'The Road to Civil War,' or, How to Build an Extended Movie Universe the Marvel Way
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t just the first cinematic meeting between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight — it’s also the initial step in a Warner Bros.-DC plan to create an extended franchise to parallel the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). BvS not only spends time setting up a fight between Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman, but also devotes some of its energy to establishing characters who’ll factor into future movies: Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller’s Flash, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. The latter three are briefly spied in Zack Snyder’s film to set up the planned all-star Justice League team-up late next year.
Related: How ‘Batman v Superman’ Sets Up Larger DC Movie Universe
With billions of dollars at stake (not to mention bragging rights for the title of King of the Comic-Movie World), it’s no surprise that Warners/DC wants to emulate Marvel. What is astonishing, however, is the speed at which the studio is attempting to catch up. Batman v Superman is only the second DC film produced during this current “phase” (after 2013’s Man of Steel), yet six different heroes already have either been prominently featured or overtly teased on screen. It’s a hyper-rushed pace even the Flash might not be able to match.
Related: What We Know About ‘Civil War’
Which brings us to a new video from The MCU Exchange, in which clips from every single Marvel movie since 2008’s Iron Man — as well as TV’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — have been combined to form an exhaustive seven-minute primer on the state of the Marvel Universe circa March 2016. Dubbed “The Road to Civil War,” this supercut expertly pieces together virtually all the key moments from Marvel’s past decade, in the process clearly laying out the various personal, intersquad, and global (not to mention intergalactic) conflicts that have led to the studio’s upcoming Captain America: Civil War, out May 6.
As merely a recap (with plentiful clips from the latest Civil War trailers), “The Road to Civil War” is an effective, creative piece of fandom. But it’s also, more tellingly, a stark illustration of Marvel’s dedication to developing its characters, scenarios, and dramatic dynamics over a wide range of properties spread out over time. Watching this comprehensive multi-film trailer is to be reminded of how carefully, and patiently, Marvel has plotted its current course, with considerable care put into establishing its various heroes first as individuals, and then as unlikely partners (and now, it seems, as combative adversaries).
Related: Marvel Movies ‘Have Always Had a Plan’
This assured “Road to Civil War” supercut neatly displays how Marvel has so far perfected its template for crafting an expansive, intertwined movie universe. Time will tell if DC’s more hurried approach yields equally satisfying results.
