10 Behind-The-Scenes Issues That Could End The MCU
6. Toyetic Decisions
The original Batman franchise came to a disastrous end with 1997s Batman and Robin for many reasons, but one of the primary ones was Warner Bros. executives insisting that the movie be made more toyetic i.e., more kid-friendly in order to sell more merchandise. While obviously these superhero franchises exist in part to sell toys, t-shirts, video games, and everything else that can be branded, Batman and Robin is an example of how executives more concerned with toy sales than movie quality can significantly damage a franchises quality and long-term earning potential.
The MCU has avoided such bad decisions so far, but with the Disney marketing machine behind it selling Marvel toys it might just be a matter of time before Disney executives become more concerned with action figure sales than box office potential. Just look at Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, who partially exists to sell merchandise.
Disney's merchandising machine is going full throttle for Star Wars too, particularly for the droid character BB-8, and the success of Olaf merchandise all but guarantees that the snowman will have an even bigger role in Disney's Frozen 2. As part of the Disney empire, the MCU isnt immune from executive direction dictated by merchandising.