Robert Downey Jr. is probably the face of the Marvel Studios’ film franchise, as he has been since 2008’s “Iron Man” commenced the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) era. And every movie that involves the Avengers is the studio’s moneymaker, raking in billions of dollars worldwide.
But financial success aside, what is considered by critics and a considerable percentage of the fans as the best film the studio has had to offer is the least expected one: “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Downey Jr. has even said himself, “Galaxy in some ways is the best Marvel movie ever – and it’s odd for someone with, on occasion, an ego the size of mine to actually say that!”
When Marvel Studios announced it was producing Galaxy, many were understandably skeptical as to how the film would fare. The heroes – or adventurers – that comprised the team were largely unknown to casual filmgoers. But it did have the “Marvel” brand attached to its title, so the appeal was there.
With the critical acclaim the film has received, Marvel had found a blueprint for how to create the subsequent MCU movie.
Now, the studio can, with utter confidence, produce new films even if fans are not that much familiar with the featured comic book characters – starting with Dr. Strange and Captain Marvel. Even with the eventual retirement of the current crop of Avengers, the franchise is in good hands.
Hi there! Bradley J. Sterling here. At present, I’m a theater student from UCLA, but I have high hopes of eventually working in a grand-scale musical production. I’m also a huge fan of the Marvel Studios movies. To read more about my passions, check out my blogout.