Marvel found a solution to so-called “fatigue”

Marvel Studios is here for another vacation with Guardians of the Galaxy Vacation special. It marks Marvel Studios’ successor to Michael Giacchino’s Night of the Werewolf in October. Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special , Written and directed by James Gunn , once again highlighting the nature of these successes 04-minute special that packs everything audiences love about the franchise into one punch. While the limited and ongoing series and movies certainly aren’t going anywhere, the Marvel special demo might be the most exciting prospect yet for the MCU.

Both Werewolf Night and Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special were considered some of the best Phase 4 entries not only for their ability to showcase the unique talents of their filmmakers, but also for their overall lack of connective tissue The bigger MCU, allowing audiences to simply enjoy them on their own terms without worrying about what happens next or where they fit in the grand scheme of things. So while fan bets on Blade and Silver Surfer appearing in these respective projects didn’t pay off, the special itself worked out as well as they did, as they felt like it was a reasonable way to pass viewers’ time, Instead of acting as a trailer showcase.

As the MCU continues to grow rapidly on the big screen and on Disney+, keeping track of back-to-back movies and weekly series has become cumbersome for some viewers. While the notion of franchise fatigue is as non-issue when it comes to superhero movies as it was a decade ago, even during the pandemic, these films have consistently topped box office revenue and box office numbers each year, leaving little room for breathing room in the number of releases. Come catch up on the next thing.

a August Morning consultation Voting found that more American adults were getting tired of the number of releases than a year ago, even among Marvel fans.

Given this information, more Marvel special demos don’t seem to help. But maybe it’s a good idea to reduce the number of series (if not movies) and reconsider them as special shows, rather than the six-to-nine-week commitments that often simulcast with Disney and compete for space The Star Wars show, and any big HBO series this season is . This both liberates audiences and reinvests in their investment in the universe, and allows the filmmakers to be creative.

What’s evident in these two specials is that they made creative choices that the movies didn’t allow, and the series probably couldn’t sustain. Werewolf black and The white approach is an incredible way to set the mood and pay homage to Universal’s monster movies, but given the strange stigma young audiences have for black and white, it’s likely to turn off many general audiences. Although WandaVision can implement black and white Two episodes evoke the feel of a classic sitcom, and it’s not an equally well-received look every week, either.

protector focuses primarily on the film’s comedic supporting characters, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pang Klementieff). It’s nice to see them getting the spotlight, and both actors showing more of their characters’ personalities, but at the same time, Drax and Mantis’ communication issues and literal readings wouldn’t be as charming if it lasted six episodes. But in 45 minute ? exist45 Minutes, we can see bold creative swings that don’t get lost in the amount of “content” delivered to the audience.

All Marvel TV shows have great directing work, but in projects with multiple directors, many viewers have a hard time naming or recalling one of the directors Which episode is a particular shot or a well-edited moment because it all comes together. But you take Giacchino directing Werewolf Night You remember who made it, how that hallway scene was choreographed, so the voices become more recognizable. While Giacchino and Gunn are certainly not new to the MCU, there was a space in the Marvel Special presentation for the newcomers to showcase a style that audiences recognize from their other work, or let them define it within the project. Phase 4 has shed some of Marvel’s own stylistic issues, but the special presentation could push this further so that anything from musicals to stop-motion animation could be on the table as a format.

Gael Garcia Bernal in Werewolf night of Provided by Marvel Studios

followed by characters. There are so many supporting actors at this point, some of them get lost in the shuffle of events, and some of the actors are less demanding than they are capable of. So why not fight it with a special showcase of Wong (Benedict Wong) and Madisynn (Patty Guggenheim), or Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), or Aneka (Michaela Coel) and the Midnight Angel, or Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), with self-contained The story of both enriches the larger MCU and works on its own. The same goes for characters who haven’t yet debuted in the MCU. Maybe, like Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal), Elsa Bradstone (Laura Donnelly) and The Man-Thing, in Night of the Werewolf , not all characters need a movie or Introducing the Solo Series. Big names like Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, and Wolverine, as well as obscure characters like Ka-Zar, Beta Ray Bill, and White Tiger, get their carefully crafted spotlights before moving on to bigger roles.

What makes Marvel Special Presentations so exciting, and their future so promising, is that it recaptures the feeling of buying a single issue of a comic book for the first time. Not a graphic novel, nor an anthology containing the entire story. Just a single question, some odd number from an ongoing series spanning decades that you picked because you liked the cover. Remember how it felt to be introduced to a whole new world? Find the character in the middle of the story, and choose whether to catch up backwards from there, or keep going, or even let it exist in a vacuum? That’s the feeling these projects capture more than any movie or series, the thrill of experiencing the singular and leaving a lasting impression. Marvel Special Presentations are built to last.