3. Have A Plan
Ill grant that Marvel didnt exactly plan on this whole Avengers franchise springing off from Iron Man. Samuel L. Jacksons cameo was just intended as an Easter egg for fans, and Robert Downey, Jr.s cameo in The Incredible Hulk was added later. The point here is that once Marvel realized they had the potential for this, they formed a plan. And thats how Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger were all able to connect into The Avengers. A movie which, if what weve heard so far is any indication, will also connect to Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, and the upcoming Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series. Warner Brothers also needs a plan of their own. They tried this with Green Lantern by introducing Amanda Waller, but it wasnt planned too well and came off as completely unnecessary. It also hurt that they didnt have anything else in the pipeline and after Green Lanterns disappointing performance, Warner Brothers mostly tried to distance themselves from it. Also hurting the prospects of a unified superhero universe was Nolans Dark Knight trilogy, which is clearly not very compatible with a larger superhero universe. Basically, don't be like 20th Century Fox, where you have two different versions of Emma Frost within the same supposed continuity. Rumor has it Man of Steel will have some sort of indication for the future of the DC Cinematic Universe. If it doesnt, then Warner Brothers has a lot of work to do.