Avengers: Endgame was the fantastic end to the first arc of an even more ambitious experiment in film history: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A mega conglomerate of various characters previously scattered to the winds through various rights holders, the MCU is basically the Infinity Gauntlet of cinematic universes.
But if you go back a couple decades, it was a possibility that didnt look like itd ever get off the ground. It took a lot of time and business dealings through various movers and shakers, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe eventually formed into the beast that it is today through some well-timed moves.
Of course, there are still some properties out there, in the wild, waiting to come home. And then there are others, with Fox's X-Men franchise being arguably the biggest, which have recently been brought back into the fold, but need to have their entrances planned. Either way, the history behind Marvels cinematic endeavors, and how they came to be, spell out the hurdles of both the company's past and future films, and how they complicate the completion of Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. So let's go over them!
How The Marvel Movies Came Into ExistenceBefore Marvel Studios existed, Marvel Entertainment Group was the big tent under which Marvel Films operated as a division. The properties of the storied Marvel Comics brand would be shopped to other studios for production, and this era led to some interesting results.
Under the Marvel Entertainment Group era, the original film versions for both The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren and Captain America with Reb Brown were made, as well as an entire film version of The Fantastic Four produced by Roger Corman. That last project was never officially released, seeing as it was merely made in order for production company Constantin Films to keep the rights, but neither The Punisher or Captain America were terribly big hits.
Eventually, Marvel Studios was born out of Marvel Films past history, and started with a big deal involving 20th Century Fox. For seven years, Fox and Marvel Studios would make films like the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, as well as Daredevil and Elektra. But even with that deal in place, and producer Avi Arad as the big wheel behind it all, the universe of Marvel films was fractured due to a lot more licensing deals in the works with other studios.
How The Rights For Marvels Early Films Were SplitAs previously mentioned, The Punisher and Captain America were both previously made into films, as was The Fantastic Four under the older Marvel Entertainment Group run of things. But in addition to those properties, there were two really big hits that happened at other studios, all thanks to Marvels practice of licensing to almost anyone who had the right deal.
The first was 1998s Blade, which made New Line Cinema a big name in the late 90s, as well as boosted Wesley Snipes star standing in Hollywood. The franchise would run for three films, and one TV show, with Blade: Trinity being the final film in that particular line.
The second, and perhaps most successful run of films outside of the Fox deal was Spider-Man, which was licensed to Sony alongside a whole bunch of spinoff possibilities. Starting with 2002s Spider-Man and running through 2014s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the five Spidey films ran before and during the MCUs launch.
Some other notable set-ups in the wilderness years were the fact that New Line Cinema originally had the rights to Iron Man, as well as the fact that Lionsgate precursor Artisan Entertainment had a deal to make films with heroes such as Thor, Black Widow, Deadpool and The Punisher. Lionsgate would make an attempt at Marvel cinematic glory with Punisher: War Zone, but the film would only find its feet as a cult hit in the years after its release.
Last, but not least, Universal Studios held the rights to two characters, Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner, which would only see one of those characters leading their own movie pre-MCU (2003's Hulk). Still, this positioned the studio to become a future power player as Marvel Studios entered its next phase.
How The Marvel Cinematic Universe Came TogetherThere was an idea: that Marvel Studios would partner with a big Hollywood fixture to create a singular slate of superhero hits for the public to see. And this idea ultimately came down to two potential partners: Universal, which had Hulk and Namor, and Paramount, which was a more amenable partner when Universal didnt work out.
As early as 2004, Marvel Studios had a slate of heroes it wanted to use which included the following heroes and properties: Ant-Man, The Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Cloak & Dagger, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Power Pack and Shang-Chi. The initial plan was to deliver two films a year, aimed squarely at the PG-13 rating.
Eventually, acquisitions would be made, and Iron Man would join that group, as well as Universal coming aboard with a deal that allowed an MCU-set Hulk film to be made. Hulks rights would be at Marvel, with Universal retaining a stake in that character, as the studio has right of first refusal for distribution.
Through all of these shake-ups and shifts in power, one man rose to the top: Kevin Feige. Starting out in the early days of Marvel Studios, Feige went from junior executive to President of Production with Iron Man, installing him as the mastermind who would see the MCU become a beacon of comic movie making.
The studio that started operations out of a Mercedes Benz dealership became a powerhouse with 2008s Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr, and eventually was bought in 2009 by the Walt Disney Company for a cool $4 billion. Slowly, other properties like Daredevil, The Punisher and Blade would be reacquired after their runs with other studios expired. That said, there are still some interesting logistics that would need to shake out, in order for the MCU to become whole again.
The Notable Properties Still Outside Of The Marvel Cinematic UniverseWhile the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, by and large, a pretty collective whole, theres still some gaps that are outstanding in the total portfolio. While some of these are patched thanks to recent deals and shared agreements, its still an interesting landscape to take a deeper look into.
In particular, there seem to be three studios that have stood in the way of Disney and Marvel completing their Infinity Gauntlet of intellectual property. One has already become a vanquished foe of sorts, with two still going strong. Heres where we stand so far with the most notable properties outside of the MCU, and the studios that hold the cards. First off, let's look at that vanquished foe, Fox.
The Marvel Rights Held By FoxObviously, before its acquisition, 20th Century Fox held some pretty powerful cards in its Marvel Universe deck. While Daredevil and Elektra eventually went home to Marvel proper, Fox still held onto some pretty big names in the Marvel Universe. Most importantly, Fox still had the X-Men series, with The New Mutants and Deadpool spun off from that world.
But in addition to those popular titles, 20th Century Fox had the Fantastic Four series in its back pocket. With two relatively successful films in 2005 and 2007, and the not-so-successful reboot in 2015, Fox retained ownership of that particular property, making any potential crossover adaptations even harder to potentially execute.
However, since 20th Century Fox has been newly acquired by the Walt Disney Company, the only real questions with these characters is how to incorporate them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe fold, through both pre-existing films and/or reboot potential. Still, this turn of events being such a recent development does scupper any sort of crossover hopes for the time being, as even Kevin Feige has mentioned that in the case of the X-Men, itll be years before anything happens.
The Marvel Rights Held By UniversalWhile Universal only has two properties that it can lay claim to tying up, both seem to be in somewhat usable shape with Marvel Studios. In the case of The Hulk, the problem isnt as pronounced, as Marvel and Universal share ownership of the character.
However, the big problem comes from Universal getting a right of first refusal for distribution rights to any future Hulk films. Which means that so long as that clause is in play, and the public demands a solo film with Bruce Banner and his green rage filled half, it probably wont happen as Disneys going to want to distribute without as much interference as possible
The only other character that Universal laid claim to was Namor the Sub-Mariner, and while he has recently reverted to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are still some complications involved. Though, when last asked about the subject, Kevin Feige specified that it was really a matter of where or when Namor would pop up in the MCU.
The Marvel Rights Held By SonyThe greatest thorn in the side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, without question, Sony and its grasp on the rights to the Spider-Man films. With Disney and Sony sharing the usage of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony still gets to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control over Spider-Man.
On top of that, there are other Marvel characters that Sony maintains ownership over, with an entire slate of films that it has branched its properties out into. Starting with last years big hits Venom and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the Sony contingent looks strong as ever. Though there are further films that are in the works that will only complicate any future moves that Disney may have in the works to make Peter Parker a part of its family.
In particular, the Morbius and Spider Women films in production could potentially make Sony the biggest source of competition for Disney and Marvel Studios. Should the Silver Sable or Black Cat projects that were previously mentioned as in production get back on track in their own ways as well, thats another source of revenue that only makes Sonys hold on Spider-Man that much greater.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a pretty expansive haven of Marvel Comics intellectual property, and in its current state, its pretty comprehensive. But with the outstanding rights issues and decisions ahead that Marvel Studios still faces, there will still be limits as to which characters and storylines will be able to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
For now though, Avengers: Endgame signifies the height of the MCUs character roster, and can be enjoyed by audiences all over in theaters now.
'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Could Soar to $140M Debut The box-office countdown has begun for Zack Snyder's hotly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Zack Snyder's
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: Understanding The Dawn of (In)Justice
'The Green Hornet': Seth Rogen Remembers Nicolas Cage's 'Insensitive' Idea to Play A 'White Jamaican' Villain "That sh*t was crazy," Rogan says about what Nicolas Cage had planned
Nicolas Cage to Play the 'Gangster Villain' in Green Hornet
Andrew Garfield Reveals Which Part Of Playing Spider-Man Felt 'Really F-ing Good' Associated Press AP March 19, 2019 8:44 pm March 19, 2019 Off 42 Share This Post
Andrew Garfield Reveals Which Part Of Playing Spider-Man Felt
will the crypto bubble burst? follow the news and predict
John Wick 3 Won't Bring Back One Of The Coolest Characters
Crazy Frozen 2 Theories That Might Actually Be True With the release of Frozen 2's trailer, we finally got a glimpse of what's to come for Elsa, Anna and Olaf. With such dramatic and beautiful
What Frozen 2 Might Actually Be About - CelebeRazzi
Captain Marvel Fan Theory Suggests Thunderbolt Ross Is A Skrull
After going back to the '90s in Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson wants to see more of Nick Fury's past explored.Ever since making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Iron Man's stinger, the now former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been one of the most frequently used characters, making appearances in some of the MCU's biggest films.
Samuel L Jackson Still Wants to Dig Deeper Into Nick Fury's Past
Disney And Fox Just Approved The Big Merger
Killer gummy bears, deadly ventriloquist dolls, and creepy creatures, oh my. Sony's first trailer for "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween" explores these childhood horrors. The film follows a
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Trailer #2 Brings on the Monsters
Ryan Reynolds Had A Bonkers Original Pitch For Deadpool 2
That is to say, since the Tuesday announcement of Colin Trevorrow's firing as director of Star Wars: Episode IX (with Lucasfilm reaching the conclusion that his and the company's "visions
We May Know Why Colin Trevorrow Was Fired From Star Wars
How Much Dark Phoenix Made On Opening Night Nick Evans. 4 days ago. Random Article Blend. After a long road to the screen that saw it delayed multiple times, Dark Phoenix has finally arrived. The
How Much Dark Phoenix Made On Opening Night | MyEntertainmentNews
movie streaming history
cars movie streaming
xbox one movie streaming
elf on the shelf movie streaming
movie streaming sites indonesia
scary movie streaming
does disney have a movie streaming service
movie streaming terbaik
free movie streaming
movie streaming vo
can't help falling in love movie streaming
movie streaming australia
movie streaming membership
www.free movie streaming
is bohemian rhapsody movie streaming
best movie streaming websites
what is the best movie streaming
movie streaming app
movie streaming quora
best movie streaming app
legal movie streaming sites
disney movie streaming service
movie q streaming
top 25 movie streaming sites
movie streaming hindi
watch movie streaming online
one two jaga full movie streaming
sully movie streaming
movie streaming urls
it full movie streaming free
movie streaming mac
network movie streaming
movie streaming ubuntu
exodus movie streaming
online movie streaming app
xbox movie streaming
now and then movie streaming
rudolph the red nosed reindeer movie streaming
movie streaming uk legal
rbg movie streaming
movie streaming script
kulari ke pantai full movie streaming
movie streaming korea
movie streaming disney
streaming movie zero
full movie streaming youtube
how safe are movie streaming sites
movie streaming ita
movie streaming philippines
best online movie streaming site
aquaman movie streaming
movie streaming app ios
good movie streaming sites
movie streaming movie 4k
xfinity movie streaming
movie streaming zgemma
xbox one movie streaming sites 2019
your name movie streaming
vacation movie streaming
streaming movie tiger zinda hai
movie streaming virus
movie streaming gift card
movie zone streaming
nonton dilan 1990 full movie streaming
apple movie streaming service
movie streaming revenue
movie streaming on xbox one
movie streaming release dates
movie streaming guide
movie streaming link
equalizer 2 full movie streaming
free movie streaming yahoo answers
cold war movie streaming
yts movie streaming
movie streaming ninja
movie streaming check
uri movie streaming
movie streaming theme wordpress
nonton si doel the movie streaming
top online movie streaming sites
movie streaming now
goosebumps movie streaming
best movie streaming service
zovioz.com unlimited movie streaming
movie streaming new releases
movie streaming industry
movie streaming bandwidth
youtube movie streaming
movie streaming websites ps4
movie streaming sites uk
movie streaming us free
i can only imagine free movie streaming
does apple have a movie streaming service
online bollywood movie streaming
rampage full movie streaming
top 5 movie streaming sites
movie streaming monthly subscription
zac efron ted bundy movie streaming
movie streaming template free
movie streaming sites 2019
movie streaming websites 2019
new movie streaming
what is amazon movie streaming
movie streaming no sign up
movie streaming comparison
does amazon have movie streaming
movie streaming for android
qnap movie streaming
top 10 movie streaming sites 2018
the best movie streaming service
zero movie streaming
my hero academia the movie streaming
movie streaming glass
the best movie streaming app
movie streaming korean
pengabdi setan full movie streaming
what is the best movie streaming site
#birdbox #blacksuccess #watchluxus #putitinreverseterry #saladetv #watchswag #Seriale #fireworks #independenceday #blackenterprise #watchthemoonrise #blacksocialmedia #CASAMXhostales #WatchMovies #Filma24 #watchdose #Qesh #getsome #filmyorumu #watchwomen #watchful #blackiflix #watchblogger #Zgerdhiu #socialstreaming #merica #watchobsessed #watchhill #blackking #blackhistory365 #movietime #blackqueen #Filma #tvroomdesign #murica #watchquiz #HostalCASAMXalameda #watchmovies #netflixturkiye #netflix #watchpornid #watchmvmt #watchingthesunset #melaninmagic #WatchRoss #firecrackers #Serialemetitrashqip #watchnerds #blacktech #FreeMovies #filmography #movieaddict #sandrabullock #4thofjuly #Movies #watchbrandname #TvSeries #TVSHow #blackbusiness #watchfamily #watchcandy #watchuswork #watchmaniac #filmlover #hostales #watchphoto #america #blavity #americanflag #WatchJunkie #SomosTuConexi
