The Best and Worst of Marvel Before the MCU
- Will Johnson
- Feb 1, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 16, 2022
With all the interconnected storylines, iconic characters and box-office success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's easy to forget that Marvel were making live action movies before the MCU. In fact they've been doing it far longer than most people realise, with mixed success both critically and commercially. Here we look at the best and worst of Marvel's pre-MCU films.
It's always good to start on a positive note, and luckily there are plenty of them from Marvel’s films before Iron Man (2008), the first release in the MCU.
The Roots of the MCU
The original Blade (1998) was Marvel's first real success, a stylish take on their coolest comic-book character starring the legendary Wesley Snipes. The subsequent films that make up the trilogy, Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004), weren't quite as strong, but still made for an exciting franchise. With the increase in ‘90s nostalgia Blade's standing in the Marvel canon has heightened in recent years, and Marvel are planning a reboot for a future MCU phase.
There are also the characters that would make their way into the MCU. The original three Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man films, Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) were absolutely huge at the time, as was The Hulk (2003) directed by Ang Lee. These films were the first time Marvel really saw the dedicated comic-book fan-base follow them to the big screen, and the commercial potential for the MCU was revealed.
The Original Cinematic Universe
The original X-Men trilogy is probably the greatest example of Marvel's pre-MCU success, beginning with the ground-breaking X-Men (2000) and following it with X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). All of them were excellent superhero films in their own right, but they were also the beginning of a wider universe that would be further explored in the subsequent X-Men franchise films. Looking back now, it's indicative of the storytelling style which Marvel would utilise in the MCU.
Yet, there is unfortunately a good helping of pre-MCU films that don't look so good on Marvel's CV.
The Duds
The obvious flops were Daredevil (2003) which many felt ruined one of Marvel's most unique comic-book characters, and its spin-off Elektra (2005) which didn't fare any better. There was also the first Fantastic Four iteration, beginning with the rather cheesy but commercially successful Fantastic Four (2005) and its rather more poorly received sequel Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer (2007). Despite being the last Marvel film before the MCU, it certainly didn't set the bar too high.
The Low-Budget Turkeys
Interestingly this was not Marvel's first attempt at bringing the Fantastic Four to the big screen. The Fantastic Four (1994) was made with the sole intention of keeping the rights to the characters for future releases. As such it was made on a very low budget and turned out so awful that it was never officially released. The story of its production was so intriguing that it actually spawned its own documentary. It wasn't Marvel's only low budget misadventure either. A terrible first attempt at portraying the super soldier, Captain America (1990) looks hilariously bad and was only ever released direct-to-video.
The Not So Bad-Ass Bad-Asses
The Punisher (1989) sounds great on paper seeing as it stars Dolph Lundgren, but it was mostly a box-office failure. That probably had something to do with it removing most of the character's iconic back-story and visual appearance. Marvel's subsequent reboots, beginning with The Punisher (2004), have all done a far better job showcasing one of their most irreverent characters.
Marvel also managed to get an Oscar winning lead star in their ranks. Let us never forget that Nicholas Cage is the recipient of a Best Actor Oscar, though he certainly wouldn't have won it for Ghost Rider (2007). Although it was successful among viewers at the time, watching it back now reveals a genuinely atrocious film with bad acting from nearly everyone on screen. In perhaps setting a precedent, Marvel put out a sequel in 2012 that really was only there for the fans.
The Original, and Still the Worst
Looking at where Marvel Studios is now, and the cinematic style they have developed over the MCU, it's amazing to think that their first proper film was Howard The Duck (1986). It featured a half animatronic/half puppet Howard that was weird even by 80s standards. Despite being licensed by Marvel for production by Lucasfilms it was a disastrous box-office flop, and regularly makes it on to 'worst ever movie' lists. Considering this terrible start, it's pretty remarkable to see just how far Marvel have come.
Let us know your thoughts... are Marvel's pre-MCU films as good as those from the MCU? Are some of them actually better? And just how comically awful is that original Captain America?
Editor's Picks:
Comments