The Marvel Cinematic Universe releases its movies in Phases. The initial phase opened with the groundbreaking film, Iron Man (2008). It created the base for the rest of the MCU and hinted at the Avengers initiative. Phase 2 featured sequel movies to all the original heroes and introduced many new characters. This Phase closed with the crossover film of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Phase 3 featured the two highest-grossing Marvel movies; Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Phase 4 began in 2021. Avengers: Infinity War was much awaited. It was one of the biggest crossovers and showcased the victory of a villain and the loss of many heroes. The movie ended on a cliffhanger with suspense and anticipation drenching the theatre. This was an incredibly intelligent move. After Infinity War, many fans believed that any upcoming movie would shed light on the last Avengers film. Banking on that, Marvel released Captain Marvel (2019) a month before Endgame. Hoping for insight, Marvel fans swarmed to the halls for a storyline that could have been covered in a post-credit scene. The company earned $1.128 billion. They also earned revenue from Avengers: Endgame, a heartbreaking movie that spelled out a new storyline for the MCU. Marvel was able to capture the superhero entertainment market by releasing movies incessantly in a time of no competition. It garnered support from non-Marvel fans as well by bringing them into this marvelous web. DC Comics, the biggest competitor, stagnated with quality content despite the everlasting support from its fans. Marvel played its largest and strongest hand in the pandemic. The company released exceptional content in a time when series were being binge-watched and streamed at capacious levels. Marvel fans were thirsting for more information on the post Endgame era and from 2021, that’s exactly what the company gave them. 2021 was jam-packed with shows and movies. Wandavision broke the internet in January 2021. Two of Marvel’s most successful shows were released in 2021. The company had produced six shows in collaboration with Netflix about superheroes with smaller roles in the universe. Most of these shows gained limited popularity and were unable to match their competition from the DCEU. Marvel created shows relevant and connected to the Phases. Furthermore, Loki, Wandavision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye explore important and relevant themes like depression, grief, therapy, loss, etc. Finally, all of these led up to the movie of the year – Spiderman: No Way Home. It has been wreathed in rumors of a crossover with the previous ‘Spidermen’. This hyped the movie to a great extent; a marketing move of absolute genius. The first trailer stole the world’s breath. It confirmed 5 villains out of the Sinister Six. Hearing Willem Dafoe's cynical laugh and Alfred Molina's "Hello, Peter" was enough to send nostalgic chills down everyone’s spines.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue to enrapture its customer base with its stories. We all look forward to the expansion of Phase 4 with the typical explosive culmination at the end.
Edited by -
Rohil Khanter
Disha Chopra
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