Everyone knows Hollywood is prone to making mistakes and one of their biggest mistakes has been attempting to copy the MCU plan and Kevin Feige. Ever since the MCU established itself as a massively successful ground-breaking interconnected cinematic universe, Hollywood has been pursuing the money that comes with grand plans. The two most notable attempts have been Warner Bros’ underwhelming DCEU and Universal’s failed attempt at reinventing its “Universal Monster” properties in the Dark Universe. Studios have tried desperately to plan out successful franchises and yet all these plans continue to fall short of Kevin Fiege’s MCU plan.
When the MCU kicked off with Jon Favreau's Iron Man in 2008, few could have imagined the massive number of films and characters that would follow. For example, a recently released book on the creation of the MCU, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reveals the studio had no concrete plans for Nick Fury or his future in the franchise. Fury’s cameo at the end of Iron Man wasn’t part of a plan; at the time it was merely intended to be a fun easter egg for fans.
Obviously, audiences responded passionately to Fury’s appearance and Kevin Fiege’s apparent MCU “plan” for the Avengers Initiative. Looking back, it does seem Feige had everything orchestrated from the start, and it's this plan that other studios want to copy. Every studio wants its own MCU, but the mistake they make is not understanding the nature of shared universes. They don’t realize the MCU plan they are trying to copy isn’t as controlled as it appears. Kevin Feige’s MCU plan was never set in stone; a mistake that has cost other studios their franchises.
One of the most surprising things to come from the aforementioned book is the revelation that Feige’s plan never contained every detail. It was always more about the big picture. Feige was able to steer the MCU in a direction while incorporating new and better ideas as they came along. Because Feige maintained a fluid plan, the films were able to embrace and capitalize elements that garnered the most fan engagement. This allowed the MCU to discontinue the parts that didn’t work and move forward with only the best.
By locking themselves into a rigid plan for an interconnected universe, Hollywood studios make the mistake of closing themselves to change. In order to thrive like the MCU, shared cinematic universes must constantly be evolving. That includes making changes where necessary and not getting stuck on the smallest of details. Perhaps a flaw set up from the beginning of the DCEU was placing too much stress on the interconnected nature of the films. Because the films were woven together so tightly there wasn’t much room for course correction or the implementation of new ideas.
Instead of trying to copy the MCU, Hollywood needs to focus on copying Kevin Feige’s fundamental strategy. Feige never had the iron grip he appeared to have on the MCU’s future and that’s what Hollywood must learn. Granting filmmakers the freedom to try new things and integrate new ideas will fix this mistake. Warner Bros has already begun to allow their directors more leeway to produce the films they want to make. The MCU doesn’t have to be the only successful shared universe in Hollywood. There’s still time for Hollywood to fix their mistakes and copy Kevin Feige’s MCU strategy instead of the MCU itself.
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