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Inside the secret formula Marvel Studios has used since Day 1 to differentiate itself from superhero movies and beat superhero fatigue

Call Kevin Feige Colonel Sanders, because the MCU has a secret formula.

 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest movie franchise of all time. There had been great superhero movies before the Marvel Studios started making them, and there have been great superhero movies since Marvel Studios started making them - but what Kevin Feige and Co. have figured out is how to consistently make good (and sometimes great) movies, and they've done it by relying on an implicit formula that once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Before I get there, it's important to note that MCU movies aren't superhero movies. Yes, they have superheroes in them, but they work best when it's not superheroes doing superhero-y things. Instead, they're doing something else, while having superheroes in them.

In this week's Marvel Matters, I make the MCU's implicit formula, explicit. The secret recipe of

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Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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