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“I Am Iron Man”: The Game-changing Age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

We are coming to an end of an era. In 2008, Robert Downey Jr. uttered the famous line “I am Iron Man” and the film industry has never been the same. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has now become a staple of the movie going experience. And, while this certainly isn’t the end of the world Marvel has expertly crafted over these eleven years, we felt it was appropriate to highlight Marvel’s accomplishments as we wait for Avengers: Endgame to be released.

No film company had ever attempted to create a series of films that would be intricately connected. We’ve had films telling one overarching story such as The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series but we had never seen films that would focus on completely different characters, stories, etc. whose stories would then ultimately intersect with each other. Sure, there have been films that make nods to one another as if they all exist in the same universe. Marvel’s attempt was a more bold and daring risk, however. If too many of these films failed, the whole idea could easily collapse on itself.

Luckily, Phase One of the MCU was met with enough success to get audiences excited for the first big crossover movie Avengers Assemble. It’s funny to look at this first set of movies in retrospect considering most are decent at best. We as an audience now have such a high standard for the quality of these movies that decent simply isn’t good enough anymore and there’s no telling what would have happened to the MCU had we applied the standards we have today to these earlier films.

But aside from creating a new form of storytelling in the film industry, the MCU followed in The Dark Knight‘s footsteps by pushing the boundaries on superhero films being taken seriously. It may have taken them several years to perfect their craft but the likes of the Russo Brothers, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler, and Taika Waititi reshaped the characters they were given and created compelling narratives. This hard work and dedication finally paid off with Black Panther being the first superhero film to be nominated for the Best Picture category for the 2019 Academy Awards.

The hard work and dedication Marvel poured into their works has trickled to other companies. Because they were so desperately trying to catch up to Marvel and score at the box office, we were given our first widely successful female superhero film Wonder Woman and our dark, broody film Logan which was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2018 Academy Awards. And, of course, who could forget Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse?

But probably the most important contribution the MCU has made that continues to pick up traction with each passing year is the diverse representation. What began as standard superhero movies is now skyrocketing with a wide range of cast members. Most of the films that we have already mentioned fit into this category and things are only looking to get better from here.

We may not have realised it at the time, but the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed the game. And we can only wait to see what new boundaries Marvel with push with their next phase.

How has the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed your life? How do you think it will continue to impact the film industry? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!

About the author

Jillian Diblasio