“We’ve learned a lot”: Marvel Boss Promises Next MCU Projects Will be Better Than Lackluster Bombs Like Brie Larson’s The Marvels
After a string of critical and commercial disappointments, Marvel Studios is acknowledging past mistakes and promising major improvements for upcoming MCU projects. Brad Winderbaum, an executive producer at the studio, recently spoke about Marvel’s struggles and its plan to course-correct future films and TV series. His comments come on the heels of major projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Secret Invasion.
What Went Wrong for Marvel Studios?
According to Comicbook.com, Brad Winderbaum admitted during a press event for the new Disney+ series Echo,
“We’ve learned a lot.” He continued, “We produced a lot of content very quickly, and we’re primarily a filmmaking company.”
Marvel Studios expanded rapidly into TV, greenlighting big-budget seasons without traditional pilots or show bibles. This led to poorly-received shows that felt more like chopped-up movies than episodic storytelling. Films also suffered from rushed production and troubled shoots.
The studio’s first phase of streaming shows “arc out the characters by the end” like standalone movies rather than ongoing series, Winderbaum explained.
How Will Marvel Course Correct for Future Projects?
According to Winderbaum, Marvel Studios will now draw a clearer line between its cinematic releases and streaming content.
“Moving forward, our content is going to feel a lot more like television,” he promised. “It kind of drives toward the horizon; drives towards the future, and keeps people engaged for longer periods of time.”
Marvel seems to be adopting a more traditional TV development process, utilizing showrunners and pilots to find each series’ voice. This will hopefully result in more serialized, binge-worthy shows instead of bloated movies.
The studio will reserve its “big, cinematic event experiences” for theatrical blockbusters while embracing the “more leaned-back setting of your living room” for Disney+ content.
What’s Next for Marvel Studios After Recent Stumbles?
The promises of improvement come after movies like The Marvels and Ant-Man 3 underwhelmed critics and audiences. Even series like Secret Invasion failed to impress fans.
While Marvel’s multiverse storyline involving Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror stalled due to the actor’s legal troubles, the studio seems determined to learn from past mistakes.
With more methodical development of both films and TV shows, Marvel hopes to recapture its early magic in Phase 4 and beyond. While the pressure is on, fans remain eager to see Marvel return to form after a rocky couple of years.
The next test will be Echo, debuting on Disney+ this January. Though the series promises a more mature, grounded tone, Marvel still has much to prove after a string of bombed major projects.
But if Winderbaum’s comments are any indication, the studio has taken its recent criticism to heart. By embracing the unique storytelling opportunities of TV and giving films room to breathe, Marvel could potentially bounce back in a big way.
