10 Ways The Marvel Cinematic Universe Proves That Dreams Do Come True

3. It's Not Been Afraid To Experiment

Peyton Reed Paul Rudd Ant-Man
Marvel Studios

While the comic book movie has developed into a genre in its own right, the MCU hasn't been afraid to put twists on it. Derivative of the source material it's based on, Marvel's universe on film has gone everywhere from '70s political conspiracy thrillers (see Captain America: The Winter Soldier), sci-fi space operas (Guardians Of The Galaxy), espionage heist films, (Ant-Man) and even fantasy-esque action romps in Thor and its sequels. Each standalone MCU entry feels both unique and refreshing, as each character within adds just that little bit extra to the mythos, whether that be through mature ideological and personal confrontation, or through fun and light-hearted tales of family, friendship, and megalomaniac businessmen.

I suppose Marvel can always afford to experiment. After all, they're yet to make a commercial flop (as of yet) and as long as the studio continues to hold a critical monopoly on comic-to-film adaptations not even the sky can limit where the company may choose to venture next. This is all bolstered by the fact that the studio continues to retain a vast amount of onscreen licenses for its heroes, and with Avengers: Infinity War purportedly featuring around 67 characters, the chances of the MCU losing variety are very low indeed.

This means that not even the most zany or obscure are exempt from Marvel's remit, which is good news for all you Squirrel Girl fans out there.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.