5 Inherent Problems That Explain Why Every Marvel Villain Is Boring
1. Iron Man Cut Out A Massive Subplot (And Every Other Movie Copied)
Marvel follows a formula. By now it's as much a given as a post-credits scene that each new film will have quips, death fake-outs, MacGuffin-driven plots and an explosive aerial finale. And, of course, a very basic villain.
Iron Man, which was itself taking heavily from the blueprints of Spider-Man and Batman Begins, defined much of this. Sure, The Avengers would refine the MCU equation, putting full focus on the humour and making each subsequent adventure feel like it had to be all about saving the world, but it was Jon Faverau's universe-starter that set up many of the now derided elements, chief among them the villain who, while ostensibly linked to the narrative, wasn't all that important.
Now, Obadiah Stane himself is actually one of the MCU's better villains, a mentor gone bad out of a lust for power. This success is mostly due to Jeff Bridges great performance, which is where the whole problem with undernourished villains originates; when it came to editing, Faverau was so impressed with how Bridges could effortlessly convey Stane's motivation and personality that he cut several typical character building scenes, deeming them unnecessary.
Looking at the final cut, he was probably right - it's unlikely an extra ten minutes would have made Stane any better. However, subsequent films used a similar hero's journey to villain plot ratio, regardless of who'd written the script or what actor was in the semi-CGI suit. And no disrespect to Corey Stoll or Lee Pace, but they're no Jeff Bridges. Cue generic, underdeveloped characters.
So, in the simplest possible terms, you can blame the entire villain problem the MCU has been grappling with since conception on Jeff Bridges simply being too damn good at chewing the scenery. And that's not an opinion, man.
Do you agree that Marvel's villains are rather boring? Or are they unfairly criticised? Share your argument down in the comments.