It's been one hell of a ride for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise is about to release its biggest movie to date, but before that happens, some of Marvel's biggest stars want to thank those that made it possible. Of course, in this case, the people truly responsible are the fans and a new video includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and others, as they thank those that have supported Marvel movies for the last 10 years.
It all started in 2008 with a little movie called Iron Man. The character wasn't the biggest name in comic books and the actor, Robert Downey Jr., wasn't a massive star, but the film was a huge hit and its success led to the decision to take a little post-credits scene starring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and expand on it to create an interconnected series of films that existed within the same universe, just as comic books had been doing for decades. It came to be known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it has changed the way we all go to the movies today.
The video includes words of thanks from everybody from Chris Hemsworth to Pom Klementieff who appreciate everything the fans have done. Pointing out the long lines at Comic-Con and the great costumes that so many people put together. However, the words of Robert Downey Jr. probably say it all.
To all our amazing fans, the truth is, we are here for you. We gotta thank you for 10 years of support and inspiration. You're the reason we're here.
There's really no argument that the MCU wouldn't be what it is today if fans hadn't embraced it the way they did. The idea of connecting all the films together, and asking fans to go see them all in order to get the complete story, was potentially asking a lot. Fans might have divided up and only gone to see the movies with their favorite hero in them, but instead, they decided to accept the idea that every character was part of one large franchise, and many fans went to see every single entry.
The cinematic universe is now a concept that has caught on in many other places as many other studios have tried to launch their own interconnected universe, and while a few have achieved some degree of success, none have been able to replicate the formula that Marvel created.
While we're celebrating a 10-year anniversary now, it's also a celebration of the beginning of the end as we know that between the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War and next year's Avengers 4, a lot will be coming to an end. However, we can rest assure that the MCU itself will continue, and a lot of fans will be going along for the ride.
