3 Major Signs That Marvel Is Bursting at the Seams
Is the company on its way to collapse?
Summary
- This year is rich in Marvel premieres.
- The company is facing major internal issues.
- Marvel might grow to the point where it cannot sustain itself.
By 2023, there's probably no one who isn't familiar with Marvel. Even if you're not a comic book fan, you're probably familiar with one or more of the company's characters - Iron Man, Thor, or even Captain America. In addition, you have probably seen a few movies from Marvel's vast cinematic universe.
In fact, the Disney-owned company boasts one of the most financially successful productions in the history of cinema. Premiering in 2019, Avengers: Endgame grossed a staggering $2.8 billion at the box office. Since then, Marvel has expanded into more films and TV shows, with numerous releases each year.
For instance, in 2023 alone, there are three Marvel big screen productions - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantimania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - with another film, The Marvels, debuting in just one week. But despite its seemingly rock-solid presence on the market, the company appears to be falling short.
Here are three signs that Marvel might fade in the near future.
The Actor Behind a Pivotal Character Entangled in a Lawsuit
The next leg of the MCU will largely revolve around the beloved superheroes' battle with Kang the Conqueror, who first appeared in Disney+'s Loki. The character, portrayed by Jonathan Majors, also made it to this year's Ant-Man installment and will likely be featured in Loki's second season. Additionally, Kang the Conqueror is expected to be the main villain of the sixth phase of Marvel films.
Unfortunately for the company, Jonathan Majors has been embroiled in a nasty legal dispute following his arrest on domestic violence charges. While his guilt has yet to be proven, the actor's reputation has been tarnished, making him a liability for Marvel that cannot be replaced at this time.
VFX Department Unionization
As big as Marvel has become, it has a massive number of employees. Their CGI department is particularly impressive. However, the amount of content the company produces exceeds the number of workers who create VFX during post-production.
As a result, the staff is overworked, which has led them to unionize in protest of this exploitative practice. This is not good news for Marvel.
A Flood of Content
Most importantly, Marvel seems to have spread itself too thin with all of its recent projects. Multiple TV shows and numerous movie releases each year have put the company in a vicious cycle of creating exponentially more content. Under these circumstances, the day will come when Marvel will no longer be able to satisfy the audience demand it has created for itself. This wouldn't happen if the company had chosen sustainable development over profit.
The Marvels are set to premiere on 10th November.