Ralph Glorioso
Who would’ve thought that one single franchise would change the whole landscape of the film industry? Ever since Kevin Feige and the rest of the Marvel crew strapped on their seatbelts and wore their best kicks, Hollywood has been operating under a different function. The likes Iron Man in 2008, Thor in 2011, and the world-famous The Avengers in 2012 have transitioned the industry one way or another, for better or for worse. However, not just any company can replicate this genius––not every major property has the means to create a superhero universe.
If we’re talking competitors, the DCEU is definitely up there. However, knotting every DC movie and creating a universe––a timeline, per se––somehow takes good credit and praise from their own individual movies. Sony Pictures Universe, on the other hand, looks optimistic but it’s really just Marvel on a different platform––maybe misguided is the right word. Besides that, there are the likes of the Valiant Universe, the Dark Universe, the Wizarding World (where Fantastic Beasts 3 came from), and Warner Bros.’ very own MonsterVerse and Conjuring mythos.
What’s said here out loud is that it isn’t easy to create a universe suitable to please the audience. At a time when entertainment has grown so exponentially, both in budget and wacky storylines, it isn’t enough to just put sequel after sequel. How Marvel did it will forever be a question that sparks an argument.
One thing to consider, however, is today’s generation of people. Evidence shows that as generations grow younger, entertainment becomes shorter. YouTube, TikTok, and what was Vine back then are the epitomes of this type of entertainment’s success. On the screen, I’m afraid that Captain America can’t beat Iron Man in under 10 seconds. That’s where the small screens come in.
Arguably, the Arrowverse is one of the more renowned universes among the streaming platform. Though they’re trending a little bit towards the upside-down, the series are still going very strong. Paramount+, on one hand, will be focusing on Star Trek while AMC, on the other hand, will be focusing on The Walking Dead universes. If you’re wondering where Netflix is on all this, well, they’re actually in the process of developing multiple superhero universes, according to Daniel Richtman.
Binged JUPITER'S LEGACY this week and holy hot crackers was that my shit. Up there with THE BOYS in terms of subversive superhero content. Great work all around by @mrmarkmillar and an amazing cast. Put in in your Netflix watchlist! pic.twitter.com/xojPLGGwst
— C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) May 27, 2021
That’s the extent of what we know. Netflix has actually been very active in releasing superhero content for the past couple of months––and it won’t be long until they create a specialized category for it just like for their sci-fi and anime catalogs. The likes of Jupiter’s Legacy, Project Power, The Sandman, We Can Be Heroes, and of course, who could forget The Umbrella Academy? Some series are upcoming and some are already seasons deep, but nevertheless, it’s still a strong lineup. If Netflix is planning to make this a big universe of some sort, then they have the foundation to do so.
