Marvel has made cinematic history with their foray into the movies. Although the rights to two of their most valuable properties – X-Men and Spider-Man – respectively belong to Fox and Sony, Marvel has nevertheless created the most profitable franchise of all time. And along the way, they’ve made some of the best superhero movies to date.

They have also broken their films into “Phases” and expanded into television, cartoons, and comics, allowing them to create one cohesive universe. But at what cost?

J and I discuss the unfortunate creative side effects of several films into a single world. How does that impact an auteur’s directive path? Does it quash individual aesthetic in favor of unified themes and narratives? This and more in our new edition of “Superhero Madness”!

~ Søren

Please be aware that this podcast contains spoilers for Phases 1 and 2 of the MCU movies. You can listen to our discussion online or by downloading it here.

What do you think about the MCU? Is it too focused on world-building? Does it get lost in its own self-promotion? Let us know in the comments!

And stay tuned for “Superhero Madness, Part 3,” where we’ll conclude this series with an in-depth conversation about the state of the DC universe.

This podcast uses clips from the song “Movie Star * (The Making Of X)” by Loveshadow / CC BY-NC 3.0.