MCU

How a stew of artistic conflicts, outsized egos, and commercial disputes somehow produced magic.

At some point, the movies based on the Avengers superhero group and its individual members ceased to be just comic-book entertainment; they became cultural touchstones. Robinson, Gonzales, and Edwards bring extensive knowledge to the task of determining how, and they obviously love the craft of cinema. Marvel Studios largely declined to cooperate, so this unauthorized story was pieced together from public sources and off-the-record interviews. The person tying the pieces into a cinematic whole was Kevin Feige, who started at Marvel in 2000 and acted as ringmaster to an ever growing circus of writers, directors, actors, and technical specialists. The first Iron Man movie saved the company from ruin and set the larger project in motion, although at the time it was an incredible risk. Feige was willing to take chances with casting, ranging from the mercurial Robert Downey Jr. to Chris Hemsworth, relatively unknown until Thor. The first Avengers movie was both a culmination and a crucial step forward. Feige was always determined that emotional development was the narrative key, an approach that was demonstrated as the multiple arcs came together in Infinity War and Endgame. The authors follow the pushing and shoving that occurred in the creative backrooms, and it is astonishing to see how everything came together, often at the last moment. Feige was able to effectively use CGI, but in less capable hands, the technology could have easily overwhelmed the story. It is unclear where Marvel Studios will go from here, and subsequent movies have lacked focus. One problem with this book is that it’s patchy and overlong, as the authors spend too many pages chronicling corporate shenanigans and side projects. A stronger editorial hand would have improved the text, but nevertheless, it’s a solid, fairly authoritative account. The book includes a timeline.

Something important took place when the Avengers assembled, and this book provides the background for the sprawling canvas.