Avengers Infinity War: What could a brand learn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or a tale of strategy)

“Mr Stark, you’ve become a part of a bigger universe, you just don’t know it yet”.

Those are the last words you will hear in the first Iron Man movie, by no other than Nick Fury telling Tony Stark and the audience that a one of a kind journey has just began.

By now, you may have watched Infinity War once or several times (I’ve already watched it three times and counting). You may have also read about the brilliance that is Marvel, the only consistent cultural brand to ever adorn this earth and how they designed this very movie, ten years ago. This great movie, where most of us left the theater with our hopes and hearts broken, but none said “nuh, it’s just another superhero movie”. Infinity War has broken several records and we have no idea what its final box office number will be (just this week it broke $2 billion) . You might think that it is telling of our times, where superhero movies take so much of our attention and our cinema interests, a new trend that will soon disappear, much like disaster movies did years ago. I beg to differ. This is not simply a trend, nor something that will pass by. The creation of Marvel Cinematic Universe is the expansion of a cultural phenomenon, i.e. comics, to the art of cinema, which was only bound to happen. But most importantly it is a well -thought and pre-designed “product” (by no means do I wish to disparage its nature by using this word), paved on a road that had many stops and we can not be sure what its true destination might be.

There is only one word that could sum up the success of the MCU: strategy! Watching the first Iron Man movie in 2008, we could not have imagined what was to come, and we surely did not understand the implications of Nick Fury’s words. It now seems though that the bet that was Jon Favreau’s movie was a perfect first chapter, a stable foundation upon which one of the biggest cinematic ventures of all times would be built. And Marvel did know it. They may not have hoped about their success, but they sure planned for it. And that is the biggest lesson any other cultural property should take. If you desire to be remembered, there must be a long term strategy to act upon.

Now, let me make a hypothesis for a moment. Without this kind of long term strategy any brand is bound to fail in its efforts to become cultural relevant to its audience. Without this kind of commitment, audiences cannot develop feelings of belonging and investment to the brands, therefore they are meant to at some point abandon it. Brands tend to want everything, now. They want to win their share, without giving first, and giving a lot. What if Marvel did the same? Remember the first Hulk movie? Nope? There is a reason for that. Marvel realised at some point that there is one way to succeed. To convey everything that works for them in the comics to the movies. That is, to built a Universe, introducing new elements slowly, making its audience privy of its intends, leaving us wanting for more, making us follow its each movement. Marvel did everything DC could not. Marvel is the Coca Cola of the movies, and that is why it’s bigger than Star Wars right now (I love Star Wars, do not think otherwise).

Let’s take a look at MCU’s most crucial milestones, to decide whether strategy pans out.

Iron Man — 2008

10 years later, nothing reminds us of the Marvel Studios we now know. It feels so old, that it actually references My Space! Iron Man feels a little more like a studio film than a Marvel movie (notice how Paramount leads the movie’s opening titles, with Marvel Studios following, while in later movies it goes the other way round). You may ask, what makes a Marvel movie nowadays anyway? The feeling that they are actually part of something bigger. A vision of a Universe.

This first chapter feels so much like an introduction, stumbling in its first steps, like a toddler not knowing exactly where it’s going. But…this movie is absolutely certain that it’s going somewhere. MCU’s centre is Iron Man. Witty, smart-ass, genius, full of toys, full of bad guys you expect (some times), yet enjoy, undecided between good and evil. After Spider-mans and X-men of another era, Iron Man sets the pace for the new superhero. There cannot be black and white anymore. Heroes from now on will not serve a united ethics front — ok, maybe except from Captain America. This is the biggest contribution of Iron Man for the next decade. Heroes that are more down to earth than ever before. Heroes full of flaws, making mistakes, with innocent people paying for their decisions.

Now, other than the superhero type and the tone of MCU, there are so many elements that Iron Man introduces, that we will see years later, that no-one can deny the thought behind the movie. Let’s see. We have the introduction of Jarvis, with the voice of Paul Bettany from the very beginning. Watching Iron Man, how could anyone believe that people knew exactly how and when he would turn into Vision? By an Infinity Stone no less. Another first, a landmark for the Phase One: Phil Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D.. Marvel Universe would be nothing without its S.H.I.E.L.D.. Even when shuttered, the common denominator is this agency that makes the audience believe that everything is somehow connected. Even the after credits scene is first being used in this movie. An after credits scenes that talks about the Avenger initiative…

Iron Man 2

The fun fact about Marvel movies is that it gets bigger day by day, year by year. If you are not into comics or are an average superhero fan, but not a nerd and know little about the legacy, you are being easily and steadily introduced to a universe so wide, piece by piece. Iron Man 2 is not a great movie. But it will always be remembered as the movie that gave us possibly the third best Avenger: Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff is the female badass viewers have been waiting for. Her powers have been building up slowly and she actually has a character evolution, even if she is not the protagonist. Black Widow is the one person that can stand between Iron Man and Captain America and understand both of them. She is the no bullshit character that calls it what it is. Thor is powerful, Hulk is fun, Hawkeye is stable and reliable. Romanoff is the leader that doesn’t want to lead, but is comfortable enough to let the others seem like they are leading. She is a force to be reckoned with and take on Stark or Rogers. She might be the most important introduction in the Universe.

Thor

Obviously, we will not talk about the greatness that is Thor, because it isn’t. This is a bad movie, especially for Marvel standards. The main problem with Thor is that he is not relatable as a hero. In fact it will take him a Ragnarok to be liked in his standalone movies, even if as an Avenger he works fine in the group. Asgard is a realm from another world, why would viewers care for it? It feels more like a fairy tale than a superhero movie. Even when dropped to Earth, Thor is still a god, carrying the vanity of his immortality. He is no equal to Iron Man’s humanity of errors or to Captain’s moral compass.

Yet in all its flaws, it plays an important role into the puzzle. It brings supernatural and otherworldly to the table. It introduces to us the Tesseract, the first Infinity Stone, as well as other pieces, without which we would not have eventually an Infinity War. So instead of a movie about Thor, we should consider this movie as a 1.0 lesson to the world of Thanos (only the greatest bad guy to ever appear in a Marvel movie).

• Did I mention Hawkeye?

Captain America: The First Avenger

There is a reason why Cap is the last movie before Avengers. Stark may be the mind and heart of the team, but Steve Rogers is the courage, valour, and direction. He is the soul. You don’t need to see him in his costume to understand he is The Hero. It takes only his first moments to be flooded by his greatest power (and disability): his need for rightfulness. Steve Rogers’ power is his strength of character. Captain America’s costume is Steve Rogers as a Super Soldier. Not the other way round. It is the best movie yet, because it is more down to earth than any other, even with the supernatural Red Skull. It is set in a time and war that still feels the most relevant and dangerous of all, for any of us, therefore we can relate more easily. The only time we could be introduced to a hero that is morally more pure than Iron Man.

The other big element in this movie is Hydra. We are being introduced to a great mythology here, the greatest counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D., the greatest enemy of all, the subplot that changes Marvel’s world.

The Avengers

Reading all this by now, you might say: why is every single movie of Phase One such a milestone worth mentioning — not including The Incredible Hulk off course ? Well, you know, because of Avengers and whatnot. I would dare to say that Joss Whedon’s Avengers definitely proved to us for the first time that all is planned and interconnected. Avengers work for so many reasons. By now we know all the main characters — even Clint was briefly introduced in Thor. These are characters we root for, that we’ve spent years watching, we know what they each bring to the team. Secondly, they are not being forced together just because we must have a superhero team right now. For more than half the movie they don’t even work well together. Actually they don’t work together, period. They are all extremely powerful, some of them even egocentric. Becoming a team is not easy. It takes great loss in the killing of Agent Coulson by Loki for them to finally fit. Thirdly, they all have their part to play. They are six people that actually contribute in their own way to the fight. They are the Avengers, not Iron Man, nor Captain America. Remember in Justice League that they have to leave Superman out of half the movie, because everyone knows that he can defeat the bad guy alone, or that they make Wonder Woman a little less powerful, yet we all know that she could defeat the bad guy, whose name you cannot remember? Which brings us to the last, but not least. Avengers have the best bad guy they could. You know Loki, you feel for Loki, sometimes you even root for Loki. Sure, the final battle is extra-terrestrial and the real bad guy behind Loki is Thanos, but Loki? Loki is a kid with father issues, who you actually love.

Now imagine if Avengers didn’t work? Wouldn’t that change the future of MCU? But they do, and while the do so, we are keep being set up to the power that Thanos is, due to stones and armies and plans we now know he intends to see through.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Phase Two has many more movies that we somewhat like. There is the third instalment of Iron Man where we first understand that once Thanos comes to earth, Tony Stark will do everything in his powers to protect it, because it is all he can think about. There is the appearance of the Reality Stone in Thor: Dark World. We have the second Avengers movie, with the creation of Vision, the first mention of Wakanda and the New Avenger Scarlet Witch, who we know is one of the most powerful, and honestly, one of the most interesting characters in the universe. There is Ant-Man, a enjoyable and quite funny Marvel movie, with a new hero casually intruding to the world of Avengers.

But no other movie during this phase is more important than The Winter Soldier. I am going to admit right here, that it might be my favourite (not counting Infinity War), so I may be fan-girling a little.

Steve Rogers is a man out of his time. And the movie does not waste time trying to set his psychological state. He is out of his element and it would be a shame for Marvel not to point that out. Especially given the fact that he is a self-conscious character. He cannot sleep, he doesn’t have a social life. Interestingly enough ( and to support the theory about Black Widow’s importance for the team) the person to point that out and that tries to help him is Natasha Romanoff. Trying to figure out his place, he goes back to what he knows. A museum full of his war footage, the older and not entirely lucid version of Peggy Carter. His main problem though, the one thing that will justify his future actions is that he is a man always wanting to do what he thinks is right. But now, in this period and time, right and wrong cannot be so distinctive. There are no universally accepted evils like Hydra or the Nazis. Or so he thinks.

Winter Soldier is the best Marvel movie, mainly because it is more than a superhero movie. It is a spy film about current ethics and realistic morals, about people who search and fight for their part in this world. It is a movie full of action and emotion, a movie about family, any kind of family. About people like Natasha, forgetting for a while what they knew in order to protect their kind. It is a movie full of S.H.I.E.L.D., and no matter how impressive all alien staff is, S.H.I.E.L.D. will always be a founding stone of the Marvel Universe.

Finally, it is a movie that fears not to destroy everything we know, to take risks so that our various heroes will take an even more difficult and fulfilling journey to salvation. Tension is always better for storytelling. A war is coming, a war 10 years in the making. We know for sure that because our heroes have no stable now, or have been trying to embrace and find their true selves they will fight harder, and their fight will be more strenuous. The destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D., by no other than Captain America will make the fight against Thanos even better. His move, absolutely faithful to his character, will set the pieces for the disassemble of the only team able to defeat Thanos. Infinity War would be much more easier with the team intact. S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury keep the team intact. No S.H.I.E.L.D. in an Avengers tower full of superhero egos and morals will mean no more team…

Now, the best part of the movie for me is still the Winter Soldier himself, the perfect counterpart to and possible successor of Captain America. The difference of opinions between Iron Man and Cap will not tear them apart. Bucky Barnes will though. Four movies from now. Knowing that Sebastian Stan has more movies in his contracts than any other actor, only makes me hope that he will be the next Captain America, exactly like in the comics. And when this happens, once again I will cheer for the marvel that MCU’s future planning is.

Guardians of the Galaxy

I must admit, I did not care much about Guardians, up to the point of Infinity War. As far as a Marvel movie goes, it is not easy to connect with these particular characters. But if I am honest, we do have them to thank for a few important milestones in the Universe.

The Galaxy. Universe wouldn’t be believable if constructed only by Earth and whatever planets Thor movies have shown us. In Thor we are mostly connected with Asgardians, while the rest of the people are presented as monsters or enemies. In Guardians though we do feel for several more peoples and we get a better view of other worlds. We now understand that if Thanos prevents, he will destroy an entire Galaxy. We now understand the stakes.

About that guy we keep mentioning, a…Thanos? Here’s the brilliancy of the ten-year plan. Here’s where Justice League failed. They build up the enemy. For all these superheroes to have to unite in order to defeat him, he must be some unstoppable force. Long before Infinity War we see him and we see how so many bad and pretty powerful guys fear and answer to him. We are not being suddenly told about his powers and plan. We experience it all as “monster” after “monster” bows to him. Yet, none of it matters as much as the effect of his favourite daughter Gamora, believing he is such a ruthless and evil guy, that she will do anything to escape him. She, the little girl that he adopted and loves the most, fears and loathes him the most. Why wouldn’t we?

So many — not that known — Marvel heroes. Guardians is the first movie that does not feature Iron Man, Captain America, Thor or Hulk. They are slightly less known to the wider audience and it would be so easy not to attract a big audience. But they did. And we knew then that a Doctor Strange, a Black Panther and a Captain Marvel (thank all the powers to be for her) could happen. The main Avengers cannot sustain the Universe forever. It needs new heroes. Especially as long as we refuse to think of an Iron Man without Robert Downey Junior. And Marvel knows how to introduce and built the momentum for new characters, whether through their own movie or in a movie of an Avenger.

Captain America: Civil War

If we are absolutely honest, we have to admit that Civil War is not a Captain America, but a concealed Avengers movie. It is also a movie so much different from the comics’ Civil War. The Superhero Registration Act may be what brings the heroes to fight each other. But their family tears them apart. The family of superheroes is being broken because of its two founding members. Tony’s family, who he lost early enough, before realising what he had. Cap’s family is Bucky, and he is responsible for Stark’s loss. This is the only Civil War that the characters in the MCU could justify. It should be about family, in order for those people to break their bond. And this is the most important meaning of the movie. Not to disregard the main differences of Stark and Rogers, that are constantly being pointed out. Anyone would choose a side, and maybe there is no right or wrong, but it is my opinion that in this movie the perspectives have been reverted. Rogers is more arrogant than visionary or moral, wanting no-one to tell him what to do, wanting to place himself above the law. Yet arrogant Tony Stark gets it. Nobody should be limitless. Another character who we got to know and is trying to gain limitless power, to yield as he thinks fit? Um, Thanos?

In any other aspect and in hindsight, Civil War is setting the pieces for Infinity War, as in serialised TV series. The Sokovia accords lead to a stage of criminality, making several Avengers disappear at the end of the movie. We no more have to imagine what we had to enjoy and endure, because of heroes that do not talk to each other any more.

Other than that, after so many years of wishful thinking, watching Spider-Man amongst his fellow Avengers feels like how the Yankees must feel if they win in some kind of league I don’t understand.

Doctor Strange

The audience loves Doctor Strange. He is one of the most popular characters in the comics. He is too important to be left out of the MCU for so long. Now, whether you like the movie or not, you have to admit a couple of things. Benedict Cumbebatch is as perfect a Doctor Strange, as Robert Downey Junior is an Iron Man. Doctor Strange is a better role model than most of the Marvel heroes. He was a cynical, a know it all. He lost everything or at least what he thought was everything. Yet, he never stopped trying. And he managed to discover something better, become whole for the first time. And he did it by studying, exercising and learning. Not only relatable, but noteworthy as well.

So, he is a great role model. What else? Well, Steven Strange is our door to the mystic. If you are new to Marvel, you would think that it doesn’t belong to the MCU. But how could a multiverse, that big not contain magic? And who could be better to protect the Time Stone than Strange? Watching Infinity War, you may have your theories about his plan to save the world. We all have one. I will only say this: only a man who does not give up would experience the future so many times, to see what should happen to win.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Homecoming

I really have nothing to say here. No words to describe the Spider-Man coming home to its rightful place. In all honesty he is more than a fan service than an important piece to MCU. But who gives a s”@#? He is Spider-Man and he ought to have a great movie. By this point, we all know that only Marvel can do right by its characters. We also know that he is part of its future, and that’s enough.

….

Now, watch all the 18 movies together and make your own conclusions about their planning. About the characters and heroes being gradually introduced to the audience. About Infinity Stones appearing in each movie. About Thanos being built up. Consider whether knowing where you want to go, does not work. This is why DC failed, even with superheroes like Superman and Batman in its arsenal. They did not make their own strategy. They followed what Marvel did, only not taking the long road, making every character un-relatable. Obviously, we can exclude Wonder Woman from any wrong doing from DC’s part.

For me the entire MCU feels like watching a TV series.

They have all this mythology and characters, and they begin the year drawing how their season should develop. With the writers thinking, if we do this now, what will it mean for the next seasons? What would our season finale or even series finale be? When the writers of a TV show know what they are doing, you know it. You feel there is a plan. And because there is a plan, you follow the journey. Season after season, or in Marvel’s case, phase after phase.

This is what brands (cultural or not) do not understand. Strategy does not necessarily bear fruits right away. Some times it takes one shot, more often enough it takes years. I say, if you are a brand take notes out of Marvel’s book. Decide early on what you want to be known for and make every effort to be faithful to that. Do not change strategies yearly. Unless you are a DC brand, and you’ve made mistakes. Find out what ticks your audience the most, and give them that. But, set the pace yourself. If you give them enough, they will follow you…to record breaking hard times.