Should the MCU Films Be More Timeless?

[Shikamaru]

I know Feige said they want to recast and keep the universe going Bond style, but I'm beginning to question whether that is indeed the best decision.

It seems like Marvel really went out of their way to establish their films' events to take place in the exact year they're released. Every film has references to exact dates and times. To list some examples (may contain minor CA:TWS spoilers):

-In IM3, Tony says he was 14 years old in 1983.
-Cap was born in 1918 and that Cap was born in 1918 and is chronologically 95 years old during the TWS events. Widow is also established to be born in 1984.
-Howard Stark being alive and "active" in the 1940's will Tony's age will be stuck on a floating timeline as the years pass, according to Feige.
-Same thing applies for Peggy in CA:TWS.
-If memory serves me right, Marvel released an official timeline with Tony and Bruce's birthdays being in the late 60's/early 70's.

These are just off the top of my head. I remember seeing a few more, and can probably list them if I rewatch all the films again. Regardless, I think Marvel's films are bound to age horribly if they keep doing this while still desiring to take the Bond route. 10-15 years from now, the things I just listed may come off as really awkward in rewatches or to new viewers. I feel they should be more timeless in terms of when they take place. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean taking the Batman TAS route and mixing 1940's fashions with futuristic computers. The films can still look as if they take place in their respective release year, but the references to real life need to stop or be more downplayed.

Since they do seem to reference real dates and have a natural-evolving continuity, I also think it would be more interesting if they let the MCU keep on going via real time, even aging and killing off certain characters. Dare I say even create original characters? At this moment, I think it would not only be more fitting, but also has the potential to be more original and creative. We have yet to have a big mainstream Marvel universe that does that, since both the 616 and Ultimate universes went the floating timeline route.

Thoughts?

 

[DA_Champion]

I'd make it like comic books if Marvel are indefinitely successful. Just keep switching the roster of heroes as some characters retire and others take up their place.

Maybe reboot the whole thing in 2030, which I think they do with comics from time to time.

 

[Mr. Dent]

i don't think they really feel beholden to that. they'll just retcon the years at some point.

 

[DjCrenshaw]

I'm sure they will reboot eventually. Too much money, and too many people with an eye on detail for them to not eventually do a reboot. The question is, how long will they wait after they have to recast to reboot?

 

[Silvermoth]

Not all at, they should always represent the times we live in. The overall themes can be timeless but people should be able to read the stories and think about them in the era they were set in.

That way it means they can keep refreshing it as they go along, enhancing creativity

 

[113]

I agree with you OP that we're likely to see a naturally evolving continuity. I don't see reboots being in the cards for Marvel Studios for a looong time.

If Marvel Studios continues to pump out quality movies there is no reason the theorized "comic book movie burn out" will ever occur. People have been discussing this eventual "burn out" to be right around the corner for close to a decade now. Individual actors can/will get burnt out - which seems to be what's happening with Downey Jr, Chris Evans, and some of the others; but that doesn't mean the general audience will get burnt out along with them. What matters is quality of films produced, not the genre they're in.

It's important for me to say that and get it out of the way because it matters for how Marvel Studios plan out their movies for the next 10-20 years, and possibly beyond that. In comics, certain characters are timeless because they're so popular. We always come back to the same few popular characters because that's what core fans want. But the movies are somewhat freed from that constraint because the bulk of their revenue comes from non-core fans.

It's possible for Marvel (and DC down the road) to introduce the popular characters as they have, have those characters go through their arc and basically retire them. Then have new characters take their place. For instance, Steve Rogers doesn't have to be recast in 5 years, they can just have Bucky take up the mantle as he did in the comics. Tony Stark doesn't have to be recast, they can just concentrate on War Machine later on.

Or, Marvel has the option of not even using these core characters at all beyond the current contracts for these actors. It's why GoTG is such a smart move (if the movie is good), because it just shifts our concentration from well known characters to other characters that will eventually become well known. Theoretically, kids today could grow up on, and prefer, Rocket Raccoon, Starlord, Ant-Man, and Black Panther as their favorite heroes instead of Cap, Iron Man, Thor, etc...Then eventually those characters will run their course in the MCU too. Marvel has a gazillion other characters they could weave into those movies to later expand on into their own franchises. It's possible we won't see any type of MCU reboot until 2040, or beyond, because there's just so much to explore.

It all comes down to the quality of the productions, and choosing the right characters at the appropriate time for release.

 

[Eddie]

They've already "adjusted" the timeline a little bit as needed. They'll just continue to do so, and they'll probably completely ignore it.