Text and Context: 2022, a year of trial and error for superhero-themed cinema

This year, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and DC played with form, introduced newer formats of storytelling, redefined established tropes, gave us some great characters to root for

(Originally published in The Hindu on December 30, 2022)

The superhero movie industry is fascinating even from a content creation standpoint. Maintaining a reader’s interest in comic books is one thing, but with live-action movies raking in billions of dollars at the box office, and with hit rates at their most volatile phase, leaps of faith are inevitable. Creators have to keep offering something new, in a fresher package, and simultaneously be aware of what’s working and what’s not. In 2022, the superhero genre saw tons of such experiments.

Marvel and its vast arsenal

After many misfires and some surprises, Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended in 2022 with the release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It has arguably been the most challenging phases for Marvel, but that’s primarily due to how much the studio pushed the boundaries to experiment with format, form, and content. 2022 was the pinnacle of it, as of now.

It’s no news that Marvel studios have been utilising its streaming platform Disney+ to test newer formats of storytelling. This year, we got regular television series, miniseries, and even telefilms. Given its popularity among younger audiences, it was obvious for the studio to make I am Groot, a mini-series with episodes spanning less than five minutes, apt for casual viewing to see Baby Groot indulge in all types of shenanigans, including a dance-off with a jello-like shapeshifting alien. The newly-introduced telefilm format seems to be working wonders as well, especially for introducing considerably popular comic-book characters economically and with canon value. Man-Thing in Werewolf by Night was one such example.

It wouldn’t be a surprise anymore if Marvel goes on to extend the storyline from successful telefilms to make movies that are canon to the bigger narrative. This is precisely how Marvel uses its other products with a standalone series. The Evil Doctor Strange narrative from last year’s animated anthology series What If…? made its way into the MCU with this year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel continues playing with formats as a segue between tentpole titles. This year, we got a sweet little Christmas telefilm from James Gunn, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, which despite being a great standalone short, had immense canon value especially considering the reveal involving Mantis and Star-Lord. This can be expected from a studio that, last year, gave Falcon a television run to pass on the Captain America mantle.

Putting their collective experience in introducing fresh characters to great use, Marvel gave three spectacular fan favourites this year, all through limited series: Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Ms. Marvel. And putting these names beside each other seems bizarre, given how drastically different they are. Ms. Marvel, Marvel’s first South Asian superhero with a comic book, got a stunning entrance. A story about a teenager grappling with teenager issues and superpowers isn’t new to Marvel, but Ms. Marvel fleshes out a real Pakistani-American character who questions notions and reconnects with her roots. This is a series that shows its lead character struggle with everyday issues, along with world-ending ones.

While that series managed to take us to a whole new dimension inside the MCU, Moon Knight upped the notch several times. Everything about….

Read the full article here: 2022: A year of trial and error for superhero themed cinema