From a certain point of view, the Marvel cinematic universe is better than Star Wars galaxy.
If you happened to stroll into any movie theater this weekend, you probably (obviously) walked into the Marvel movie Infinity War and a few hours later stumbled warily out of it. The cumulative silence mixed with the piano score was enough to conjure the morose. On the bright side, Thanos was a great jobs creator, and we like that in this country.
Infinity War promised high stakes and didn’t fail to deliver. One has to wonder if the run on gravestones will drive the prices through the roof, but save one for me no matter the cost. Although, it’s something I’ve known in the deep recesses of my mind, it’s not something I cared to admit.
See, when Thanos snapped his fingers, it wasn’t just moving the Marvel narrative or a glimpse of the Leftover’s prequel, it was something altogether different, personally. Because if this was the real world and I’m not floating cosmic decay, I buy a tombstone that reads: “Star Wars: former best movie franchise.”
Star Wars will always have a special place in my heart. In some ways, it’s my first love. Maybe it was my rebellion of sorts since my father was a Trekkie. As a youngster, I wore out VHS cassettes until the plastic peeled and the screen crackled with snow and colorful blurs.
I’ve watched Darth Vader drop his Dad bomb on Luke so many times I actually say it right. I even watched the prequels in the theater’s ad nauseum, forgiving Jar Jar because we had Darth Maul or midichlorians because—well, no, midichlorians are plain stupid.
In defense of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
I’ve defended Star Wars: The Last Jedi (an opinion that automatically inserts unnecessary fan rage and unreasonable attacks) to which Marvel just did at the end of Infinity War, by the way, except Rian Johnson did it three or four times in one film.
By that, I mean, the part when your mouth gaped and popcorn fell out of it while your brain tried to comprehend the screen as if advanced nuclear physics calculations had appeared on it.
Just speaking from a film perspective, Marvel is doing something that hasn’t been done since films first came out: They’re serializing movies. You can say George Lucas’ wanted to create the modern serial by imitating the Buck Rogers films he loved as a child, but he didn’t do that.
Instead, he established something incredible in making what is a Saga about family and friendship against the backdrop of cosmic war and wonderful effects. Marvel has weaved an interconnected tale that never intends to end with multiple properties flying towards us at a record pace three to four times a year. And, they are doing it with quantity and quality.
Obviously, mimicking Marvel is all the rage. The DC extended universe has tried to latch onto Marvel’s shoes, and franchises like Universal’s Monsterverse’s are sprouting all over like roving multi-million dollar black holes. Star Wars has already begun to break from its path with stand-alone films and new trilogies on the horizon—but will they ever compete with what Marvel has pulled off?
Some slight advantages may be in Marvel’s favor as they have almost 80 years of story points to rip and coalesce from. Star Wars sports the Legends tales, but they don’t have something similar to Marvel who sports how many Infinity something or other titles?
Purely from a storytelling perspective, everyone already knows the characters. So when someone like Tom Holland dons the Spidey suit, we don’t need backstory anymore. Whereas, in the Star Wars universe, our new heroes are introduced and fleshed out or in Rey’s case, unfleshed. Still, something I would always hang my hat on was that Marvel did heroes while Star Wars pulled off better villains.
If Loki was the best villain Marvel had, the conflicted Kylo Ren had more depth to him. Infinity War may be considered ensemble, but it’s Thanos’ film. And, Thanos’ machinations, horrible and flawed, come from a place that is somewhat…human.
Thanos’ brand of evil is a twisted misplaced selflessness, the benevolent dictator, more on a par with Darth Vader’s psyche then what is essentially Kylo’s petulant quest for self-importance.
Sure, Vader’s power pursuit can be considered self-serving but, in the beginning, it was about Padme before he was a warped death machine. Thanos mindset is focused on one outcome as Gamora explains “The entire time I knew him, he only had one goal.” — only momentarily broken in her gaze.
Thanos could become the greatest villain in Disney’s catalogue—it all hinges on Avengers four and whether Thanos needs to accumulate more power or if he becomes a Zen farmer living off what he believes he provided to the universe.
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Not saying this will happen and Vader will always be Vader but Thanos has leap-frogged his way up in what is, virtually, one film–forgetting his short cameos.
Marvel also boasts red carpet regulars while Star Wars looks for new or rising talent to groom. Stars, who would run from the Superhero Genre, now gravitate towards the billion dollar staples these movies have become.
What does it matter though, we’re watching two 4 billion dollar investments tear money from your bank account and put it into Disney’s corporate coffers.
All I am is a kid who used to wield a broomstick mouthing sounds like “vruuuum fvish” and instead, is a grown man wearing a winter glove, pointing it towards my kids telling them “Destiny still arrives.”
Next: Will Infinity War outduel Solo at Box office?
Maybe it’s time to admit when it comes to Star Wars and Marvel, for better or worse, Marvel’s destiny is now.