The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever changing place, and showing no signs of slowing down. And with the entertainment industry focusing on inclusion and diversity onscreen, Marvel studios has followed suit and begun telling stories featuring more people of color and women during its massively successful Phase Three. And it's a change that seems to have paid off at the box office.
Victoria Alonso is Marvel's VP of production, and recently spoke to Marvel's concerted effort to tell more diverse stories. As the MCU exec tells it:
You don't get to have this kind of success if the entire world doesn't see your product. So we are determined to have everyone of those people represented in our films, in some way, at some point in time. Now, we only make two or three movies a year, so it's difficult to have every single one --- but it is definitely one of the things that we have in our minds all the time.
As if Marvel's line up of films in Phase Three isn't enough of a tell, Victoria Alonso makes the studio's intentions crystal clear. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is trying to feature heroes of all shapes and sizes, and that's a trend that we should expect to continue with the mysterious set of movies post-Avengers 4.
Victoria Alonso's comments to BBC are sure to excite Marvel's many critics, who took umbrage with the lack of diversity in the first two phases. Indeed, if you look back at the MCU's roots, it's mostly focused on white men. But Phase Three changed this, as women and people of color became more present throughout the various individual franchises.
Diversifying the MCU seems to have positively affected Marvel studios, as the box office has brought on even more record breaking results. Just look at Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. T'Challa's adventure in Wakanda resonated with audiences, making insane buckets of money while also being a significant moment in pop culture. Black Panther has quickly become one of the most popular characters in the MCU, with Wakanda favoriting heavily into Avengers: Infinity War.
Marvel's Kevin Feige has also made it clear that the future of Marvel is female. Women were given more time to shine in Black Panther, and Peyton Reed's Ant-Man and The Wasp put Evangeline Lilly's character right in the title. And Brie Larson's Captain Marvel will be the first female-led MCU installment in ten years of filmmaking.
It should be interesting to see how Marvel continued to diversify after Avengers 4. Black Panther will no doubt get a sequel, and it looks like Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow will finally get the movie she deserves. But other than Spider-Man: Far From Home, nothing is set in stone or revealed to the public at this time.
More answers should come when Avengers 4 hits theaters on May 3rd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
