If You Want A Vision Of The Future, Imagine Marvel Movies In Theaters - Forever

Were you worried that the Infinity War movies might mean the retirement of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I can't imagine why you would, unless you didn't understand economics. But anyway, Bob Iger is here to reassure you that not only will the MCU continue past the 2020s, it will never end. 

“Marvel, you’re dealing with thousands and thousands of characters — that will go on forever.”

That's Iger talking to the BBC. He's not even hedging his bets. He's looking to infinity, and beyond. 

Some believe that the superhero thing is a fad. Iger scoffs. 

“No, I don’t think they’re getting weary. But I think we keep raising the bar in terms of telling stories that bring them back, that excite them, that make it feel new and that is what we do for a living.”

We've been hearing the superhero fatigue thing for about a decade now, and I'm sure we'll be hearing it for another decade. It makes good copy, after all, and it gets clicks. But I agree with Iger - this shit ain't going anywhere. Spielberg compared superhero movies to the Western, saying that the Western's hold on cinema eventually slipped. Yeah, after sixty years. And that was back before the studios turned appealing to the public into a science. 

At any rate, I think the Marvel universe is so vast that it can contain multitudes. I've said this before, but I'll say it again - Marvel Studios will pivot and change with the times, and the definitions of what a superhero movie are will change as well. Marvel has characters that span every imaginable genre, that can be used in any kind of story. We're already seeing this happen - yeah, Jessica Jones is a 'superhero' show, but it doesn't have any of the traditional trappings. I bet Doctor Strange will be quite unlike your standard superhero movies. We've already seen Guardians of the Galaxy prove that a superhero film doesn't have to fit a regulation mold. 

For those who think superhero movies represent the death of cinema: sorry! Life's probably not getting any better for you in the near future. Also, on an unrelated note, Marvel is planning on releasing movies until you are dead, and then some.