7 Ways Marvel Has Learned From Its Mistakes

Marvel is expert at tactfully using characters to add diversity to a film without over-saturating it. Characters that have already had lots of screen time in solo features now focus on ensemble films (the Iron Man trilogy is wrapped up, Captain America had two solo films with Civil War featuring lots of other heroes).

When the Hulk's solo film had a lukewarm response, they resigned the character to guest roles as a member of the Avengers and a supporting character in Thor: Ragnarok. The Hulk's character arc about self control could work in a film, but his rogue's gallery is simply too one-note to carry off a solo film, especially since Hulk's smashing gets old surprisingly quickly in a solo setting. Despite this, the Hulk remains one of the most popular and iconic members of the MCU, getting more space for character development than the other Avengers in ensemble appearances.

Similarly, Thor works best as part of a team, rather than working alone. Throughout Thor: Ragnarok, most of the jokes, plot points and memorable moments happen to Thor rather than as a result of Thor's actions directly. The supporting characters are what makes that film work. It feels much more like a Guardians Of The Galaxy film than a Thor film.

On the flip side, Peter Parker's search for a fatherly figure and role model fits in nicely with Iron Man's cameo appearances (his character arc has been run into the ground). The interconnectivity in Marvel films is usually used very creatively to fit into the plot coherently and not feel forced (there are of course some very apparent exceptions to this, Doctor Strange's appearance in Thor: Ragnarok was completely out of place).