Summary
While there is no shortage of critics for theMarvel Cinematic Universe, recent comments from a former Marvel star about what the franchise does for the industry as a whole do seem harder to simply brush aside as disconnected.
TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas become the sole face of the superhero genre in its traditional form, with the Avengers and their allies embodying the ideas that projects likeInvincibleandThe Boyshave become so popular for subverting. While the franchise has certainly seen better days, it has consistently been a financial success on the whole and retained a lot more fan interest and goodwill than the competition. While DC Studios has seen massive reorganization and a pending reboot of its whole franchise, Marvel Studios has most recently seen a massive return to great heights with the success ofDeadpool & Wolverine, which quickly proved to be one ofthe best-performing R-rated movies ever.
While its theatrical release gave Marvel Studios a much-needed win,Deadpool & Wolverineprobably won’t affect the MCU much, and a former Marvel star seems to think so as well as he gives a pretty heavy dose of criticism to the genre as a whole. In a recent interview covered byVariety, celebrated actor Brian Cox was asked about the current state of popular media, and he had some sharp words on offer in response. “What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do,” Cox explained. “I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it’s lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it’s beginning to implode, actually. You’re kind of losing the plot.” Cox went on to use the recent success ofDeadpool & Wolverineas a point of illustration, explaining that the genre has become diluted due to so many projects despite the massive profits.
So it’s just become a party time for certain actors to do this stuff. When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a bit more, Ryan Reynolds… they go down that road and it’s box office. They make a lot of money. you may’t knock it.
Cox, who previously starred in the second film in Fox’s X-men trilogy, which wasmore recently released in 4k Steelbook form, played the role of William Stryker, the man who created the iconic adamantium-laden Wolverine through the infamous Weapon X program. The actor joked about this after mentioning the character’s latest outing, saying, “Deadpool meets…Wolverine, who I created, but I’ve forgotten. Actually, when those films are on, there’s always a bit of me [as Stryker], and they never pay me any money.”
Cox doesn’t seem particularly antagonistic toward the MCU and might even follow the franchise’s many projects after some fashion. As a result, his comments seem to be in line with the complaints of many longtime fans of the MCU and others with a focus on fixing things. The comic book movie genre has certainly changed a ton since Cox gave his well-renowned performance as Stryker, and the general point is certainly one that people can relate with.Marvel fatigue has been demonstrable since 2021, and the perpetual onslaught of comic book adaptations has made each new project less of a spectacle. While occasional exceptions likeDeadpool & Wolverinedo make a big impact, the bulk of more recent projects lack the feel of earlier work likeThe Avengersdespite having comparable budgets, bigger stakes, and bigger audiences.
Deadpool & Wolverinehas rightly highlighted thatmoving past the Fox universe is long overdue, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons to be taken from that franchise. While Cox played a small but important role within it, the star’s opinion on the state of things shouldn’t be dismissed without some thought as to how it can help the franchise and the industry as a whole do better.
All of theMarvel Cinematic Universeis available for streaming on Disney+.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
