If you aren’t familiar with what is generally known as the “Marvel
Cinematic Universe,” the basic concept is that over the last decade or so
Marvel Studios have been making superhero movies that all take place within the
same reality, much the way their comic books traditionally do. Previously this
approach had been extremely rare, possibly to help build dramatic tension – it’s
hard to convince the audience that a given hero is the only one who can
possibly defeat the bad guy and save the world if they know that Superman or
Wolverine (depending on which universe we are in) could potentially show up and
sort everything out. However, this convention prevented the use of one of the
genre’s most interesting plot devices, and what is turning out to be a very
successful marketing strategy…
Anyone with any significant exposure to the medium already
knows that one of the most interesting features in any comic book series is
what are generally called “crossover” episodes – when characters from one title
show up in another, either as allies or antagonists. Like guest stars in a
television series, or stunt casting in a movie, these appearances allow the
writers to introduce plot elements and narrative possibilities beyond those
present in the story’s base scenario, as well as connecting the story into a
larger narrative picture. In the case of the Marvel imprint, this has allowed several
of their recent movies and the Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. television series to contribute to the development of a single
over-arching story, to which Guardians of
the Galaxy is apparently connected (the film features antagonists featured
in both the Avengers and Thor series). It has not yet been revealed how the
characters in this new offering will fit into the larger picture, but it seems
apparent that they will…
From a business standpoint, this same effect allows the
Studio to draw on the fan base from multiple series of movies when they make a
new feature – e.g. fans who don’t care about the other five main characters
watched the Avengers movie because their favorite character was in it; the most
recent Hulk movie gained support because it featured Tony Stark/Iron Man, and
so on. Even better, it will draw viewers to offerings they care nothing about,
because any given movie in the shared setting may have implications for the
next sequel in a series they do follow. And meanwhile, every Marvel release
gives the company an additional opportunity to display its logo and theme music
at the start of the feature, and drive home the fact that their products are
the ones you want to see…
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’re about to see the
first major crossover movie from DC Comics, Marvel’s main competitor, only now
that Marvel has demonstrated how well the concept works – especially when you
consider that DC was actually the first to bring their superhero stories to the
big screen, decades ago. I don’t know if the company’s rumored Justice League
movie (their equivalent of the Avengers concept) will be successful, assuming
it is more than a rumor, or if we will ever see the ultimate in crossover
projects, featuring characters from both companies. For the moment, however, I
think we can say that the concept appears to be working, even for movies
featuring obscure superheroes no one (except for hardcore fans) has ever heard
of before. Whether it will be enough to save a genuinely bad movie remains to
be seen – but I’m not going to place any bets either way. As a true innovation
in both A/V narrative and brand development, this concept has the potential to
change everything…
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