10 Things We Loved About Pre-MCU Comic Book Movies
9. The Absence Of A Predetermined Game Plan For Sequels And Spinoffs
Prior to the creation of Marvel Studios, Mega companies like 20th Century Fox owned the movie rights to multiple characters such as The X-Men, The Fantastic 4 and Daredevil.
Unfortunately, there was never an attempt to create a shared universe. The idea that Mr. Fantastic could make a cameo appearance in an X-Men film was considered ludicrous at the time.
Instead, different producers were in charge of individual characters and had little or no desire for crossovers. Interestingly enough, tentative plans for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to cameo in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man were scuttled simply because the filmmakers were unable to locate his suit.
Furthermore, instalments in each franchise were made one at a time with the ultimate goal of self-contained trilogies. The intricate, multiple-phase-inspired game plan pioneered by Kevin Feige was non-existent during this period.
As a result, the movies presented a less daunting entry point for new viewers because there wasn't a requirement to watch multiple other films in a long-running series.