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| Scene from The Avengers: Age of Ultron |
Following 2012's The Avengers, there was one question that Marvel had to answer: "Where do you go from here?" They had saved an entire city from destruction, yet it wasn't the end. The unbelievable crossover was groundbreaking for blockbuster cinema, but there had to be a next step, a Phase 2 as producer Kevin Feige labeled it in press junkets. This was going to be the step where the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was going to become more than a brief blip of a story. It was going to create a franchise, span galaxies, and create a literal universe of characters that could encapsulate everything from more Iron Man shenanigans, to characters who could change size (Ant-Man), or span many galaxies (Guardians of the Galaxy). To say the least, it was a hefty challenge that worked out in the end, with many trying to imitate and failing to capture the magic. Still, Phase 2 remains arguably the greatest learning curve of them all, both succeeding and failing to be more than a comic book franchise.
In some ways, the biggest hurdle could be found at the start of The Avengers theoretical sequel: Age of Ultron, released three years and six films later. In the opening scene, the world had grown significantly to the point that the continuity wasn't even present in the previous film (Guardians of the Galaxy). To understand why The Avengers had initially assembled this time, one had to watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., of which featured Agent Coulson (who died in The Avengers). As much as the franchise began to do Marvel One-Shots that provided exposition as DVD extras, it was difficult to cram everything into an MCU film anymore, let alone have any significant weight when the dead characters are only demoted to TV series that *might* have a few familiar faces stop by.
This isn't to say that the MCU wasn't without its charm, but more that the ambitions were too lofty than initially believed. True, Phase 2 did an effective job of playing the hits with sequels to Phase 1 characters. Yet it was feeling like they were getting antsy, like they needed to be more than just stories of heroism. Iron Man 3 received flack for its misleading villain, and a story where Tony Stark suffers an ennui that annoyed people not aware of Shane Black's other works. It was the contemplation of being a hero when it lead to so much destruction. It was also the first to symbolize bigger arcs in the MCU, with Stark letting go of his suit for the betterment of society. Meanwhile, Thor: The Dark World explored conflict on Thor's home planet in the entire franchise's notorious nadir point. It was Shakespearian, much like the original, but it was evidence that Asgard was maybe getting a bit too played out.
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| Scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier |
To Iron Man 3's credit, it did produce the end to a thematic trilogy that could've easily seen Robert Downey Jr. walk away if he contractually wished. However, Thor: The Dark World suggested that the MCU didn't have much of a back-up, with a film that was too rooted in dark and dreary fantasy - itself antithetical to the "fish out of water" vibe of the first. It was also rooted in exposition that would continue to plague the rest of the films, with big bad Thanos trying to retrieve the Infinity Stones in order to destroy Earth. In the grand scheme of things, it was an important message. However, it was the first time since Iron Man 2 that a film felt bogged down on something other than story. It needed to be about the bigger picture, which unfortunately made Thor temporarily one of the dullest characters of the main cast.
Then there was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which quickly became a fan favorite and raised two questions: 1. Could superhero movies blend to genre; and 2. Are the villains really this bland? Even with the great Robert Redford at the center of the story, its espionage-tinged plot of an evil corporation overthrowing the government ("Hail Hydra!") got by more on retro-concepts, not unlike Redford's own Three Days of the Condor. However, its biggest revelation was that Captain America was to be the MCU's greatest achievement, especially since Iron Man became more fitted in a one note performance. Cap was a man of the people, wanting to change the world for the better. To have the government turn on him was a compelling source material, especially when revealing that The Winter Soldier was his fallen comrade Bucky. While the film was more action packed and featured set-up for future films, it's hard to call it a true espionage film by the fact it doesn't have much of a mystery to solve. It's a superhero movie where Cap, with help from Falcon, fights evil.
There is some irony between The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron a year later. The co-directors (Anthony and Joe Russo) were considered fresh blood, coming off of work on TV such as Community. To have them produce action scenes that titillated audiences was evidence of their value. In fact, they were the first directors to carry over from Phase 2, making the sense that they brought an aesthetic to the universe. Every film had a shared look up to this point, but The Russo Brothers also brought with it a more dreary, less humored tone than the initial helmer of the MCU, Joss Whedon. Having had success with The Avengers, his notorious complaints with Age of Ultron cost him future work. In spite of that film sharing a lot of his sensibilities, it was the end of Whedon's style of directing that had made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly such iconic shows previously. The Russo Brothers would take over, and later direct twice as many as Whedon.
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| Guardians of the Galaxy |
Ironically, it was the first new property in the MCU in three years that would revolutionize their aesthetic and mentality. For all of the humorless nature of The Dark World and The Winter Soldier, Troma director James Gunn made up for with Guardians of the Galaxy, which in 2014 was considered the franchise's biggest gamble. It had no recognizable characters, and its lead was Andy Dwyer from Parks and Recreation (the somewhat chubby one). How could it be appealing? Well, the film got too much credit for being revolutionary in large part because it was, well, different. It had no immediate connections to the previous nine films (save for some Infinity Stones mumbo jumbo), and featured prominent roles by a talking tree (Groot) and a homicidal rodent (Rocket Raccoon). In another universe, this would've bombed.
Instead, it was the go-ahead for the MCU to explore more than Asgard. It also meant that the characters were allowed to be more human. Sure, Iron Man notoriously played AC/DC everywhere he went, but Guardians of the Galaxy sought to make a pallet that Phase 3 would come to adopt as the norm. Beyond the orphaned protagonist angle, the film was a magical exploration of set design, using new color schemes and relying on audiences' nostalgia for 80's pop culture references. Its protagonist, Peter Quill, appealed to audiences who would later adopt Stranger Things as their cherished update of the past. Quill was a rebel, who made risque jokes about Jackson Pollack paintings and felt like a commentary on how absurd sci-fi/fantasy films could be. Sure, there was Infinity Stones mumbo jumbo, but the heart of the film was to have fun, try to blend genres and styles in ways that The Winter Soldier tried to do, but did it joylessly in a lot of respects.
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| Scene from The Avengers: Age of Ultron |
Unlike Phase 1, Phase 2 didn't end with The Avengers teaming up. It's an ironic move in part because its conclusion (Ant-Man) doesn't feel like a good conclusion to the set of films. Still, Age of Ultron earned flack once again for being too much stuffed into one film - an idea that has already plagued The Avengers: Infinity War reviews leading up to its release. How could it not be bigger? Even if the cast hadn't grown significantly, the universe was now bigger, and it had to introduce characters with arbitrary backgrounds like Vision, Ultron, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver. The finale was also the most absurd, finding a way to take the theme of "fighting high above the ground" that had become the norm for the films' third act, by literally lifting the ground and forcing The Avengers to rescue everyone from a floating pile of Earth. It was a miracle that audiences didn't turn their back on something that was so fantastical, given how almost grounded everything up to that point had been.
Still, it was the perfect symbolism of Phase 2. If The Dark World and The Winter Soldier proved to be too traditional and old formula, then what could possibly improve the MCU? By some luck, it was found in hiring directors like The Russo Brothers and Gunn to bring new voices to the film. Even Ant-Man director Peyton Reed would return for a sequel. Still, It was a clash between wanting to make an accessible franchise, and wanting to make the world bigger. Who cared if Ultron was a demonic robot made from Tony Stark's old computer J.A.R.V.I.S.? Things were getting ridiculous, and while it didn't totally ruin Age of Ultron, it proved that things maybe were dying out a mere seven years after Iron Man set up The Avengers initiative.
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| Scene from Ant-Man |
In some ways, Ant-Man's production history was the perfect encapsulation of Phase 2's uneven set of films. What started as a film by prodigy Edgar Wright had gone through development hell until Reed took over. While it's promising to see Paul Rudd as a superhero, it was tough to ignore that someone as acclaimed as Wright eventually became dissatisfied with the work. By this point, the MCU was 12 films deep and had an established brand. Audiences knew what to expect when they walked in. Even when Ant-Man mixed in heist movie motifs into their plot, it felt too familiar to be at all effective. Rudd was just another Tony Stark, using his machinery to go on baffling journeys while fighting another unimpressive foe. While it is an MCU problem that has encapsulated the entire run, the lack of memorable foes in Phase 2 definitely proved the limitations of the films.
Which in part made Guardians of the Galaxy a saving grace. Amid all of these films, it took one that was different and lacked year-long connection to show what a franchise like this needed. Had there been more along the lines of The Dark World, the MCU might have received the ridicule often saved for the failed D.C.E.U., or even The Dark Universe. It may have had a better vision than those other hot properties, but the films weren't exceptional. They were uniform, and their soundtracks were often forgettable, save for a few memorable cues here or there. Still, it was getting hard to care when Iron Man 3 marked the end of a previous era while The Winter Soldier's themes were more fitted to a Captain America trilogy than providing any deeper meaning to the bigger universe. Gunn's penchant for 80's pop and rock arguably saved the MCU, even if the film was a conventional 80's pastiche that itself contradicted the outsider status by itself being more of the same.
This is all important to what Phase 3 continues to be. Where Phase 1 was introductions and a concise crossover that could've been a brief run of films, it proved that maybe things were going to keep getting bigger. You can't expand a balloon too far without it showing some wear. Even if the films were still big hits and there was only one considered a notorious dud, the films weren't necessarily doing much exceptional. They were fun, but was the formula becoming too much? With the studio releasing two films a year during this phase, it's a miracle that most of them are good. Still, it's more fascinating to view as an intersection of the original intent and a changing of the guard with The Russo Brothers, Gunn, and Reed. These were the voices who would replace Whedon, and make the franchise's Phase 3 into one of the best runs of superhero films arguably ever. They may still have followed conventions, but now they knew what audiences responded to.
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