It’s Okay To Be Funny
One of the stupidest complaints of Marvel films is that they’re too funny. According to the internet, every film needs to have the seriousness of Schindler’s List and the dialogue of an Aronofsky movie. It’s a ridiculous complaint, because when done right, humor can be the best component of any film.
In Thor: Ragnarok, we got to see a different side of Thor and Hulk. Up until now, both these characters had worked better in team-up efforts, like The Avengers, than in their own standalones, because they’d been made relatively serious and quite frankly, boring. By injecting some humor into their personalities though, it transformed them into two interesting characters tailor-made for entertaining exchanges and gags. That said, this wasn’t slapstick or forced by any means, as the humor remained within the frameworks of each character.
Look, there’s a time and place for seriousness, and there are many superhero films that work well without any humor (like Nolan’s Batman movies). The MCU, though, is at its best when it’s lighthearted and funny. Honestly, how amazing would it be if Waititi could tackle a Fantastic Four film with the same tone and style as Thor: Ragnarok? Sign us up for that!
Smaller Team-Up Films Work
As mentioned before, Hulk and Thor had previously worked better as characters in team-up affairs than their own films. Yet, in Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder finally shined in his own starring vehicle – with Hulk, Loki and Valkyrie adding extra sheen to the movie and cementing themselves as critical supporting cast members.
Much like the old-school Marvel Team-Up stories from way back in 1972, there could be something special in exploring smaller team-ups here. Instead of releasing a whole bunch of standalones and origin tales, smaller-scale, buddy-styled features could be the future of the MCU. It’s evident that we don’t need an Avengers-sized project every year, but would you be against a film starring Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and Hulk as an example?
With Kevin Feige discussing how Marvel will be deemphasizing the shared universe concept in Phase Four, fans will need to be convinced that the future of the franchise will continue to pump out good quality. Perhaps the smaller team-up movies will be the best solution for the next Phase? Ultimately, it’ll be a win-win for everyone.