The case for small-time art filmmakers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Plenty of room to adjust

If we follow the trend of the MCU in terms of filmmakers, the earliest trend was gathering directors known for their work in mainstream cinema and television. The first Iron Man film, for instance, (as well as the first film in the entire MCU) was directed by actor-filmmaker, Jon Favreau. Though most audiences will know him for his supporting role as the grumpy, but lovable Happy Hogan, Favreau has an even bigger involvement with the film, having directed it.

Favreau, before then, had also directed some well-known mainstream fare, such as his directorial debut, Made, the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy, Elf, and the sci-fi adventure film, Zathura: A Space Adventure. By the time Iron Man rolled out, Favreau had 3 movies worth of experience in the director’s chair and Elf, to be specific, became a critical and commercial success, ultimately painting Favreau as a solid and reliable director to potentially helm a franchise. Favreau, who also directed Iron Man 2, helped bring success and legitimacy to a comic-book film franchise that would sprawl out into a global phenomenon.

As for other filmmakers in the franchise, their involvement would, more or less, account to a single movie, followed by the sequel being put into a different director’s hands. Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Incredible Hulk were all directed by different names, such as actor-director, Kenneth Branagh, the director of the first two Transporter films, Louis Leterrier, and Joe Johnston, the director behind Jumanji, October Sky, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Jurassic Park III. While their films have ultimately gone on to thrive with sequels and event films, the directors, all having had their fair share of experience in the mainstream, were ultimately subjected to just those movies.

A common consensus is that, with the exception of Iron Man, all of the other introduction movies for the rest of the Avengers are entertaining, but somewhat forgettable and strangely dated by today’s comparisons. First, we have The Incredible Hulk, which not only stars a completely different actor in the role of Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), but is seen as a lackluster attempt to give the green guy his own solo film.

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Next, we have Thor, which has become infamous for its strange direction, such as the abundance of tilted shots that resembled something out of Battlefield Earth, as well as its odd fish-out-of-water story that seemed to overlook the Asgardian nature of the film. Finally, there’s The First Avenger, which saw our own Steve Rogers punch Adolf Hitler as part of a World War II propaganda show. Sure, there’s enough self-awareness to acknowledge the silliness of the concept, it is still ultimately concluded with a generic battle between Steve Rogers and Red Skull.

The start of the MCU certainly had its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, Jon Favreau has thrived the most from this first set of hopeful directors helming franchises. Favreau added enough artistic integrity to Iron Man to make the film last as long as it has. Though the other films have their own set of pros and cons, it should be no coincidence that the first film in the MCU is often regarded as one of the best in the whole series.

Though Favreau was far from a small name in filmmaking at the time, the MCU’s willingness to give him a chance was still fairly risky, given his smaller nature and the then-unproven box office appeal of Robert Downey Jr. But this chance paid off, arguably being the kickstarter for the MCU to consider smaller filmmakers for their franchises.