MCU

July 1, 2023
How a stew of artistic conflicts, outsized egos, and commercial disputes somehow produced magic. At some point, the movies based on the Avengers superhero group and its individual members ceased to be just comic-book entertainment; they became cultural touchstones. Robinson, Gonzales, and Edwards bring extensive knowledge to the task of determining how, and they obviously love the craft of cinema. Marvel Studios largely declined to cooperate, so this unauthorized story was pieced together from public sources and off-the-record interviews. The person tying the pieces into a cinematic whole was Kevin Feige, who started at Marvel in 2000 and acted as ringmaster to an ever growing circus of writers, directors, actors, and technical specialists. The first Iron Man movie saved the company from ruin and set the larger project in motion, although at the time it was an incredible risk. Feige was willing to take chances with casting, ranging from the mercurial Robert Downey Jr. to Chris Hemsworth, relatively unknown until Thor. The first Avengers movie was both a culmination and a crucial step forward. Feige was always determined that emotional development was the narrative key, an approach that was demonstrated as the multiple arcs came together in Infinity War and Endgame. The authors follow the pushing and shoving that occurred in the creative backrooms, and it is astonishing to see how everything came together, often at the last moment. Feige was able to effectively use CGI, but in less capable hands, the technology could have easily overwhelmed the story. It is unclear where Marvel Studios will go from here, and subsequent movies have lacked focus. One problem with this book is that it's patchy and overlong, as the authors spend too many pages chronicling corporate shenanigans and side projects. A stronger editorial hand would have improved the text, but nevertheless, it's a solid, fairly authoritative account. The book includes a timeline. Something important took place when the Avengers assembled, and this book provides the background for the sprawling canvas.

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Starred review from August 28, 2023
Trial By Content podcasters Robinson and Gonzales team up with journalist Edwards (The Tao of Bill Murray) to deliver a superb chronicle of how Marvel Studios conquered Hollywood. Drawing on interviews with more than 100 Marvel personnel, from studio president Kevin Feige and star Chris Hemsworth to hairstylists and set designers, the authors flesh out the oft-told story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s humble beginnings with lesser-known anecdotes, noting, for example, that the studio chose Iron Man to head its inaugural outing based on a focus group’s findings that the superhero was the character children “would most want to play with as a toy.” The authors excel at illuminating the behind-the-scenes drama that shaped the MCU, most notably Feige’s uphill battle to introduce a diverse cast of superheroes against the wishes of parent company Marvel Entertainment, “who preferred for Marvel’s heroes to be played by young white men named Chris” because they believed such actors would sell the most toys. There’s fascinating trivia on every page (for instance, Daniel Craig was a front-runner for the part of Thor), and the authors maintain an evenhanded perspective, celebrating the studio’s successes while calling out its missteps, namely the MCU’s lack of direction after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. This definitive account of the Hollywood juggernaut thrills.

Starred review from October 1, 2023

In this compulsively readable book, culture writers Robinson (podcaster, The Ringer), Dave Gonzales (host of the podcast A Storm of Spoilers), and Gavin Edwards (The Tao of Bill Murray) explore the astounding ascent of Marvel from its 1996 bankruptcy to its current status as a box office juggernaut. With comprehensive research and no small amount of wit, the authors detail the corporate strategies that led to the expansion of Marvel Studios, a titanic gamble requiring a multimillion-dollar loan and the use of 10 characters--Captain America, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange among them--as collateral. The book features the insights of a number of Marvel VIPs in all aspects of film production, but it's the entity's current president, Kevin Feige, who commands the central spotlight as the driving force behind the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe. The authors do a superb job of exploring the internal conflicts between Feige's innovative filmmakers and hidebound corporate executives over such issues as Marvel's superhero lineup. VERDICT Marvel fans and film aficionados alike will appreciate this highly recommended, smashing insider look at one of entertainment's greatest success stories.--Sara Shreve

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