Are streaming services taking over? Disney+ recently has put out multiple new shows and series, especially in the Star Wars and Marvel franchises. But while the number of series has increased, the big screen movies have lagged behind.
Since the beginning of 2021, Marvel has released a multitude of new shows, starting with WandaVision and recently She-Hulk. Star Wars has also kept pace releasing Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Andor, and others. During this time, Movies have also seen the same, lots of marvel movies have been released during this time.
The quantity of series on streaming services has risen over the past few years and the question then becomes—is the quality still the same?
Jess Scadden is the Genre of Adaptation teacher at the PVHS and she said, “Quality is certainly better, but I also think it is important to be mindful of whose critiques we value.” Most of the negative comments on the new shows come from people who haven’t read the comics.
A big reason that series’ are getting hate is the idea of the “Avenger trap”. This idea is that the big fight scenes and end of the world scenarios are what people enjoy most about the movies and shows. Scadden points out that comics play a big role in the Marvel universe and most of the new series are portraying the comics.
The new shows might be duller than some of the movies, but they still can have an impact on the fanbase, “the topics being explored in the MCU with these new phases and shows add so much value to the canon and broaden the fanbase,” says Scadden. As Marvel continues building its backstories, Scadden recommends reading some comics before being so quick to judge.
The shows are still a good way to help project ideas of Marvel and give backstories for some of the minor role characters. The shows also allow actors to have more opportunities and delve into deeper topics. Scadden explains, “Mrs. Marvel was played by a Muslim-American, “She Hulk” displays a female actor as the lead character, and “Moon Knight” talks about the complexity of identity disorder.”
The shows have given people a lot more choices as well. “I enjoy having a wide variety of options, there are some that I enjoyed and others I didn’t,” Matthew Murphy, a student at Pleasant Valley said. Marvel is appealing to all of its audiences by creating a larger quantity of shows that can reach a wider range of people.
As Marvel continues to increase its number of upcoming series and shows, it is important to hold back on judgment and think about the reason for the show. It’s not always about the next big fight and popular superhero. It’s instead, giving the smaller characters a story and giving the comics a new life through the screen.
