Written by Sean Lia
Back in 2020, amongst all the doom and gloom of the pandemic, we were still reeling from the flashbang that Disney had thrown at us in the form of Avengers: Endgame. It culminated an extremely long saga (for modern standards anyways, it was no Coronation Street… Fun fact, that show has been running for 61 years!), a saga that has enjoyed the attention of a large portion of the industry’s fame. To end something so enduring in such a bombastic manner was a feat in itself, but to continue forward and keep going on is also a great challenge.
Marvel’s Vision for the Future
Marvel has now just finished releasing its first few segments or chapters of a brand new story, one that should follow in the steps of the high-flown conclusion that Endgame was. First, we got WandaVision, arguably Marvel’s first foray into the small screen while still carrying a large ensemble of regular recurring cinema stars (don’t worry we didn’t forget Agents of Shield or Agent Carter). I can’t quite remember what I was expecting when I first watched WandaVision, but it definitely wasn’t what we got. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer and Director Matt Shakman managed to create a format and equation that made every viewer consistently eager for the next week’s episode.
I won’t give away much of the story, as this isn’t a review, but the whole point of any early show post-Endgame was always to set up a future storyline, one that, with further additions and introductions such as Shang-Chi, will be able to deliver a consistent stream of media and production that Marvel and of course Disney are so eager to continue at the same rate during the Infinity Saga. I can confidently say that WandaVision easily managed to do this, leaving viewers and fans continually theorising what may come next, both during the show’s run and even after.
Marvel Studios: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Soon after WandaVision, Marvel launched a new show, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which gave us a continuation of Sam Wilson’s and Bucky Barnes’ story while dealing with the loss of their friend Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. In the same way with WandaVision, Falcon managed to leave viewers consistently hinged on the story, leaving them breathless and wanting more. The same concept clearly stood for this show as well, where its whole aim was to set up a timeline that would stand for years to come. It’s interesting to note, that these barely ran for a month, WandaVision having 9 episodes, Falcon having only 6. These are very short runs, but amazingly, even without any upcoming seasons planned, both managed to create an aura of a complete story that at the same time opened up a whole realm of possibilities for new stories.
So, What Now?
Well, these two shows clearly served their purpose. Primarily, they provided Marvel with an extension to the MCU. They also served a secondary purpose, to act as a proof of concept for Disney+. The platform has easily been Disney’s primary focus during the pandemic, and its mass dedication to streaming content has long been apparent with Star Wars’ total dedication to online series such as Clone Wars Season 7 and The Mandalorian. WandaVision and Falcon acted as Marvel’s answer to Disney’s need for newer methods for providing content, with even more on the way in the form of the new Loki series. So since their success has been clear and evident, we can expect Disney to double in its effort for streamed media, for all their franchises, but, they won’t forget that the MCU is a cinematic universe after all, its main medium is the cinema. With Captain America 4 already announced, it’s clear that they won’t neglect the silver screen.
I’m quite confident that all of this is only going to flourish within the next few years. We always knew that Disney and Marvel had an almost impossible task ahead of them, that is, keeping the MCU relevant, but the opening acts have shown really good promise. Here’s to the future!
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