This is why Marvel is so bad right now

that is a very good question and believe it or not there is a scientific explanation for why the majority of the internet is searching this question right now it's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful film franchise of all time have engrossed nearly $30 billion at the global box office over the release of 32 films including Avengers end game which became the highest grossing film of all time at the time of its release there's something about Marvel that has captured the hearts of millions of movie goers of all ages for many years but why is it that Marvel movies just feel different now what is that magic ingredient that seems to be missing from their new newer films if you've been an MCU movie goer for the past 10 or 15 years you know that in recent years Marvel has begun to feel like a restaurant that used to have mind-blowingly good food back in the day but the stuff they're serving up now just doesn't taste as good as it used to you might not even be able to put your finger on what exactly is different about it you just know that when you walked out of the movie theater after watching Captain Marvel or Ant-Man 3 or even Avengers Age of Ultron you didn't feel the same as you did when you finished watching the classic origin films like Iron Man Thor and Captain America the First Avenger you have to admit even hype for the releases feels different and Marvel fans are pretty vocal about it on the surface all these films look pretty much the same superheroes fighting bad guys blowing stuff up saving the world Etc you'd be hardpressed to find an MCU film that doesn't showcase all the same ingredients attractive Heroes with great hair impeccable abs and superpowers that make them specially equipped to save the day from a predictably terrifying villain throw in a visually stimulating fight scene every 15 minutes crack a few witty jokes slip in a few Easter eggs for the true fans and boom you've got yourself a textbook Marvel movie sure to break the box office and spawn a new line of merch and unsolicited sequels to upsell your audience for the next 10 years the Marvel formula seems pretty solid on the surface so why is it that this franchise is now struggling to please its fan base why is the majority of the internet searching why is Marvel so bad right now better question how did Marvel lose its heart and soul how did they go from creating memorable explosive character-driven stories to serving up forgettable and soulless films bogged down with CGI battle scenes confusing tie-ins and characters we struggle to feel empathy for some might argue that this downward spiral has to do with the killing off of certain key characters in the series or the lack of continuity between films some people say that Marvel shot itself in the foot by pivoting to streaming services and producing 6-hour long Disney plus exclusive Ives focusing on Side characters we never really cared about but I have a different suspicion entirely it is hard to pass the torch from memorable iconic characters like Iron Man Captain America and Thor to less important Side characters who have spent most of their cinematic existence on the sidelines and expect the audience to care just as much about these characters but it's not impossible what if the problem and and the solution lies in one simple Factor the heart of the story what if there is an exact scientific formula to those Phase 1 Marvel movies that made us fall in love with those characters and was strong enough to support a $30 billion franchise in order to find the answers we're looking for let's compare the top three most iconic phase one Marvel films Iron Man Captain America the First Avenger and Thor if we analyze the heart and soul of these three films can we find a commonality can we find a repeatable winning formula that Marvel has actually strayed from in recent years a formula that would make us fall in love with the MCU again so let's get started with today's study and time travel back to 2008 to the first Marvel movie that started it all is it better to be feared or respected I say is it too much to ask for both Iron Man follows a surprisingly simplistic storyline billionaire Tony Stark is an irresponsible champagne swelling Playboy until he gets captured and held as prisoner in enemy territory you have to tomorrow to assemble my missile to say this is a wakeup call would be a serious understatement as a hostage Tony Witnesses firsthand how his company's weapons of war have destroyed innocent people's lives and he vows to write his wrongs and fix the mistakes he's made I want to protect the people I put In Harm's Way after he builds the first Iron Man suit and frees himself his character begins to change from the inside out I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason I'm Not Crazy Pepper I just finally know what I have to do and I know in my heart that it's right we see his moral conviction to do the right thing eclipsing all his previous desires and goals this conviction even overshadows the conflict with the villain of the story because it's not really a story about Tony versus his corrupt business partner it's about Tony versus himself over the course of the movie we watch his character change for the better not just just through the influence of an external Force but through the inner Drive of his own conscience we see him struggle fail and make mistakes but ultimately choose Integrity over selfishness we see the proof that Tony Stark has a heart it may look like a high stakes superhero action film but it all boils down to a simple and universal truth the heart of the story could be described in one word word Redemption I know this neighborhood I got beat up in that alley you just don't know when to give up I could do this all day do you have something against running away you start running they'll never let you stop in Captain America the First Avenger we meet Steve Rogers who has been rejected multiple times for military recruitment due to his many health problems is there anything you can do I'm doing it I'm saving your life but he refuses to let his limitations stand in his way we can see that he spent his life being underestimated but in his heart he has the makings of a hero he is a character driven by principles and a very clear sense of right and wrong he wants to fight for his country but nobody will give him the chance to prove himself capable there are men laying down their lives I got no right to do any less than them I can offer you a chance when he he gets chosen for the super soldier experiment he finally has the chance to do something important and we watch how this pivotal decision transforms him both physically and emotionally but he still struggles with feeling insignificant and wrestles with a desire to do more his moment of purpose shows up when he goes Rogue to help rescue his best friend from Behind Enemy Lines and his moment of ultimate heroism appears at the end when he sacrifices his own life on a suicide mission in order to save millions of people you're going to need a rain check on that dance all right again this story isn't so much about Steve versus the villainous Schmidt of Hydra it's about Steve versus himself he needs to pull on something deeper within his character in order to give up his future and save the world again it may look like a high stakes superhero action film but it all boils down to another simple core truth of humanity the struggle to do the right thing in a moment of Crisis the heart of the story could be described in one word sacrifice you all right you death right IM me Thor with so puny what he was freaking me out many people have described the first Thor movie as a sort of Shakespearean superhero drama film since the story follows iconic characters from Norse mythology and focuses on some very angsty family drama you are a vain greedy cruel boy and you are an old man and a fool you're unworthy banishments illegitimate Sons hostile takeovers and brothers beating The Living Daylights out of each other this kind of shakesperian Storytelling may be considered old-fashioned or not flashy enough for modern audiences but there's a reason why simple character-driven stories never go out of style Thor is a powerful Warrior and heir to the throne of Asgard but his inheritance hits a snag when his father Odin Exiles him to Earth as punishment for his arrogance now take from you your power I cast you out on Earth Thor must learn the value of humility and compassion as he forms a bond with a group of scientists and falls in love with a mortal woman you will save it's over meanwhile back in Asgard Thor's mischievous brother Loki schemes to take the throne for himself I will conceal you and a handful full of your soldiers lead you into Odin's Chambers and you can slay him where he lies driven by his jealousy of Thor and his maniacal desire to prove himself a worthy son Loki does everything within his power to destroy his brother but he ultimately fails when Thor comes back swinging for the final climax after confronting his own flaws and learning a valuable lesson about what it means to be a good leader I have much to learn I know that now someday perhaps I shall make you proud Thor and Loki's character arcs are good side-by-side examples of the two very different directions this need for belonging can lead you in in fact I did a whole analysis video on Loki's negative character Arc in a separate video which I will link in the corner if you want to check it out but once again if you peel back the external layers of this movie you'll you find a central human struggle running through its core the heart of the story could be described in one word belonging comparing these three iconic pillars of the MCU it's not hard to see what they have in common protagonists with flaws fears and desires protagonists who make mistakes and have moments of weakness but who ultimately overcome their misbeliefs to change from the inside out characters who don't just find themselves in a high stakes war with a powerful villain but who find themselves in a personal internal battle with themselves a recurring ingredient to all three of these films is that at the end the protagonist finds a better person than they began the story because like I always say story is not about what happens it's about how what happens affects and transforms the characters we don't care as much about what happen happens as we care about who it happens to and that's what Marvel did such an excellent job of in the first phase of their films they made us care about the who by seeing these characters internal struggles by making them just as human and flawed as the rest of us we can more easily relate to the inner struggles that the characters in Phase 1 face because they more closely resemble struggles we face as ordinary human beings every day the desire for life to make a positive difference in the world the urgent need to fix the mistakes we've made the search for personal significance and identity the scope of these goals may have been smaller and simpler but they were more powerful cap trying to save his best friend from danger Tony Stark striving to be a better man Thor overcoming his childish arrogance to be a responsible son and a compassionate brother we connect with these characters not because they're super human but because they are human the stakes were higher on an internal level and we were allowed the intimacy of knowing these characters Hearts knowing them on a personal level and relating to their struggles because we've lived those struggles too in a different way we saw ourselves in those characters and that's what made us fall in love that's what made us relate that's what made us willing to collectively hand over3 billion dollars to see more movies like this but in recent years Marvel has not made movies like this instead of giving us characters with human desires fears and misbeliefs we've been bombarded by stories with heartless soulless protagonists who care more about flexing their physical strength and looking badass than actually developing as a person protagonists who could almost pass for antagonists to put it bluntly Marvel has taken the hero out of superheroes their movies are no longer centered around moral integrity and underscoring themes like love sacrifice Redemption forgiveness and compassion instead the general takeaway seems to be higher further faster modern MCU protagonists are starting to look less and less like the heroic icons of the past and more like the attention seeking narcissists of the future not a great plan they may storm around in high-tech suits destroying the bad guys and saving the day but if the moral integrity and heart of the story is lost between visually stimulating CGI sequences and comedic timing then what on Earth is the [Applause] point now I'm not saying that Marvel Phase 1 movies are without fault nor am I saying that Marvel is now incapable of creating character-driven and meaningful movies and in fact films like Shang Chi and the legend of the 10 rings are a pleasant reminder that Marvel still has what it takes to make us care about a character's internal conflict and underscore themes of moral Integrity I think we can all agree that Marvel Phase 1 movies had a certain Beauty and Magic to them they were the good old-fashioned superhero movies that audiences miss and want to see more of because believe it or not higher further faster isn't always better sometimes less is more stories with flawed characters who face human struggles and ultimately change for the better will always be timeless this is the soul that Marvel has lost over the years through cinematic one-upmanship to constantly outdo themselves with convoluted intersecting plots s sensory overload CGI and morally bankrupt themes of narcissism disguised as self-empowerment it is my sincere hope that Marvel will take a lesson from the stories that made them great and get back to basics back to heartfelt and meaningful themes like Redemption sacrifice and belonging if they spend more time focusing on building characters who are deeply flawed but striving to heal their hurts mend what they've brok broken and come out the other side a better person I think it would change the whole way audiences feel about these films if you're a writer watching this right now and you want to write characters that people will fall in love with that your audiences will care about and root for and be inspired by then I hope this video has given you something to think about remember you can ask yourself these questions about any of your characters to deepen their internal conflict and make them that much more human and relatable what is the protagonist's internal conflict what do they want and what are they afraid of what is the protagonist's clear goal why does it matter to them what is the protagonist's Fatal flaw and how do they overcome it throughout the story if I had to describe the heart of this story in one word what would that one word be I'd love to know your thoughts on all of this so comment below and join the discussion tell me what you think what is your favorite MCU film and why what are some creative decisions that you would make to Marvel's most recent films to make them more memorable and lovable as a writer I try to write the kinds of stories that I want to read the kinds of stories that I want to see more of in the world and that's what I've been doing these past few years I've been looking at Marvel Phase 1 films and looking at that good oldfashioned superhero genre and really wanting to to see more of that in the world more of that in books and that's why over the past few years me and my sister Kate who's also an author have been working on a super special series that we cannot wait to share with you guys we're still in the writing phase but we're hoping to release the first book by next year and we're really really stoked this Series has so many original unique qualities to it but it also has that nostalgic good oldfashioned superhero feel of Marvel Phase 1 Meets Mission Impossible so if you need more stories like this in your life you don't want to miss the release of this series that me and my sister are doing it's going to be amazing and you can get on the wait list to hear all of the new updates about this series and be the first one to know when we're getting ready to release it you can get on that wait list in the description box below this video you'll find the link for that we haven't really officially announced it to anybody yet so it's kind of like top secret but you can get on the the wait list and get excited because it's going to be great it's going to be awesome smash that like button if you liked this video and be sure to subscribe to this channel if you haven't already because I post writing videos every single Wednesday and I would love to have you here in the community also be sure to check out my patreon because that's where we go beyond videos and take storytelling to the next level the patreon community is not only the best way to support what I'm doing here on YouTube but it's also the only way to connect one-on-one with me and get access to exclusive content like monthly live trainings diving into different aspects of writing and publishing as well as my private Discord server you can find all of that and more at patreon.com Abby Emmons I hope to see you over there until next week my friend rock on but what if we cut out the scenes before this revealing the antagonist's plans it would change the whole tone of this pivotal moment instead of being the victim of the villain's attack Steve becomes the active hero in an unexpected situation this is the difference between an omniscient View and deep point of view

Channel: Abbie Emmons

Views: 415,633

Keywords: why is marvel so bad, the rise and fall of marvel, marvel movies, the marvels 2023, captain marvel, captain america, mcu, the marvels movie, captain marvel 2 trailer, why is marvel phase 4 so bad, iron man, thor, marvel phase 1 explained, why does everyone hate marvel

Id: whAXzMySsgA

Length: 21min 12sec (1272 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 11 2023