It’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios as a loser. The multibillion-dollar studio has done the impossible over the past two decades, releasing dozens of movies and TV shows that share a universe, culminating in some of the biggest and most successful movies of all time. But, in recent years, Marvel seemed slightly vulnerable. It looked like the wheels were in danger of coming off. Then 2024 changed that, and it mostly happened behind the scenes.
This is because in 2024, Marvel only released one movie: Deadpool and Wolverine. It’s easy now to think that the film was a huge success, but despite its very popular characters, it was initially seen as a risk. It’s not every day one of Disney’s brands goes against its family style, but Deadpool and Wolverine It was Marvel’s first R-rated film. And a hard R too. However, the risk was worth it. The violent and irreverent superhero comedy broke all kinds of box office records and ultimately became the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. Think about that. Think about all the R-rated movies you’ve seen in your life. Deadpool and Wolverine He has surpassed them all.
It was a very, very important victory for the studio after a few years that, for the most part, fell well short of their expectations for 2008-2019. Those years, known as the Infinity Saga, saw near-universal praise and box office success for Marvel’s work, changing the face of Hollywood as we knew it. But in the years since, the great successes have been as numerous as the disappointments. for each Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madnessthere is a Thor: Love and Thunder. for each WandaVision either Loki there is a secret invasion either Moon Knight. This culminated in 2023 with less than stellar reviews and returns, for example. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Wonders. Those were balanced by the blow that was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3but since that was making money, its filmmaker James Gunn was already down the street making films for the competition. So, it’s not a total victory.
Those missteps required a refocusing that resulted in Deadpool and Wolverine being the only Marvel film released in 2024. Which, as we have just indicated, was a success. Things largely worked out on the television side as well. Marvel Animation released the long-awaited X-Men ’97which quickly became a success, and later the release of Agatha all the time did the same, pleasing fans and critics alike.
This is significant because very little of that was part of the original plan. In 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige appeared in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con and presented the slate for the coming years. Agate was there, as well as a few films from previous years, but the cohesive direction that fans saw in the years leading up to Avengers: Endgame It wasn’t there. What was all this building about? We didn’t know. And there was no mention of his eventual 2024 saviors, Deadpool, Wolverine, or the X-Men.
Some of that uncertainty continued into 2024 when creatives like Michael Waldon and Destin Daniel Cretton left their posts in some upcoming. Avengers cinema. Echo It was not very successful, and films like Good heavens and Captain America 4 they went back months while one, Bladewas postponed indefinitely. A lot was riding on Marvel’s return to Hall H on July 27 of this year and that’s when everything changed.
By the time San Diego Comic-Con 2024 rolled around, Marvel had reloaded and then some. We could see images from 2025. The fantastic four: first stepswhich had barely started filming. The Russo brothers, directors of several of the best and most important Marvel films in history, returned to direct two more. Avengers cinema: Doomsday and the big one, secret wars. Then, the very expensive icing on the cake, the first star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr., would return as its next big villain: Dr. Doom. Later in the year, plans for a fourth Spider-Man with Tom Holland also contributed to the goodwill.
Finally, things had a direction. Finally, things were happening that we wanted to see. And while it felt slightly like we were going back to what worked before, at least some hope was restored. The return of Downey and the Russos, Spider-Man, the promise of one of Marvel’s most important intact properties in the Fantastic Four, in addition to the success of Deadpool and Wolverine—which in turn created all kinds of new potential thanks to cameos from characters like Gambit, Blade, and Elektra—all worked together to make 2024 a big year for Marvel. After a few years of stumbles, the studio finally regained its footing and it happened at just the right time. While Marvel prepares several major projects for 2025 and beyond, his old friend James Gunn is opening his own DC Universe in direct opposition. Let the games begin.
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