The Marvel Studios have time and again brought spectacular projects to its fans. Movies like Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Ragnarok are still etched into the minds of viewers. From great CGI, background music, and storylines, Marvel movies have it all. However, with the recent slump the MCU has been in, fans are often wondering, “what happened to Marvel?!”
Another complaint some fans might have about Marvel is that while the cinematic universe is adapted from the much-loved comics, it isn’t quite comic-accurate. It’s true, the MCU doesn’t transfer the comic book pages straight to the screens and Marvel producer Nate Moore might know why. Apparently, Marvel Studios are a bit hesitant when it comes to hiring avid comic book fans.
Comic Book Fans Are a Big No in Marvel’s Team
While appearing on The Ringer’s The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Marvel Studios’ producer Nate Moore let the studio’s secret out. If you’re a devoted comic book fan, you might not be a perfect addition to Marvel’s team. Talking to Matthew Belloni, Moore revealed that while a lot of time the team gets pitched writers who are fans of the comics, they are a “red flag” for Moore. This is because he believes that if someone has a preconceived notion about what something is like, most of the time recreating it with originality becomes a task.
“A lot of times, we’re pitched writers who love Marvel. And to me, that’s always a red flag. Because I go, ‘Oh, I don’t want you to already have a pre-existing idea of what it is, because you grew up with Issue 15 and that’s what you want to recreate…’ I want somebody who’s hard on the material, who goes, ‘What is this? I think there’s a movie here, but maybe we should be looking at it in this way.’
Basically, all Moore and the team want is someone who can spin around the comics and create something new and fresh out of them. He believes that this will happen when writers and directors aren’t confined to the idea of what the movie should be like from the comic book point of view.
When talking about what exactly it is that Marvel looks for while adding people to the team, the Eternals producer stated that there are two check boxes the person should tick. One of those boxes is having shown excellence in their previous work and the other is a passion for the movie.
A Twist on the Comic Books
Moore’s point of view might come off as confusing to the fans. Why won’t having previous knowledge about the source be an added benefit to the movie? After all, if they have all the information needed, the characters will be much more accurately depicted, right? Well, Moore doesn’t think that’s necessarily the best road to take.
Citing Taika Waititi as an example, he stated that the director did such great work with Thor in Ragnarok. According to Moore, this happened because Waititi wasn’t “married to Thor on the page.” He put his own spin on the character and maybe that’s the whole reason why the movie was so well-received. Should he have followed the “Shakespearan” and “traditionally stiff” personality of the God of Thunder, maybe the movie wouldn’t have done that well.
So while the Marvel comic books and the Marvel Cinematic Universe aren’t exact replicas of each other and are doing their own thing, the heart of the stories lies in the same place.
You can stream The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast on Spotify
Source: The Ringer