It began with the 2008 movie Iron Man, which was released theatrically and later became known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Incredible Hulk was released the same year. Robert Downey Jr., who played the title role in Iron Man, appeared in the same role, surprising many people and beginning to understand the shared universe in Marvel movies.

The first film to showcase this realm was The Avengers, a 2012 film. The film’s worldwide success triggered the superhero movie boom of the 2010s, which lasted almost a decade.

The first successful Shared Universe film in cinema

The most significant achievement of the Avengers movie is the successful implementation of the concept of shared universes in film. A shared universe is one in which separate and distinct works share the same worldview and setting. Although the term has been adopted in various creative works, it is most closely associated with the American comic book world, as it was defined by American comics historian Mark Steyn in 1970.

A shared Universe is often described as a “series.” Still, this characteristic is that independent works function as a whole, even when they are grouped together in the same world. It is also different from a collaboration, in which independent works temporarily create the same work for an event. The movie “Masked Rider Heisei Generations,” which brings together all the Masked Riders of the Heisei era, is considered a collaboration.

The concept of a shared universe was used in American comics, such as Marvel Comics, Inc. Universal’s horror series beginning with Dracula the Madman is commonly considered a Shared Universe in the film industry. It was also released as a new Universe film in 2017, The Mummy.

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These films predate Markstein’s defining work. Some film adaptations based on Marvel Comics, such as the franchise that began with X-Men, released in 2000, are more aptly thought of as a series of films that branch off from the exact origin rather than a shared universe.

The Avengers movie is entirely different from these films. With its American comic book background, it was conceived from the beginning as a shared universe. Before this film, independent films explored the origins of the individual heroes and brought them together in The Avengers. It was a revolutionary event in the history of cinema.

Great collection of Marvel heroes

The story of this film is that the four-dimensional cube, which was under research at S.H.I.E.L.D., has been stolen by Loki, who appeared in The Mighty Thor, and the Earth faces its greatest crisis in history. Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., gathers super-powered heroes to form the Avengers, the most potent team in the world. Fury has appeared in Captain America, Iron Man, and The Mighty Thor, which leads to this film. The Avengers were initially disparate, but after Phil’s death, they unite to fight against the Chitauri, an army from another world. The story is simple and easy to follow. I enjoyed the passionate battles between the superheroes without thinking too hard.

Although each of these heroes is popular now, they were not that popular or well-known before “The Avengers” was released. I was familiar with MARVEL vs. C.A.P.C.O.M. Honestly, the X-Men series and Spider-Man were the only ones I was familiar with.

Spider-Man was by far the most popular and well-known hero, but he does not appear in this film (the rights to Spider-Man are held by Sony Pictures). Nor were there any heroes at the time as popular as Superman or Batman from rival D.C. Comics. Each of these heroes had their own highly successful stand-alone films and series.

Iron Man and Captain America, the heroes of “The Avengers,” were not wholly unpopular, as they had been adapted into films in the past but were not well known. The Hulk was not a popular character, although his past film adaptations have been talked about. Thor is an unbelievable character based on Norse mythology, and some people thought he stood out from other American comic characters. In terms of casting, it was not a “dream star-studded cast” by any means. Although carefully calculated, it was a miracle that their coming together won the hearts of so many people.

The culmination of Phase 1, which showed the direction of the company as an MCU

The movie The Avengers was indeed the first culmination that the MCU welcomed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) finally introduced itself to the world with this film. It presented the idea of a shared universe to the public and proved that the concept could be successful in the film industry. Other distributors have since begun to pursue the shared universe concept one after another. However, none of them have been as successful as the MCU.

It was also around this time that the delineation of phases was whispered. From then on, a significant project began earnestly, expanding its reach with T.V. dramas and films. Since then, the MCU has been constantly offering new proposals to the public. The success of “The Avengers” marked the beginning of an era in which cinema became an attraction, and people went to the movies not in the name of Hollywood stars but in the name of superheroes. It was indeed a turning point in the history of cinema. Some people may have avoided The Avengers because I’m not interested in superheroes; I wouldn’t say I like American comics, or The series is too long to keep up with. However, this film is not only a story or a work of art but also a significant cultural phenomenon. If time permits, this is a film that I hope you will watch now when you can experience it in real-time.