Can there be too much Marvel?

By Matt Chieco

Disney’s CEO Bob Iger (who has since stepped down and Bob Chapek is the new CEO) revealed a few weeks ago, the release dates for two of Marvel Studios highly anticipated series for Disney+ on the Walt Disney Company's Q1 FY20 Earnings call. Iger confirmed The Flacon and The Winter Solider is being released August 2020, and WandaVision being released December 2020.

Marvel Studios now has four releases for the year of 2020, Black Widow in May, The Flacon and The Winter Solider in August, Eternals in November, and WandaVision in December. This marks the first time the studio has more than three releases in one year, and in 2021 Marvel has a confirmed seven releases. Over the 11 years from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a cultural phenomenon, but many people are asking (not me) how much is too much.

In 2021 Marvel Studios is slated to release Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man 3, and Thor: Love and Thunder in theaters and Loki, What If…?, and Hawkeye on Disney+ (Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk are also rumored to be released in 2021).

Many say superhero movies are over saturated (Martin Scorsese I’m looking at you), but what keeps marvel and other comic book movies fresh is having sub genres for most of their movies. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a spy thriller, Ant-Man is a heist film, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a John Hughes inspired teen comedy, Wonder Woman is a war film, and most recently this years Birds of Prey is an eccentric crime film.

Having these sub genres makes each movie different and not like your seeing the same thing over and over again in the theaters. Making a typical superhero film can’t be done anymore cause the bar has been raised and the fans expect more. Marvel Studios has seen this and made sure the bar gets raised with every new movie they release. Of course every movie can’t be a winner but they have the right vision.