An Origin Story…
Comic Book movies are here to stay, that much is certain. However, the road here was tougher than nails. It really began in the 1950s in the guise of mini-movies aimed purely at kids, and while some of them weren’t the big gun household name we have come to love, they were still derived from comics. In fact, Dick Tracy aired as early as 1945. They were campy and light-hearted. But by 1951 the first movie of Superman screened. it charmed the kids like nothing before it but failed in comparison to Donner’s Superman that won the hearts of both young and old. It really did make people believe a man could fly.
Burton Begins
Superman may have been a classic but it was not the blockbuster megastar. That honor goes to the Batman, directed by Tim Burton. It was the first ever blockbuster comic book movie. From the controversial casting of lead to full-blown marketing. People were paying to go to the movies just to watch the trailer. Essentially that means it was trending before trending was even a thing. But more than the fluff, was it took itself seriously. Gone was the campiness of the 1966 tv series. Instead, we got a dark and gritty take that resonated with both kids and adults. For the first time, noncomic book people really started to take notice.
As usual Hollywood went Hollywood on its self and we got some real stinkers of adaptations that followed. Even Batman Returns did not pan out as well as Warner hoped. It wasn’t a failure by any means but was divided. Yet today it a cult classic. It was a little ahead of its time I suppose. And while DC was bathing in its success Marvel was desperately trying to get its feet off the ground. Most would be hard pressed to find out the dismal quality of movies that Marvel churned out at this point in its life. Puberty can be cruel I suppose.
Death of a Franchise
DC owned the comic movie and was ready to bring us their third installment of Batman, but creativity conflicts between Burton and the studio had them part ways. And death rode in on a pale white horse, and his name was Joel Schumacher. With his friend not at the helm, Keaton walked, leaving us with blonde bats Val Kilmer. Batman Forever was a success, financially but had mediocre reviews by critics. Schumacher slowly reigned the franchise back to its more child-friendly campy approach. His follow up more or less drowned itself in it. That was the end of the Bat…
Hit-Seeker
Comic book movies were relegated to back burner projects. The genre disappeared into the blackness of the night. But in that darkness, an unlikely hero appeared. Pulled from the scraps of comic book-dom. He was to become the unsung hero that would single-handedly revive the comic book movies. Blade, played by rising star Wesley Snipes became an instant hit. Marvel’s first legit movie success. Ironically because he was such an obscure hero, nobody even knew, even some hardcore fans.
The world had changed, and Marvel due to bankruptcy sold off its most popular characters. Sony grabbed Spider-Man and Fox sunk their claws into X-Men and Fantastic Four. First out of the gate of licensed movies was the merry mutants. Directed by Bryan Singer the X-Men movie went on to become a certified hit. It launched the career of Hugh Jackman, who would go on to play the character for almost two decades. Its sequel X2 would be remembered as one of the best comic book movies to date.
Spiderman would also spin two great movies back to back. But then studio interference would start to sink these ships of success. Singer moves to DC to take on Superman Returns and Brett Ratner steps in to take on The Last Stand. Both movies are a failure. Even Spiderman 3 with the fan favorite Venom just doesn’t resonate with the audience. Wolverine’s solo adventure comes out as well. This was to be the start of the spin-off series. It ends up being a nail in the coffin.
The Nolan Effect
At this point, studios take a huge step back from superhero movies. But beneath the rumble of a crumbled franchises, a hero shall arise. Going by the name of Christopher Nolan, he will single-handedly resurrect the Batman. In fact the entire superhero genre. His gritty take took a superhero to heights they never knew. Batman Begins brought us a hero that could actually exist.
The sequel, The Dark Knight, arguably the best comic book movie ever made. It was the first to break the billion dollar mark. The first to win an Oscar. It changed the game in ways nobody thought possible. But along his side was something no one expected, a B list hero. Iron Man. Produced by the newly formed Marvel Studios. It did surprisingly well. But more than that it laid the foundation for another game changer… a connected or shared movie universe.
Reboot
The superhero movies were back and would a bang. Some studios chose to do prequels. Some were actually refreshing like X-Men First Class, while others felt forced and contrived, case in point The Amazing Spiderman. But while other studios were spitting out movies to retain the licenses, Marvel was slowly building towards the first ever team up movie.
Avengers broke a lot of records on release. But more than that it flipped the game on its head. Every studio now wanted a connected universe, well maybe except for Fox. I think they just wish their movies connected. The world looked to DC to mirror Marvel, but Nolan was done with superhero antics. Eventually persuaded to remain as a producer he helped Zack Snyder get Man of Steel of the ground. The greatest hero of all time was to be DC’s choice to lead the studio into their DCEU.
Disney – God of Hollywood
But while DC and Sony were trying to get their universes going, Disney steps in and just buys Marvel. With all that Mickey Mouse clout behind them, Marvel begins to take things up a notch. Slowly building to a grand finale. Meanwhile, at DC things are falling apart. Rather than choosing to slowly introduce their Justice League member via solo movies like the tried and tested way. They go straight for the kill. But not before first giving us Batman V Superman. A movie that should have been a killer of a movie, but instead killed our hope. Again DC tried to overcompensate and loaded the movie with too much.
DC was waning, but Sony was about to collapse. Trying to build an entire universe around Spiderman was never going to be easy. He may be the poster boy for Marvel, but even his incredible strength can’t carry that weight alone. It probably didn’t help when you realized they were trying to use the Ultimate (alternate) version of the characters. The X-Men found new life with Days of Future Past which found a clever way of bringing two generations of the cast to tell one cohesive story that was also a great adaptation.
MCU
Marvel had become king of the movie, and with great power comes great responsibility to the fans. Marvel wanted their properties back. First on the hit list was the poster child Spiderman. While they weren’t able to stronghold Sony to relinquish him completely they were able to secure a new partnership that would benefit both studios. Meanwhile, Fox had some test footage “leaks’, and after much fan fury, which leads to Deadpool getting green-lighted. It goes on to become the highest grossing R rated movie. Then we had Justice League that was a complete mess. Trying to moves away from their more darker tone they hire Josh Whedon, the guy responsible for the success of the Avengers. But darkness was not their problem. It was just trying to accomplish too much too soon.
Back at Fox, X-Men Apocalypse failed to live up to expectations. Deadpool 2 with its reduced audience reach was the bigger hit. But bigger than the news that was that Disney now had its eye set on Fox. And with its very deep pockets, it was inevitable that soon Fox along with it merry mutants would be under the House of Mouse. The more great news was that DC finally found its footing in Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Even Shazam was a hit. But all that glitters is not gold. Ben Affleck has quit as Batman and Henry Cavil is supposedly out as Superman. This leaves Warner Bros in quite the dilemma. Adding to the mix is the rebooted Batman due 2020.
The Endgame
This brings us to today, after the back to back success of Infinity War and Endgame. Marvel now looks to have its entire roster at hand after acquiring Fox. DC is one good roll but needs to figure out how to move forward. Fox’s X-Men are no more, with all except Deadpool perishing to the Fox deal. Deadpool popularity and success has surely saved him. And that in no small part thanks to Ryan Reynolds.
Good or bad, there are movies that changed the game forever, some of which was so bad it forced a re-think and reboot. Some were so good they made others follow. But both lead to today, today is the golden age of superheroes. From TV to merchandise, there is nowhere you can go without seeing some hero. It is the one genre that can tell a million different stories. The golden age is upon us. Rejoice!
