favreau and “Hulk” director Louis Leterrier capture real human emotion in their respective films despite the extraordinary situations of a superhero film.
To explain, Favreau started filming “Iron Man” before a script was even finished. But with a vision, Robert Downey Jr. in a near-perfect role for him, a talented cast and crew, and what seemed like trust from Marvel, a great film was crafted.
It is unfortunate Marvel has not done this more often.
Maybe Marvel Studios rushed a little bit to get its first movie in a planned universe out in the world. These comics have been around for decades, and it is a shame nobody has made them work on film yet. Marvel lucked out with the result of “Iron Man,” but its movie-makers should have trusted Leterrier like they did with Favreau.
Leterrier was working closely with acclaimed dramatic actor Ed Norton on “The Incredible Hulk.” Norton starred as Bruce Banner, but, he was heavily involved on the production side of the film. Like “Iron Man,” he wanted to portray true humanistic internal struggles, and Hulk is the perfect monster to play with that theme. He had a longer cut of the film with flashbacks to Hulk’s origin, while the studio preferred a shorter version. Marvel won every creative battle on this project, which in turn caused Norton to barely promote the film after the fact. “The Incredible Hulk” is one of the wasted opportunities in the MCU thus far. It is shameful to see potential greatness halted by the studio, even though the final product is still wildly underrated.
But after those first two Marvel Studios movies, they felt more and more like products, finely polished and safe without much risk or reward, until a lot further down the road.
The MCU’s third entry in 2010 was “Iron Man 2” with returning director Jon Favreau, but the final product felt a lot like “The Incredible Hulk” in that there were glimpses of greatness when the studio was not in the way. “Iron Man 2” was also missing that true film aesthetic, as Marvel went digital at that point. Favreau has stated that he felt micromanaged on this project and the studio forced more of “The Avengers” set-up, which cut back on developing the villain, Whiplash, another potentially great performance from Mickey Rourke.
Favreau passed on directing “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3.” He still reprised his role as Happy Hogan, Stark’s driver, and produced some of the projects but never got behind the lens for one again.
From 2009 to 2012, there are arguably no good Marvel movies, pre- or post-“The Avengers.” They range from “absolute garbage” to “OK” but there are no completely “good” ones. They were overly polished, predictable, stale and simply not compelling.
Marvel struck gold with the Russo brothers directing the Captain America sequel, “The Winter Soldier,” and James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” in 2014. That sense of vision and originality was back. Both were bold and wonderful in their own unique ways, especially Gunn’s “Guardians.” The blend of great music, flashy visuals and idiosyncratic characters felt totally foreign to the Marvel Universe. The “Guardians” movies in particular are unlike the rest of the universe with the theme of accepting outsiders and finding one’s own group. There is something very special and touching about that.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is even more personal. It is a story about fathers and sons and what family truly means. Sure, there ends up being a big villain battle at the end, but Gunn’s style and flashes of an acid trip make his vision for his portion of the MCU the most creative.
“Captain America: Civil War,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Black Panther” continue this tradition. But not every MCU film since the 2014 comeback has been perfect. “Doctor Strange” had amazing visuals but felt like a fantasy version of “Iron Man” throughout its generic qualities. “Age of Ultron” did not advance “The Avengers” like a sequel should have, but, the biggest missed opportunity from Marvel is when it lost Edgar Wright.
Wright was excited to make “Ant-Man” for Marvel. He was going to go the same route as James Gunn and break the mold. Even though Wright wanted to make a Marvel movie, Marvel did not want to make a Wright movie.
Wright is one of the most innovative, witty, fascinating creators working today. “Shaun of the Dead,” a romantic comedy masquerading as a zombie film, was his first film. Everything that came afterwards advanced him as a writer and visual director. Wright always tries to top his last project, and honestly, he usually does. Because “Ant-Man” fell through, Wright was able to make “Baby Driver,” and as great as it was, “Ant-Man” would have been mind-bending with Wright behind the lens.
Marvel needs more Edgar Wrights working for it. Let the director have a unique vision and carry it out. Even if it does not fit into Marvel’s overall projection, let the individual projects stand as their own works of art other than being forced into being a corporate product.
Image from 20th Marvel Entertainment via YouTube.com
