*spoilers for 'Loki', 'Wandavision', and 'The Falcon' and the Winter Soldier'
WITH the recent conclusion of ‘Loki’ (at least until he returns) so too, concludes the first phase of Disney+’s Marvel streaming invasion.
From ‘Wandavision’s’ premiere in January up till now, Disney has launched three streaming series to collectively great success, be it critically or fan excitement (actual streaming numbers are as classified as government secrets) – not to mention racking up a treasure trove of awards nominations.
Coinciding with the release of the oft-delayed ‘Black Widow’ (at least in countries that have moved beyond Covid lockdowns), the ending of ‘Loki’ also provides a jumping-off point for the next wave of Marvel movies.
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While the first era of movies – from 2008’s ‘Iron Man’ to 2019’s ‘Avenger: Endgame’– ultimately built up to the titanic clash with iconic villain Thanos, the next phase of a planned dozen movies from now until the end of 2023 will grapple with alternate dimensions and battles across time and space.
It’s known that the head writer for ‘Loki’ is also writing the screenplay for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’, a movie that will also be a follow-up to ‘Wandavision’ as Wanda continues her journey and will probably unlock the dimension distorting powers she’s known for having in the comics.
There are also rumours that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ – scheduled for release this December – will feature its fair share of alternate reality shenanigans. Alfred Molina, who played Doc Ock in ‘Spider-Man 2’ back in 2004, way before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a reality, has been confirmed to return.
Knowing Marvel’s tendency to give fans what they want, it’s possible we’ll see the classic Spider-Man meme come to life.
That Disney is able to float such an ambitious undertaking is unprecedented – especially with a pandemic still affecting many parts of the globe.
As cinemas struggled around the world during the past year, and film studios held on to finished movies – waiting for Covid-19 to lessen and audiences to be comfortable enough to return – Disney was able to aim that thirst for entertainment towards their new streaming service.
Late last year, it was the success of season two of ‘The Mandalorian’, the Star Wars series following the contentious sequel trilogy that dominated pop culture on social media (one of the few real metrics to rate the popularity of a show). There were Baby Yoda memes aplenty, and Marvel was all too willing to weaponise the viral nature of memes.
#AlligatorLoki receives his own poster. pic.twitter.com/vAkr2gZBts
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 12, 2021
Also, Disney+’s strategy of releasing an episode – in contrast to Netflix’s approach of dumping every episode of a season all at once – also allowed the shows to stay in the Internet “discourse”, for better or worse.
On the one hand, an episode can be discussed over a week – bouncing around the various pop culture blogs and social media. On the other hand, sometimes shows where characters dress up in funny costumes to punch other funny-looking people don’t lend themselves to in-depth discussion.
For example, for all ‘The Falcon and Winter Soldier’s’ attempts to deal with serious issues like race relations and the US military’s role around the world, it ended up pulling its punches in the end and oddly rewarding all the characters.
For ‘Wandavision’, an exciting build-up and mystery were ultimately let down by a conventional superhero beat-em-up – though apparently, Covid-19 affected the filming of the finale. And a self-contained pop exploration of trauma ends up as a prelude for more movies.
While ‘Loki’ might be the most successful of all of Marvel’s shows, in that it maintained a steady level of quality and a unique sense of style, it does lack an element of closure. The relationship between the two lead Lokis (Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino) becomes side-lined as the new big bad is revealed.
In the end, that’s what Marvel is about – setting up the next big thing. And while it might not always be satisfying for everyone, it’s been successful enough to fuel a seemingly unstoppable pop culture engine that doesn’t seem like it’s stopping anytime soon. – The Vibes, July 16, 2021
