Good lord that was amazing. That may be the best movie I have ever seen. Really. I’ll write more, review-wise, next weekend.
So what comes next? We know that Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are coming in 2013. Captain America 2 and Avengers 2 are supposed to be in 2014. There are also talks of Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, War Machine, Black Widow, and more movies in development. I have very very strong and detailed theories as to what will happen over the next few sequels/announced movies, but I won’t share those until much later to avoid any spoilers. For now, I’ll just leave tidbits that don’t spoil anything:
Iron Man 3: Not sure. Extremis? Demon in a Bottle? Something that really cuts to the core of Stark.
Thor 2: Beta Ray Bill. Nuff said.
Cap 2: Winter Soldier by way of HYDRA lead by Baron Zemo.
Now, let’s talk about other things I think Marvel should do after an incredible movie like this:
Obviously, I think Marvel needs to capitalize on the success they’ve had with The Avengers and the shared cinematic universe. One thing they can do is produce more movies in said universe (duh) but another is to do some shorter productions. They’ve started this a bit with the One Shots, but I’m thinking things like web series, TV mini-series, and other such content. Basically, longer than what they’ve done, but shorter than a feature-length movie. I think some of the minor characters would be perfect for this. In particular, I’d love a Howling Commandos mini-series, or one for War Machine.
Next, Marvel should create a shared animated universe much like the cinematic one. Structure it around the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series and do a spin-off or two. I have my doubts that we’ll ever see the long-rumored Ant Man movie, so why not make an Ant Man and Wasp spin-off series? They’re by far the most entertaining characters on the show. Since this universe is very close to the cinematic one (Watch the Avengers series, its REALLY close) it could allow for more stories to be told than the movies are able to do.
Another short-term thing Marvel should get on is reviving the Ultimate Alliance series. Make a third game, but make it GOOD. Find a developer and make this a AAA title. While they’re at it, they should make sure that the Marvel Heroic RPG stays alive and kicking as well. Tabletop may not be a huge market, but its full of dedicated people who love to spend money.
And now for the long-term play: Start getting the licenses back for other Marvel properties. Priority One should be the Fantastic Four. Without Reed Richards, a lot of things are off-limits as far as the greater Marvel universe is concerned.
Even with the death of print comics on the horizon (Not comics as a whole though. Digital is still a thing. Print media WILL die though.) Marvel has shown it knows how to do business and make people happy. Or at least they know how to make me happy.
Now if only DC could get their shit together and do something good with their properties…