5 Biggest Threats To The Marvel Cinematic Universe (And The 5 Best Ways To Fight Them)

by Michael Marcus

1. Time And Ageing

The tales our filmmakers are trying to tell may well be "immortal," but the actors aren't, so at some point the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to change over to new actors. Admittedly, it would be fun to see Robert Downey, Jr. as Geriatric Iron Man, blasting his way across the country with his left turn signal on the whole way, but somehow it seems unlikely that they are going to make that film. The likely answer from Marvel is the one that threatens to kill what they have going: reboot, retread, retell.

That's fine for the most slavish of fans, but what of those who enjoy an actual living story cycle?

This is a time of great technology and possibility, more and more effects and production can be done more and more easily, and with more and more flexibility than ever before. Marvel has decades of stories for dozens of characters, and there's always room for someone new. Why not take advantage of time and the supply of eager people? This is an opportunity to make the Marvel Cinematic Universe truly a universe, with new characters the audience can meet, love, grow, and get attached to.

Either that, or, y'know, they can just retread it and start all over again.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Marcus is a game designer, author, and mad scientist living in Hamtramck, Michigan; his current project list include a series of comic short-stories collectively called "One-Punch," a book on hypnosis and language called "The Prometheus Codex," a collaborative game project called "Art War," and a fun spy story called "The Adventures of Jack Uzi" at http://tinyurl.com/JackUziChannel (for those interested).