Marvel movies are at a point of cultural dominance that lends its primary characters a sort of mythic level of fame. When the biggest characters in the world make up the main cast, every new introduction is a huge selling point. Fans are still eagerly awaiting tons of new arrivals, but, the MCU handles those debut appearances in strange ways.
Anorigin story can introducea character with a full project, but cameos, bit parts, and small roles can be important to the overall franchise. One would think that the creators in charge of actually making the movies that fans love should be the deciding factor in which characters are used, but that isn’t always the case.
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In an interview withCollider,Werewolf by Nightscreenwriter Heather Quinn discussed the decision to include the somewhat obscure Marvel horror character Man-Thing in the Halloween special. She described it as a decision by Marvel, rather than one by the creative team. She specified that she and her team were given the option to introduce the character rather than the mandate. She also mentioned that “you don’t always just get to tell Marvel who you want from their incredible encyclopedia of characters.” When deciding which established characters to include in a project based on comic books, it could be a simple task of incorporation. The writers decide that the scene needs a monster, so why not make thatmonster a familiar one? However, the rules don’t seem to be that simple.
One of the smartest aspects of Marvel’s cinematic universe concept is its ability to adapt to consistently surprising public reactions. If a relatively minor character becomes hugely popular, Marvel can double down on themwith a solo project. If a figure that was supposed to be significant doesn’t get the warm welcome Marvel was hoping for, they can deemphasize their role in future outings. In some cases, they might even be able to fix what people don’t like about the character. Despite all of this, a character only gets one introduction, and a big debut can be the thing to push a project to a higher level of popularity. This isreminiscent of comic booksin the olden days when no one knew which issues would get popular, and a new character was the only sure thing to move units. The studio is very protective over big reveals, but their insistence on controlling who appears well has negative effects on the franchise.
There’s an ongoing accusation that MCU fans don’t actually care about the quality of the stories in their favorite franchise films. People argue that many viewers see the properties as action figures and will applaud anything as long as their favorite toys show up. This is reductive, but unfortunately accurate when looking at many hardcore devotees. Surely using the fictional characters that brought in fans the way soap operas use character deaths to boost views for sweeps week further devalues the artistic merit of both the projects and their icons. This is not to suggest thatevery comic book characteris a crucial piece of the literary canon. Many were introduced for the same reason in their source material. However, just because something was meaningless in its original incarnation, it doesn’t have to retain its weakest elements in adaptation.
James Gunn is probably the most universally respected creator in the world of superhero media. His work has shaped both the Marvel and the DC franchises, and his projects are almost always among the best in either catalog. One of the most heavily discussed elements of his work on comic book movies is the way he elevates formerly unknown characters.He took Rocket Raccoon, a character with only a handful of appearances and almost no name recognition, and made him one of the most beloved creatures in blockbuster cinema. He took Peacemaker, an almost comically minor figure, and made his solo project one of the biggest TV shows of the decade.James Gunn loves theminor characters he brings into his projects, even the ones he kills off. He finds the heart in one-off nobodies and demonstrates through his art what he sees in them, allowing the rest of the world to see it too.
Creators like James Gunnshould be free to bring to life the beloved and lesser-known characters that inspire him. Marvel could theoretically carefully focus test every character debut and find the perfect project for their grand reveal. Maybe they could find the exact formula to best showcase all their minor figures and get applause from each character’s tiny fanbase. But, in a world where the creators don’t have a say about the characters they get to use, none of those reveals will mean anything. People don’t love these characters because of their name, their costume, or their history. People love characters who are presented in a way that makes people love them.
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