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Why the Marvel Cinematic Universe works (and others don’t)

Why did the Avengers succeed while the Justice League flopped? Find out now!

The enormous success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot be overstated. In just a few weeks, “Avengers: Endgame” has passed “Titanic” as the second highest grossing movie of all time, and is rapidly approaching “Avatar’s” number 1 spot. In fact, MCU movies make up half the spots of the top 10 highest box office grosses ever.

This brings us to the billion dollar question, “How did Marvel overtake mega-franchises like Harry Potter and Star Wars with characters that were once barely a blip in pop culture? Also, why have all the other cinematic universes failed to match its success?

Why the Marvel’s Cinematic Universe works (and others don’t)

Building a universe (in a cave with a box of scraps)

In the 1990s, Marvel, like most comic book companies, was facing financial ruin. After filing for bankruptcy, Marvel attempted to save itself by selling off the film rights to its most popular characters.

Movie studios jumped at the chance to gain the rights to cultural powerhouses like Spider-Man and the X-Men (whose film rights were sold to Sony and Fox, respectively). Other Marvel characters, while beloved for decades by dedicated comic audiences, failed to break into the mainstream pop culture sphere. Characters like Thor and Iron Man are objectively cool, but they didn’t have the same draw as characters like Spidey or Wolverine.

After the breakout successes of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man franchise and Fox’s X-Men series, Marvel decided to take out a loan of $500 million to create Marvel Studios. The idea behind Marvel Studios was that Marvel could use some of the lesser-known characters from its comic history to create a shared cinematic universe.

If the venture failed, the studio could simply liquidate itself and sell the film rights to its remaining characters to interested studios. Still owning the rights to the majority of the Avengers characters (most notably Captain America and Hulk), Marvel Studios attempted a bold strategy. They decided to make individual films of various characters before smashing them together in a massive blockbuster.

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It was a bold and untried strategy at the time. Sure, studios had dabbled in crossing over their characters to modest success, (such as “Alien vs. Predator” or “Freddy vs. Jason”) but no studio had ever attempted to create a massive crossover universe out of an established property on this scale.

The only thing that was even close was the Universal Classic Monsters. From the ’20s through 1960, Universal created films with several monsters like Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. From time to time, characters and their respective actors would cross over into other films. It was arguably a framework for the MCU, but it was a loose framework.

Marvel was the perfect property for this experiment, as the company had been crossing over its characters in the comics for decades.

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Marvel Studios began with “Iron Man,” who was supposedly chosen to receive his own film due to his massive toy potential. The movie’s large budget, B-list main character, and at-the-time leperous main star Robert Downey Jr raised eyebrows among industry experts, who predicted a flop. In fact, Kevin Feige said Downey’s casting was the toughest fight he had with Disney. The 2008 movie was, as we all know, a massive success. It ended up singlehandedly recouping Marvel’s $500 million loan, convincing Marvel to move on with their experiment. The film made about $585 million, according to IMDb.

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Iron Man’s approach to a cinematic universe was subtle. The film stood on its own, peppered with references to a larger universe (S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury, the Avengers Initiative, etc) for hardcore Marvel fans to salivate over. The continued success of character films like “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Thor” maintained Marvel’s momentum until the release of the groundbreaking first Avengers film in 2012.

In building up to “The Avengers,” Marvel focused on telling self-contained stories with compelling characters first, and on connecting these characters in a shared universe second. By making these formerly unknown characters worthy in the eyes of the public, they drummed up interest for their eventual crossover. It’s this sense of patience that allowed for Marvel to craft its cinematic universe into something that was worth keeping up with. Their system of “phases” made sure that every crossover paid off in a big way.

By building up audience confidence in their brand, Marvel was able to successfully dive deeper into their character library. Eventually, they pulled out then-unknown characters like Black Panther, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. While the rival DCEU hoped that the enduring legacies of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman would lead to massive box office success, Marvel built character legacies from the ground up.

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With more than 20 movies in its universe, it can be hard to avoid audience fatigue. However, Marvel successfully navigated this by switching up genres and directors within its films. The films can range from spy-thriller (“Captain America: Winter Soldier”), heist-comedy (“Ant-Man”), cosmic misfit comedy (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), to Afrofuturist epic (“Black Panther”). Marvel’s signature style of loose dialogue and lighthearted, self-aware tone allowed them to create a consistent brand amongst its wide variety of characters without becoming repetitive.

Marvel Studios president and MCU brainchild Kevin Feige has stated that each movie is made for its own individual story first.

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While the grand crossover outlines are there, directors and writers are given plenty of freedom to craft their own stories. This, along with Marvel’s patience in getting audiences invested in its characters, is the main reason the MCU has seen the success that it has. It builds naturally to crossover events instead of shoving a crossover movie in your face that tells you, not shows you, that these characters are important.

Why are other cinematic universes struggling?

The runaway success of 2012’s “The Avengers” caught the attention of studio heads from across the world. The potential profits of a cinematic universe were massive, and every studio with recognizable characters immediately scrambled to follow Marvel’s lead. The most notable of these was, of course, DC.

With the release of 2013’s “Man of Steel,” DC had seemingly followed the formula set by “Iron Man:” create a standalone story with only cursory references to a larger universe. Unfortunately for DC, “Man of Steel” received only lukewarm reviews, with critics and audiences lamenting its dreary tone and color palette.

Sensing danger, DC decided to immediately move forward with its cinematic universe, or rather DC Extended Universe. DC continued with director Zack Snyder, whose bleak and pseudo-deep subversions of superhero narratives were clearly not resonating with audiences. The next film was “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” a film that was somehow overlong, stuffy, and unearned.

The movie immediately thrust new versions of Batman and Wonder Woman onto the big screen, failing to slowly build up the hype of a major crossover event.

By the time “Justice League” rolled around, DC showed that it still hadn’t learned how to properly build up a cinematic universe. It introduced more characters to the big screen without buildup (Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg,) rapidly attempting to play catch-up with Marvel to no avail. It would have been ludicrous to think only 10 years ago that a movie starring a talking raccoon and a tree would become a cultural phenomenon while the Justice League’s long-awaited big-screen debut would get a lukewarm reception.

By not trusting audiences and slowly building up their characters, DC made their crossover movies feel like any old superhero movie instead of a massive crossover event. This, combined with DC announcing dozens of movies that have barely made it past development hell, shattered audience faith in DC to make a coherent cinematic universe.

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DC has started to regain goodwill with their solo movies like “Wonder Woman,” “Aquaman,” and “Shazam!” They are clearly moving away from lofty, pseudo-intelligent Snyder epics and more towards contained, tightly made stories. This has granted them significantly more critical and financial success, so it’s likely DC will focus on solo films for the near future.

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Other cinematic universes have come and gone in the MCU’s lifetime. The X-Men franchise served as a sort of predecessor to the MCU, but its wildly inconsistent quality and haphazard continuity prevented it from fully achieving its potential.

Universal recently attempted combining their classic horror monsters into a modern cinematic universe known as the Dark Universe. Spearheaded with “The Mummy,” an action-packed Tom Cruise vehicle, the Dark Universe failed to take off before it really even started. Instead of creating a self-contained story that took place in a bigger world, “The Mummy” aggressively beat audiences over the head with setup for sequels and crossovers.

I mean come on, people; remember when they released a trailer for the movie without music?

This unsubtle, inauthentic buildup pushed audiences away, and the myriad of announced Dark Universe films are currently nowhere to be seen.

A particularly bold move is crossing over a bunch of properties that have nothing to do with each other (besides them all being owned by the same company). Hasbro is attempting to do this with its various properties such as GI Joe and Rom the Spaceknight. Hanna-Barbera is currently working on something similar with Scooby-Doo, Captain Caveman, and Wacky Races. It’s hard not to be cynical about mashups like these, as they seem to be brainchildren of studio executives throwing every remotely popular property they have into a blender. They are unfortunately completely skipping over the carefully laid groundwork of the MCU.

Wrapping up

All in all, the safest way to create a cinematic universe is simply to copy the foundation of the MCU. Create a bunch of compelling individual characters and then cross them over once audiences actually care. Do not simply throw a bunch of recognizable characters together, hoping it’ll have the same impact.

Planning must be careful and slow, and the studio must balance out their grand plans with the desires of individual filmmakers to craft independently satisfying films. If you can strike this balance successfully, you end up with the MCU. If you fail, you’ll simply land on top of the pile of other cinematic universe attempts.

New MCU secrets shared by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige

The man running Marvel’s movie empire gives clues about the future of the films.

Yesterday, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige visited Reddit to answer some questions from fans. His responses give us a closer look at the creative process of the films and where the superhero blockbusters might go from here. These are the biggest things we learned during that Q&A.

Captain America was always worthy

Remember the scene in “Age of Ultron” when everyone’s trying to lift Thor’s hammer? Steve Rogers manages to make it budge. Feige says he believes Cap was worthy then, but just being polite by not lifting Mjolnir at the time.

The moment in Endgame when we all lost it.

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Hulk isn’t done evolving

Hulk has been a notoriously problematic character for Marvel. After two actors, it seems they may have cracked the code with Mark Ruffalo. “Many years ago, Mark came in for a meeting with us at Marvel Studios to discuss ways in which the Hulk could grow and evolve in upcoming films. He pitched a lot of cool ideas, some of which led to what you saw in Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War and Endgame, and some of which would still be cool to see someday.”

Hulk saved more lives than we saw in ‘Endgame’

Many fans calculated that the orignal Thanos snap probably killed far more people than those who got dusted. Imagine the supplemental deaths caused by the disappearance of air traffic controllers, pilots, drivers, and other people responsible for keeping us alive. When Hulk put on the gauntlet and re-snapped people into existence, did those people reappear at random? No, Feige says. “We refer to the version of Hulk in Endgame as Smart Hulk,” Feige wrote. Feige explains that Smart Hulk would take care to ensure that everyone affected by his snap would end up in a safe place. Good Hulk.

Stan Lee never saw ‘Endgame’

Boy, this hurts. The Marvel legend never got to see “Endgame” before he died. Feige explains, “Stan loved to wait to see the final movie at the premiere, so, unfortunately, he did not get to see the finished movie.” Feige did say that Marvel leadership did tell Stan the entire story on the day he showed up to film his cameo. We like to think he smiled when hearing that Captain America would finally tell the Avengers to assemble.

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The Marvel films are planned way in advance

“We usually work with a specific 5 year plan at any given point but often have a general plan that extends much, much further.”

Planning for the Infinity Gauntlet series began after filming of the first Avengers film

“We started discussing how to adapt the Infinity Gauntlet comic soon after the release of the first Avengers. It was on one of our creative retreats about 5 years ago that we decided to do it as two films. We started to crack the specifics of the story during production on Civil War with Chris Markus and Stephen McFeely, Joe and Anthony Russo, in a conference room as we went back and forth between takes.”

The Disney+ shows will work with the MCU

When a franchise begins spinning off into books and comics and digital series and video games, things can get pretty messy. You know this if you read any of the Star Wars books produced between the original trilogy and the prequels. Fans argued about whether those books were canon. Starting with “Episode I” in 1999, many of the books became invalid. By the time “The Force Awakens” debuted, it made virtually all of those books irrelevant to the larger storyline.

Feige reports that the upcoming Disney+ Marvel shows will work “totally and completely” with the MCU.

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How did ‘Iron Man’ come together?

It’s easy to forget, but “Iron Man” was not a slam dunk success. Had that film failed, the entire MCU may not exist. There were two unconventional choices that ended up paying off in a big way: Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. So why did they give Favreau the director’s chair? Feige wrote, “Jon Favreau is one of the best storytellers on the planet, and Elf is a stone cold classic.”

As for Tony Stark himself, Feige confirmed that Robert Downey Jr was his biggest casting fight with Disney. It seems crazy now, but you have to remember that at the time, RDJ was seen as radioactive after a string of drug-related legal problems. Had Feige not won that fight, the MCU would have been radically different.

What is Feige’s favorite DC film?

Interestingly, Feige didn’t choose one of the most recent DC films to answer this question. He says his favorite is the 1978 “Superman” with Christopher Reeve. Although the special effects are quite dated, the film features some excellent performances and moments that make the Man of Steel very human. It’s worth a watch if you’ve never seen it!

Top 10 magical staffs in pop culture

From Overwatch to the MCU, these staffs put most other weapons to shame!

Staff fight! — Oh, yeah. There’s gonna be a lot of Gandalf.

Grab your wizard hat, double-edged straight sword, and haversack of rations, because we’re going on an adventure!

If you were like us as a kid, after reading a good fantasy novel or watching a particularly exciting movie, you went outside and played with sticks. You imagined they had the power to shoot flames, summon shields, or turn people into frogs.

Why? Because magical staffs are awesome! Whether they channel a user’s inherent energy, like Gandalf’s staff, or possess wild magic of their own, like Wabbajack, each of these iconic scepters contain the stuff of dreams, nightmares, and more.

So, let’s talk about the…

Top 10 Magical Staffs in Pop Culture

10. Jafar’s staff

Ew. Creep.

Before Jafar takes over Agrabah, fights Aladdin, and turns into a wildly powerful genie of darkness, his staff is nothing short of memorable. The moment he dials in on Jasmine’s father, the Sultan, with those jeweled snake eyes and turns a once-proud man into his personal flying monkey, there’s no forgetting his staff!

Seriously. If you saw a costume-less person on Halloween holding a snake scepter, we’re willing to bet you’d think: “Huh, where’s the rest of their Jafar getup?” Trust us, it’s true.

But let’s ask the real questions here: does Jafar use his own magic? Does the staff have power itself? Is he a magician because he found the staff, like Aladdin found the lamp? Is Jafar, at heart, just another street rat dreaming of becoming a prince, who took a wrong turn toward the dark side? Is his mother named Martha?

Food for thought!

All musings aside, we’re pretty excited for the live-action remake of “Aladdin”. See it in theaters May 24!

9. Every Pickaxe from Fortnite

HAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!

We’re totally joking, these don’t count as staffs and (most of them) aren’t magical. Just wanted to make sure you’re paying attention.

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The Real 9: Jack Frost’s staff

Winter is coming…

If you haven’t seen “Rise of the Guardians,” we recommend it!

Jack Frost, the main character, teams up with Earth’s guardians, the Avengers! Wait, no, he joins holiday heroes like Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Sandman. Together, they battle Pitch, the veritable lord of nightmares.

But forget all that for now. Look at Jack’s staff!

It is shaped like an avant-garde shepherd’s crook and made of either a gnarled branch or a bunch of brown paper towels wrapped around PVC pipe. This staff creates ice and cold when used by Jack Frost. Generally, he just brings winter to Earth, but when children are in danger of Pitch’s nightmare-scape, he’ll essentially become Frozone from “The Incredibles.”

We’re pretty sure Jack Frost’s staff isn’t the source of his true power, because he became a guardian after saving his brother from ice. THEN he gained frost magic, so it was inside him all along! Isn’t that nice?

8. Mercy’s Staff (Caduceus)

In the picture above, the cosplay staff was made entirely of Legos.

Now, about the staff: anyone who’s played Overwatch knows the importance of healers. No healer is better known than the techno-angelic Mercy, who uses her staff to heal teammates while they fight. We aren’t exaggerating when we say a good medic makes the difference between life and death, victory and defeat.

Wouldn’t it be great if your teammates didn’t also verbally abuse you while playing healer? That would be awesome.

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7. Sailor Moon Staffs

Ever been to Comicon?

If so, you’ve probably seen the Sailor Moon girls. And if you’ve seen the Sailor Moon girls, you’ve probably seen their awesome staffs!

Each one of the Sailors has their own staff, but Sailor Moon herself wields the Moon Stick. The Moon Stick allows Sailor Moon’s alter ego to transform into Sailor Moon. It also allows her to launch attacks such as the Moon Healing Escalation Attack.

If you haven’t seen “Sailor Moon,” do yourself a favor and check it out on Crunchyroll.

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6. Maleficent’s Staff

Quick list: Maleficent’s staff…

Curses Aurora into a deep slumber.
Turns Maleficent into a will-o-the-wisp and then a spinning wheel to complete the requirements of her own curse.
Summon a huge storm, lightning, AND thorns.
Turns Maleficent into a GIANT DRAGON!

Never forget, in the original animated film, this staff performed some of the most exciting and versatile feats of magical power ever to be seen in a Disney movie.

5. Shazam’s Staff

The recent release of Shazam contained what we believe to be a seriously underrated staff! Simply by touching it and saying the wizard “Shazam”s name, orphan Billy Batson turns into a superhero!

While the staff doesn’t actually produce ice, control minds, or open portals like you’d expect from something on this list, it’s still awesome. We believe the ability to turn anyone into a super-strong, lightning-powered hero who can fly gives it a firm bid for Number 5, at least.

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4. Gandalf the White’s Staff

Few character introductions hold a candle to that of Gandalf the White. He appears in a flash of glory and uses pure magical energy to swat aside Legolas’s arrow and Gimli’s ax. When the radiance dies down, you see him fully, in new duds holding a beautiful white staff.

It’s his final form: the original convoluted staff became a shiny, pale piece of artistically intertwined branches. When put to its full use, Gandalf can personally ward off an entire flock of Nazgul.

Even when used without magic, it still can knock orcs over the head with ease. This staff does a whole lot, and looks good doing it! It’s equally as awesome in the old EA “Return of the King” game.

3. Loki’s “Sceptre”

C’mon, people. It’s Marvel.

The scepter was first seen in “The Avengers,” and came back in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” where it helped create Vision. It also helped give Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver their powers.

The staff shoots blue bolts of energy. It uses the power of the Mind Stone. It can control people with just a touch. The pointy end can skewer agents named Coulson. The blunt end can briefly bonk Captain America in the head before he shouts “not today” and spin-kicks you in your shiny, helmeted head.

Alright, that got silly but you got the point: it’s awesome!

Although you might not be able to wield Thor’s hammer, Loki’s scepter can be just the tool you need to plan your own alien invasion.

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2. Wabbajack

There may never be another game like Skyrim. Our fingers are crossed so hard for Elder Scrolls 6, we can’t even tell you.

In Skyrim, there were many staffs. Dragon priest staffs shot elemental energy, Magelight staffs performed great alteration spells. Conjuration staffs like the Sanguine Rose brought Dremoras from the planes of Oblivion. Yet, despite all of that…

No. Other. Staff. Can. Turn. Someone. Into. A. Sweet Roll.

Wabbajack is the Daedric artifact of Sheogorath, the Daedric prince of madness. When using it on an enemy or an NPC or chicken that looked at you funny, it will have a completely random effect on them.

Maybe it will turn them into a bunny who scampers off in fear. Maybe it will make them explode in a blur of lightning. The Wabbajack essentially throws its target into a lottery where anything can happen to it.

It will forever live on in our hearts as one of the most wildly, delightfully unpredictable weapons in video game history.

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1. Gandalf the Grey’s Staff

Let’s get this line out of the way from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Though frankly, every line that comes out of Gandalf’s mouth sounds a little mystic and exciting, in no small part thanks to the acting prowess of Ian McKellan.

According to the novels, generally, Gandalf uses it to channel his own magic. In the movie, this can be seen when he illuminates the Mines of Moria and fights the Balrog. In the books, we particularly enjoyed when the fellowship was stuck in a tree and Gandalf pretty much burned the forest down to ensure their escape. That was intense!

Aside from Loki’s sceptre, this can be considered the most popular and widely known staff in pop culture. Gandalf the White’s never captured the universal charm and simplistic beauty of this one, with its white crystal held in the twisted branches.

Conclusion

Eat your heart out, swords.

These staffs go to show that your typical weapon might not be the most effective. Though you shouldn’t bring a knife to a gun fight, bringing a staff to a Nazgul fight might be in your best interest.

If we missed anything you wanted to see, let us know about it in the comment section below.

Which MCU weapon should you wield? (Quiz)

See what weapon best suits your personality.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the home of many iconic weapons – Infinity Gauntlets that can erase the universe with a single snap, swords that unlock bridges to other planets, and staffs that can take over people’s minds. There’s something for everybody, but which is the right one for you? Take our quiz below and find out which weapon from “Avengers: Endgame” you should take into combat!

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Satisfied with your choice? If not, just grab the nearest Time Stone and go for a do-over. Let us know what you got in the comments below, and we’ll see you in theaters!

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should also totally check out the new trailer for “Spider-Man: Far from Home.” Get ready for a wild ride!

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10 most evil MCU villains

Dirty, vile, and despicable don’t even come close to describing these baddies. Check out the worst of the worst here.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

In a world populated by colorful and outsized heroes, it stands to reason that they’ll be going up against some pretty evil baddies. The MCU has more than its fair share of villains, with a rogue’s gallery spanning the course of 22 films. Here, we’re narrowing down the cream of this malevolent crop and taking a look at the worst baddies around.

Note: for this article, we’ll solely be looking at villains that have been portrayed in the MCU.

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10 most evil Marvel villains

10. Kaecilius- “Doctor Strange”

doctor strange kaecilius — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

It’s hard to call a guy like Kaecilius “evil;” he certainly doesn’t think of himself as a bad guy. After the tragic deaths of his wife and son, Kaecilius becomes convinced that he can use the mystic arts to return his loved ones to him. As a result, he betrays The Masters of the Mystic Arts and The Ancient One, attempting to bring a vastly destructive cosmic being known as Dormammu to Earth.

Though his motivations are understandable, his methods are what land him on our list. He’s not above ruthlessly executing anybody standing in the way of his goals, and gives almost no thought to collateral damage.

If not for the intervention of Doctor Strange, Kaecilius would have razed entire cities and potentially destroyed the world in the pursuit of his plans.

9. Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger- “Iron Man”

iron man obediah stane — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

The Dude does not abide with this guy.

As the MCU’s first villain, Obadiah Stane certainly left a mark. A former mentor to Tony Stark after his father’s death, Stane was secretly working behind Tony’s back to take control of Stark Industries.

On the surface, Stane appears to support Stark’s goal of shifting the company away from the arms industry. Behind the scenes, Stane has no qualms about selling Stark Industries arms to terrorists and other criminals. He then turns a profit by playing both sides in a conflict.

Driven almost entirely by greed and self-interest, he plays off of Tony’s trust to pursue his own goals. After his betrayal is revealed, Stane becomes Iron Monger and nearly kills Stark in the ensuing battle. Fortunately, Tony eventually gains the upper-hand and vaporizes Stane.

8. Malekith- “Thor: The Dark World”

malekith thor dark world — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

It’s hard to mistake Malekith as anything but a villain. Seriously: his name is Malekith the Accursed, he’s the ruthless leader of the Dark Elves, and his goal is to plunge the universe into eternal darkness. Not exactly the most cheerful guy in the universe, is he? Along with a handful of innocent Asgardians, Malekith’s troops also claim the life of Frigga, Thor’s mother.

As the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith’s cruelty inspired god-like reverence in his followers, but his army was eventually defeated by Thor’s grandfather. Apparently, he didn’t learn his lesson and came back thousands of years later to try again. His cold cruelty and tenacity earned him a spot on our list.

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7. Ronan the Accuser- “Guardians of the Galaxy”

guardians of the galaxy ronan the accuser — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Ronan’s not a great guy.

He’s a racist and a zealot hell-bent on wiping out the Xandarians. He got so far that the only way he could be defeated was a dance battle:

He eventually teams up with Thanos himself to try to destroy the planet Xandar. Unfortunately, Ronan’s own nature got the better of him. He made the mistake of betraying Thanos to try to take the Power Stone for himself. If the Guardians of the Galaxy hadn’t ended up defeating him first, Thanos certainly would have.

6. Alexander Pierce- “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

captain america the winter soldier alexander pierce — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Pierce is the villain that nobody sees coming. Played by consummate good-guy Robert Redford, Alexander Pierce is the level-headed and almost fatherly leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. Behind that carefully constructed facade, however, Pierce is the secret leader of the neo-Nazi organization HYDRA.

His goal is to use computer algorithms and predictive software to summarily execute any latent societal threats using a fleet of unmanned helicarriers. He’s also partially responsible for subjecting Bucky Barnes to years of mental torture and turning him into the mindless killing machine known as the Winter Soldier.

5. Ego- “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

guardians of the galaxy volume 2 ego — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Unfortunately for Peter Quill, his lifelong quest to track down his dad doesn’t turn out the way he hoped. His father turns out to be Ego, a powerful celestial being who takes the form of an actual planet.

At first, he seems to be a pretty cool guy. However, he eventually reveals to Quill that he hopes to wipe out all life in the universe and replace it with an extension of his own consciousness.

He also tells Quill that he wasn’t his only child, and actually killed all the others because they didn’t serve their purpose in his plan. Oh, and he also gave Quill’s mom the brain cancer that eventually killed her. Yeah, not a great dude.

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4. Ultron- “Avengers: Age of Ultron”

Ultron was created with good intentions at heart. Tony Stark built him to be an AI network with the goal of creating global peace, eventually making the Avengers unnecessary. Unfortunately, Ultron took that goal a little too seriously and concluded that the only way to achieve that objective was to eliminate the human race.

It’s the classic story of artificial intelligence outpacing its creators. Think HAL 9000, but on steroids. Ultron’s stated goal is to literally commit wholesale genocide and wipe the planet clean of human life. If that’s not abjectly evil, what is? Though defeated, his actions caused a ripple effect that changed the Marvel Universe and eventually led to the events of “Captain America: Civil War.”

3. Hela- “Thor: Ragnarok”

thor ragnarok hella — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Hela is the big, bad older sister of Thor and Loki. She makes her grand entrance by crushing Mjolnir like it’s nothing and booting her two baby brothers across the universe. She then proceeds to roll up on Asgard to assume her spot on the throne.

She’s got a totally badass outfit complete with a sick antler headdress and she has to the power to literally create giant knives out of thin air. She’s also got a massive undead Dire Wolf as a pet, an army of zombie warriors, and almost singlehandedly wipes out Asgard’s entire army. We’d be impressed if she wasn’t this evil.

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2. Red Skull- “Captain America: The First Avenger”

captain america the first avenger red skull — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

It’s hard to get more evil than a literal Nazi, but Red Skull takes that one step further. He actually betrays the Nazis because they aren’t evil enough for his tastes.

He’s too evil for the Nazis. Let that sink in.

Instead, he starts his own fascist organization known as HYDRA with the goal of dominating the world. Red Skull believed that humans couldn’t be trusted with freedom, and that the only way to ensure a prosperous and peaceful society was through absolute totalitarian control.

He nearly got his way, too. If not for Captain America’s last-minute sacrifice play, his fleet of technologically advanced bombers would have wiped the United States off the map.

1. Thanos- “Avengers: Infinity War“/ “Avengers: Endgame”

avengers infinity war endgame thanos — Image courtesy Marvel Studios

Here he is: the king of all baddies, the Mad Titan himself, the dreaded Thanos. This giant purple people killer doesn’t want to conquer the universe or become the rule of the galaxy. No, Thanos wants to wipe out half of all life. What’s worse than that? He succeeds:

In his view, the universe can’t sustain its own rapidly expanding population. So, unless Thanos steps in to restore balance, all life will eventually be snuffed out. He views his actions as a necessary evil, but in a way, wiping out only half of all life is crueler than wholesale extinction.

As we see in “Endgame,” the survivors are left alive to deal with their grief and guilt, which changes them in plenty of traumatic ways. What lands Thanos in the number one spot is that he’s the only villain that actually succeeds in his plan. He can talk the talk and walk the walk, and that makes him the worst of them all.

Wrapping up

So, there’s our definitive list of the worst the MCU has to offer. Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments, and check back with Softonic for the latest Marvel news.

Are you worthy enough to wield Thor’s hammer?

Take our quiz to see if you could pick up Thor’s mighty hammer.

“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” That’s the inscription Odin placed upon Mjolnir, the infallible weapon wielded by his son, Thor. While Thor is famous for using this hammer, carrying it into battle was not his birthright. It was something he had to earn. If you can’t remember a time where Thor didn’t have his trusty Mjolnir, you might want to re-watch his first film in the MCU. Luckily for you, you can live-stream “Thor” right here!

It takes a lot of internal strength to wield Thor’s hammer, and precious few are deserving of the honor. Are you one of them? Take our quiz and discover whether your are worthy!

Are you worthy of Mjolnir? If not, never fear; as we’ve seen in the MCU, strength can come from the most unexpected of places – don’t write yourself off yet! It may simply be time to “stop trying to be the person you’re supposed to be and start being who you truly are.” Take another crack at it when you’re feeling zen, and we’ll see you in theaters for “Avengers: Endgame!”

‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ trailer teases multi-verse

Does this trailer mean we are getting to see more of the Spider-Verse? Let’s talk about that.

SPOILERS BELOW!

As Tom Holland says at the beginning of the trailer, if you haven’t seen “Endgame” yet, stop right now. There are spoilers ahead!

After the hype train that was “Avengers: Endgame,” we are ready to hop aboard the next one with “Spider-Man: Far From Home:”

In the “Endgame” aftermath, Peter Parker needs to learn how to live in a world without Iron Man. While fighting crime across the Big Apple, Spider-Man decides to take a vacation with his friends. Around this time, Nick Fury is trying to get ahold of him, but Spidey ignores his calls.

After the events of “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Endgame,” Peter has suffered great losses, including his own life, until being snapped back to reality (oh, there goes gravity). We may be seeing a Spider-Man who understands the consequences of being a superhero, so he may want to live life as a normal teenager for a while.

The trailer also gives us another look at Jake Gyllenhaal playing Quentin Beck/Mysterio. Beck appears to be working with Nick Fury on the side of good. He also claims to be from an alternate universe and got there after Thanos snapped his fingers. Fury wants Mysterio and Spider-Man to team up to take down threats that slipped in from alternate universes.

In the comics, Quentin Beck lies about being an alien from another world, so this multi-verse talk might be hot air. Our guess is that Beck is full of it, and the monsters they are facing are under Beck’s control. With Iron Man out of the picture, Beck might be trying to take the role of Earth’s mightiest hero. However, if Beck isn’t lying, then we might get introduced to a live-action Spider-Verse.

Since the trailer confirmed that the movie takes place after the events of Endgame, we now know for certain that Ned, Flash, and MJ all also died from the first snap, and were brought back by the second.

Peter and MJ look like they’re headed for romance in this film, but it will be taking a backseat to the rest of the story. MJ also reveals in the trailer that she knows that Peter is Spider-Man, so now, basically everyone who knows Peter also knows his secret identity.

We’re excited for “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and we luckily don’t have to wait too long. The movie is set to release on July 2 of this year, and we can’t wait to see it. “Endgame” was satisfying but left us wanting more. Thankfully, Spider-Man is on the way.

5 Marvel stories the MCU should use after ‘Avengers: Endgame’

With Endgame in our rearview mirror, it’s time to look ahead at other possible Marvel projects to come.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Now that we got that out of the way…

The aftermath of “Avengers: Endgame” left many fans in tears, both of joy and of sadness. The film presented a satisfying and climactic end to a 22-movie saga that changed the landscape of blockbuster films forever. We don’t know where the MCU is going to go after Endgame, but we do have some theories:

Where does the MCU go after Endgame?

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For many fans, it’s difficult to imagine Marvel ever surpassing Endgame. While this may end up being true, there have been dozens of huge crossover events throughout Marvel’s decades of comic books. One major advantage the MCU has moving forward is Disney’s purchase of FOX. This gives the MCU access to lucrative Marvel characters like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Deadpool. Here are five massive Marvel stories that could end up becoming major successes in the MCU:

5 Marvel stories the MCU should use after “Avengers: Endgame”

5. Secret Invasion

In the comics, the shapeshifting alien Skrulls have been a pain in the side of many superhero teams. This includes the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. The storyline “Secret Invasion” has several key figures in the Marvel Universe being kidnapped and secretly replaced with Skrulls. It leads up to a full-on invasion of Earth.

Earth’s heroes quickly find themselves unable to trust one another, worried that they may be talking to a Skrull. The Skrulls even took the form of several beloved dead Marvel heroes to sew confusion and emotional vulnerability among the Avengers. This is something that could be exploited in a movie adaptation to bring back some fan-favorite characters temporarily.

The invasion force has them combining the powers of several heroes into single beings called Super Skrulls. In this story, the Skrulls use their psychological and scientific prowess to bring the Avengers to their knees.

The Skrulls finally made their MCU appearance in “Captain Marvel,” being portrayed as sympathetic refugees hoping to escape the imperialistic, warlike Kree. While their portrayal in “Captain Marvel” worked in the movie and was a welcome surprise, there are several ways the MCU can turn the Skrulls into a vicious invasion force.

Since “Captain Marvel” took place in the ’90s, they could show a rebuilt Skrull Empire that has since shunned their peaceful ways. Alternatively, they could show a powerful Skrull terrorist force that goes rogue from the Skrulls we already saw. Either way, “Secret Invasion” would be a massive, body-snatching cinematic experience.

4. Annihilation

“Annihilation” was a comic storyline that had many of Marvel’s cosmic heroes like the Silver Surfer, (what would become) the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Nova defending the universe against the unstoppable Annihilation Wave. The Annihilation Wave was a force of millions of insect-like ships led by Annihlus. It was so powerful it managed to subdue both Thanos and Galactus. The storyline is often cited as one of Marvel’s best events ever.

Films like “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” and “Captain Marvel” have expanded on the MCU’s cosmic side for years. They show a delightfully weird and colorful cast of characters and locations. After introducing some of FOX’s Marvel characters like the Silver Surfer, an MCU adaptation of “Annihilation” would be the grand climax the MCU cosmos deserves.

3. Avengers vs X-Men

In many ways, FOX’s X-Men movie franchise can be seen as a precursor to the MCU. While it had its ups and downs, you can’t say that it wasn’t ambitious. Now that Disney owns FOX, the beloved cast of mutants can finally join the MCU. And what better way to introduce them to the Avengers than to have them fight?

The “Avengers vs X-Men” comic event is confusing, overstuffed, and underwhelming. However, this doesn’t mean that the basic concept wouldn’t translate well to the MCU. Pairing up Marvel’s most famous mutants like Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Gambit against the Avengers would be many comic fans’ dream come true.

Since Marvel has had continued success in bringing together huge casts of characters, they should have no problem with this. It’s unfortunate we wouldn’t see iconic Avengers like Iron Man or Captain America suit up to fight the mutants. However, it would nonetheless be a treat for audiences to have two of Marvel’s greatest teams duke it out.

2. House of M

The Scarlet Witch of the comics is a very different beast than the one in the MCU. After experiences devastating losses, she uses her reality-warping powers to change the world. She creates one where everyone she cares about gets their heart’s desire.

In this new world, mutants dominate the world and humans are second class citizens. She rules alongside her adoptive father Magneto and her brother Quicksilver. They try to put an end to the constant human uprisings led by revolutionaries like Luke Cage. Some characters don’t want this world to end. Spider-Man, for example, is a beloved hero in this world who is happily married to the now alive Gwen Stacy.

In the MCU, Wanda has faced incredible loss after the events of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captian America: Civil War,” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” After Thanos brutally resurrects and then murders Vision after she was forced to kill him, Wanda was quickly snapped away by the mad titan.

When she comes back in the climactic battle of “Avengers: Endgame,” she shows a brand new ferocity in her fight against Thanos. She is nearly able to kill him singlehandedly by ripping him apart. This newly revived Wanda is clearly a broken person, which could easily lead her to do some questionable things. This may include rewriting reality. Scarlett Witch is set to appear in a new show for Disney+ called “WandaVision.” If the show follows “House of M,” we will not be disappointed.

1. Secret Wars

Note: This will be about Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars event and not the 1984 original miniseries.

The 2015 crossover event “Secret Wars” changed Marvel Comics forever. It brought an end and new beginning to the shared comic universe that had been running since the early 1960s. As the culmination of Jonathan Hickman‘s amazing Fantastic Four and Avengers runs, “Secret Wars” is arguably the greatest event Marvel has ever produced.

The series has Doctor Doom stealing the power of the omnipotent Beyonders, allowing him to bend reality to his will. Doom uses his new power to create Battleworld, a patchwork of various Marvel universes and timelines, all under his control. Different heroes and villains from across the Marvel Multiverse must band together and fight a hopeless battle against a god.

The Secret Wars storyline brought a rare sense of finality to comic books. While the Marvel Universe continued after “Secret Wars,” it would be one hell of a way to close out the MCU for good.

In conclusion

It’s still hard to believe that the Thanos saga has been concluded. We are happy with the conclusion, we just also want more. What stories would you like to see the MCU adapt moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!

Russo brothers announce Endgame is their last MCU film

It is the end of an era as Joe and Anthony Russo announce they are leaving the MCU for the foreseeable future.

They gave it whatever it took.

Joe and Anthony Russo have announced that “Avengers: Endgame” will be their last MCU film for the foreseeable future.

The Russo brothers began started directing films in the MCU in 2014 with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” They have also directed “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”

“It’s our Endgame, at least for now,” said Anthony Russo in an interview with GamesRadar. “We don’t have any plans for now to make any more Marvel movies. It certainly may come up in the future at some point. We have a wonderful working relationship with [Marvel Studios] and a great passion for what they’re doing.”

The Russo brothers have other non-MCU projects on the horizon, according to IMDb.

Which Avengers: Endgame hero are you?

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The brothers have teamed up with Tom Holland who plays Spider-Man in the MCU for a new movie called “Cherry.” The movie is about an army medic who becomes a drug addict and a bank robber.

Although it is not part of the MCU, the Russo brothers recently announced a project about Marvel’s greatest hero, Stan Lee.

“We are fascinated by the life of Stan Lee and we are actually developing a little something that has to do with his work in the history of Marvel,” said Anthony Russo in an interview with Cinemablend. “But we are not ready to present it or talk about it yet. It’s more of a documentary.”

Seeing the Russo brothers leave the MCU is upsetting. The movies they made for the MCU are some of the best it has to offer. “Avengers: Endgame” had the biggest opening weekend in film history.

We’re sad to see the Russo brothers go. Their love and commitment to the characters have been a joy to witness. We don’t know much about who may or may not be replacing them. Jon Watts will return as director for “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and Scott Derrickson is set to direct the next Doctor Strange film. However, we don’t know who will direct the next MCU team-up film. Whoever it may be, they have big shoes to fill.

How well do you know the MCU? Take this quiz

Think you’re a Marvel movie expert? Prove it with this quiz.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us over a decade’s worth of content, and let’s be honest – it’s a little hard to keep track of everything, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve seen some of the earlier films. How did that Hulk vs Hulkbuster fight end up? Whatever happened to Justin Hammer? Where did Falcon go to lay low after the events of “Captain America: Civil War?”

There are many Marvel fans, but far fewer experts. Are you one of them? Test your knowledge with our quiz:

How do you stack up among your heroes? Would Tony Stark dub thee an Avenger? Or are you a lot of talk and not a lot of results? Don’t worry if you don’t get a perfect score the first time; it’s not too late to change the future. We’re not going to give away any spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame,” but we will send you in prepared!

Which Avengers: Endgame hero are you?

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