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It’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios as an underdog. The multi-billion dollar studio has done the impossible over the past two decades, releasing dozens of movies and TV shows that all share one universe, culminating in some of the greatest and the most successful films of all time. But, in recent years, Marvel has seemed slightly vulnerable. It seemed the wheels were in danger of falling off. So what 2024 changed thatand it happened mostly behind the scenes.
That’s because in 2024, Marvel released only one movie: Deadpool and Wolverine. Is it Easy now to think of the movie as a great successbut despite his very popular characters, he was initially seen as something of a risk. It’s not every day that one of Disney’s brands goes against the grain his family style but Deadpool and Wolverine it was Marvel’s first R-rated film. And a hard R at that. The risk paid off though. The violent and irreverent superhero comedy broke all kinds of box office records, eventually becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. Think about it. Think of all the R-rated movies you’ve seen in your lifetime. Deadpool and Wolverine he surpassed them all.
It was a big, big win for the studio after a few years that, for the most part, fell well below their 2008-2019 expectations. Those years, called the Infinity Saga, saw universal praise and box office success for Marvel’s work, changing the face of Hollywood as we know it. But, in the years that followed, the great successes were as numerous as the disappointments. For every Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madnessthere is one Thor: Love and Thunder. For every WandaVision o Loki there is one Secret invasion o Moon Knight. This will culminate in 2023 with less-than-stellar reviews, and again, for Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and The wonders. Those were balanced by how successful he was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3But as he was raking in the dough, his filmmaker James Gunn was already on the way to make films for the competition. So, not a total win.
The wrong ones need a refocus that resulted Deadpool and Wolverine being the only Marvel movie released in 2024. Which, as we said, was a success. Things have also largely worked out on the TV side. Marvel Animation has released the long awaited X-Men ’97which quickly became a smash, and later the release of Agatha All Long followed, liked by fans and critics.
It is significant because very little of this was part of the original plan. In 2022, the president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige appeared in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con and presented the slate for the next few years. Agate was here, as well as a few films from previous years, but the cohesive direction that fans have seen in the years before Avengers: Endgame he wasn’t there. What was all this construction? We don’t know. And there was no mention of his eventual 2024 saviors Deadpool, Wolverine or the X-Men.
Part of that uncertainty continued in 2024, as creatives like Michael Waldon and Destin Daniel Cretton left their posts on some next. Avengers films. echo It didn’t have much success, and the movies are like it Thunderbolts and Captain America 4 were moved back months while one, Bladehas been postponed indefinitely. A lot was riding on Marvel’s return to Hall H on July 27 of this year and that’s when everything changed.
By the time San Diego Comic-Con 2024 came around, Marvel had reloaded and then some. We will see footage from 2025 The Fantastic Four: First Stepswho had just started filming. The Russo Brothers, directors of many of the biggest and best Marvel movies ever, returned to direct two more. Avengers movies: Doomsday and the great Secret Wars. So, the very expensive cherry on top, the first star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr. would return, as his next great villain: Dr. Doom. Later in the year, plans for a fourth Spider-Man with Tom Holland will also add to the goodwill.
Finally, things had a direction. Finally, the things we wanted to see happened. And even if it felt a bit like going back to what worked before, at least some hope was restored. The return of Downey and the Russians, Spider-Man, the promise of one of Marvel’s biggest untouched properties in the Fantastic Four, plus the success of Deadpool and Wolverine— which itself set up all kinds of new potential thanks to cameos from Gambit, Blade, and Elektra — all worked together to make 2024 a big year for Marvel. After a few years of stumbling, the studio finally found its footing and it happened at the right time. While Marvel prepares several major projects for 2025 and beyond, his old friend James Gunn opens his own DC Universe in direct opposition. Let the games begin.
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