Joss Whedon's influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe is kind of huge. The Avengers films have essentially dictated how this whole mega-franchise has developed, and Whedon is the one who presides over those blockbusters; his love for snappy, witty dialogue and bog-standard movie plots have also seeped through into all corners of the MCU so far, with Guardians Of The Galaxy being a particularly strong example. That's not simply because Whedon's has become the house style for Marvel scripting and filmmaking - it's because the guy, who has a history as a Hollywood script doctor, will do quick sweeps over all of the screenplays before they begin shooting, punching up dialogue and making everything feel like, well, that he wrote it. He's even directed a couple of crucial scenes in other director's Marvel films. And from the sounds of it, he's out after Age Of Ultron. He's spoken about the arduous process of making such a huge movie, when there's so much money riding on it and so much studio interference - he even went so far as to call it a nightmare. So if this summer will harken an end to Whedon leading the MCU, what's going to happen next? Well, it'll probably be fine. But there's always the chance that the unifying vision and voice Whedon provided will be lost, and the films will in turn be bereft of their charm, wit and intelligence. But at least Captain America won't keep getting called boring. Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe is doomed? Or could it run forever? Have your say down in the comments.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
