Some of Marvel’s movie risks, both in and out of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, have been very successful, but others have not been so lucky. The list of live-action movies inspired by the characters and stories from Marvel Comics' over-eight-decade-long history is incredibly long, so it’s no surprise that not every movie produced has actually worked.Marvel has taken some big risksover the years, some of which set new benchmarks and standards for the superhero genre, while others made audiences lose faith.
Most of the movies produced by Marvel Studios and set in the ever-expanding world of the MCU have been monumental successes, with many being some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. This has contributed to theMCU becoming the most successful movie franchisein history, but that doesn’t mean every project has been top drawer, and other Marvel franchises have faltered in the wake of the MCU.There have been some surprising success stories both in and out of the MCU, but also some movies that viewers would rather forget ever happened.
10Paid Off: Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man Was A Huge Risk As The MCU’s First Movie
There was a huge amount of pressure on Marvel Studios and director Jon Favreau to start the MCU in a strong place withIron Man, and, thankfully, this really paid off.Iron Manis still widely considered to be one of theMCU’s strongest installments, and the movie’s success certainly paved the way for Marvel to have more creative freedom when developing the future of its shared universe.Tony Stark’s Iron Man was far from a fan-favorite in Marvel Comics, so focusing on him for the MCU’s first movie was a risk, especially with Robert Downey Jr.’s involvement.
After a lengthy period of substance abuse, arrests, rehabilitations and relapses, Robert Downey Jr. set himself on a path of recovery in the late 2000s, andIron Manbecame one of his first big movies back on-screen. In many ways,the trajectories of Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr.’s lives had been similar, which made him an inspired choice for the role. However, this could have gone very badly, as Downey Jr. was a controversial figure at the time.Iron Man, however, marked his return to international stardom and high acclaim, and established a strong beginning for the MCU.
9Didn’t Work: Fantastic Four (2015)
Fantastic Four Rebooted Marvel’s First Family With Some Major Changes
20th Century Fox’s decision to reboot theFantastic Fourfranchise after the original 2005 movie and its 2007 sequel could have been great, but creative decisions meant that this did not work at all.The Fantastic Four team of the 2000s was popular, so rebooting Marvel’s First Family so soon after their last adventure was a risk, particularly since 2015’sFantastic Fourtook inspiration from the Ultimate Marvel versionof the team from Marvel Comics. This removed their original comic backstory in favor of a modernized version, and made the team’s members younger, which some found jarring.
2015’sFantastic Fourwas a critical and commercial failure in practically every respect.The movie became a box office bomb, and has since been regarded as one of the worst superhero films ever, which is a title Marvel Studios will certainly want to avoid when releasing a new reboot,The Fantastic Four: First Steps, in July 2025. Even directorJosh Trank has voiced his displeasure withFantastic Four, and blamed studio interference and pressure for a lot of the movie’s controversial decisions.
8Paid Off: Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Were Little-Known Before Their Live-Action Debut
This cosmic superhero team has gone on to become one of the MCU’s most popular properties, but prior to their live-action debut in 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy resided in obscurity in Marvel Comics.Visionary filmmaker James Gunn proved his salt by bringing the Guardians of the Galaxy into the MCU in Phase 2 in a way that became profitable, and made the titular team one of high demand in live-action. Few expectedGuardians of the Galaxyto be as successfulas it was, let alone lead to the development of two sequels and a Holiday Special.
James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxyfranchiseconcluded with 2023’sVol. 3, though there have been calls for the team to return, even though Gunn now oversees the DC Universe. This is testament to the huge success of the originalGuardians of the Galaxymovie, which saw the MCU reach its tendrils out into the cosmos and begin to expand the universe more than was initially imaginable.Guardians of the Galaxyset the standard for more comedy, team-up projects and family dynamics in the MCU, paving the way for the likes of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
7Didn’t Work: Dark Phoenix (2019)
Dark Phoenix Reinvented An Old X-Men Franchise Storyline
20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise delivered several hits and misses over the course of its two-decade-long run, and2019’sDark Phoenixwas one of the franchise’s biggest mistakes. The soft-reboot of the franchise started well withFirst ClassandDays of Future Past, but when the younger cast became completely separated from the original, something went wrong.X-Men: Apocalypsewas disappointing, andDark Phoenix, yet another rehashing of the iconicDark Phoenix Sagafrom Marvel Comics, was just a messand a risk that didn’t seem worth taking with the new cast.
TheDark Phoenix Sagahad already failed to be adapted properly in 2006’sX-Men: The Last Stand, and Fox failed to pull off the appropriate set-up for the story to be told again inDark Phoenix. Additionally,Dark Phoenixwas being developed during Disney’s acquisition of Fox, so much of the movie was messy, unfinished and laughably poor. There have been calls forMarvel Studios to simply ignore theDark Phoenix Sagawhen bringing a new X-Men team into the MCU, with many hoping the mistakes of Fox’s past will be avoided.
6Paid Off: Deadpool (2016)
As previously stated, not every movie in 20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise was disappointing, and 2016’sDeadpoolstands out as one of the most beloved and successful risks Fox ever took. After Ryan Reynolds portrayed a bastardized version ofWade Wilson inX-Men Origins: Wolverine, he set to work lobbying for a more comic-accurate version of Deadpool to be brought to screen.His commitment to the character was not shared by Fox, especially after Reynolds’Green Lanternmovie flopped, and not even early-made test footage convinced Fox to make the movie.
AfterDeadpool’stest footage was mysteriously leakedonline in 2014, however, the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response forced Fox to put the movie into development, and it might have been the best choice the studio made for theX-Menfranchise.Made on a much smaller budget than the typical superhero movie,Deadpoolbecame an instant hit, becoming the highest-grossingX-Menfranchise movie and highest-grossing R-rated movie at the time.Deadpoolcould have easily fallen flat, but its huge success led to the production of a higher-budget sequel, and Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth has now even made his mark on the MCU.
5Didn’t Work: Eternals (2021)
Eternals Has Earned Some Retrospective Admiration
2021’sEternalsis one of the MCU’s most divisive movies.Academy Award-winnerChloé Zhao’s vision forEternalswas incredibly ambitious and far-reaching, perhaps too much so for just one feature film.Eternalsexplored several millennia of the MCU’s history and introduced an entire new mythology, including ten new superpowered heroes, which made much of the movie feel underdeveloped, rushed and too-crammed-full. In this respect,Eternals’risk did not pay off, as it became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated and lowest-grossing movies.
Even so, in recent years,Eternalshas been gaining a great deal of retrospective support and admiration.Praise has been given to the movie’s visuals, cinematography and mythological development, which many want to see expanded on further in the MCU’s future, even though there has been no confirmation ofMarvel Studios producingEternals 2. Some have voiced thatEternalsmight have fared better as a long-form TV series on Disney+, giving the characters more time to grow, but the future for this cosmic team is now in jeopardy.
4Paid Off: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok Completely Revamped The MCU’s Thor Franchise
AfterThorandThor: The Dark World’sclassical, Shakespearean tones fell flat with audiences, Taika Waititi was hired as a surprise director for the third ofChris Hemsworth’s solo MCU movies.Thor: Ragnaroksubsequently revitalized theThorfranchise, saw Hemsworth delivering a more comedic Thor, and explored a colorful and vibrant cosmic adventure, which sawRagnarokbecome one of the MCU’s most praised and successful movies. While this may not have worked the second time round inThor: Love and Thunder,Ragnarokwas certainly a risk worth taking.
Thor has not typically been depicted as a comedic character in Marvel Comics or in the MCU’s history, soit was a huge swing to have him be more jokey, unserious and unabashed inThor: Ragnarok. It seems this is exactly what audiences were looking for, however, and this ultimately helped to make his fall from grace inInfinity WarandEndgameeven more poignant. There have been discussions about apossibleThor 5taking on a new toneafterLove and Thunderreceived criticism, butThor: Ragnarokis still widely regarded as one of the MCU’s most enjoyable installments.
3Didn’t Work: Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Tried To Do Too Much For An Ant-Man Movie
UnlikeThor: Ragnarok, Paul Rudd’s third solo movie as Scott Lang’s Ant-Man did not revamp theAnt-Manfranchise or the MCUin the ways that Marvel Studios was hoping. PreviousAnt-Manmovies had been palate-cleansers after dramatic and intenseAvengersmovies, butAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniatried to pull off a much more transformative and world-changing storyline for the size-changing hero. It seems Ant-Man works better in smaller, grounded stories, however, as pitting him against Kang the Conqueror did not have the impact Marvel wanted.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniareceived a huge amount of criticism following its release in February 2023. The movie’s visual effects and too-ambitious narrative weren’t well-received, and whileJonathan Majors' performance as Kang the Conqueror was praised, the fact he was beaten by Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne was not. Kang was supposed to be the primary villain of the Multiverse Saga, butQuantumaniamade him seem incredibly weak, and controversy surroundingMajors' subsequent arrest and convictiontainted the movie even further. This just wasn’t a strong chapter in the MCU’s Phase 5.
2Paid Off: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Told A Completely New Spider-Man Story
One far-reaching multiverse movie that did work, unlikeQuantumania, was Sony Animation’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which became a surprising smash-hit in 2018.The animatedSpider-Versemovie focused on Miles Morales' version of the wall-crawler, voiced by Shameik Moore, and became one of the most successful and highly-praised animated movies of all time, even winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.Into the Spider-Verseis regarded as a groundbreaking achievement in animation, which is shared by its sequel.
Developing an animated movie focused on a completely different version of Spider-Man to Peter Parker from several live-action projects was a monumental risk for Sony Animation.There was no guarantee that the movie would be successful, and this was reflected in the tiny $90 million budget. What the movie’s creators and animators pulled off on this budget was inspirational and seriously impressive, setting a new standard for animated movies, and establishing an even higher standard for its own sequels, which 2023’sAcross the Spider-Verseexceeded, and theupcomingBeyond the Spider-Verseneeds to match.
1Didn’t Work: Kraven The Hunter (2024)
Kraven The Hunter Marked The End Of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Unlike Sony’s success with the animatedSpider-Versefranchise, the studio’slive-action Spider-Man Universe (SSU) falteredat almost every turn. While theVenomtrilogy achieved some level of success,Morbius, Madame Weband, most recently,Kraven the Hunter, absolutely did not.Kraven the Hunteronly grossed a total of $62 million at the global box office, becoming a box office bomb with a budget of roughly double its gross. This marked a sorry end to the SSU, which was confirmed to be ending as audiences knew it followingKraven the Hunter’srelease.
The entirety of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe received criticism throughout its run, most notably because of the absence of any version of Spider-Man. The franchise turned some ofSpider-Man’s most iconic adversariesinto anti-heroes, which was a controversial choice to begin with, but then completely ignored the wall-crawler himself.Kraven the Hunteris one of Spider-Man’s most well-known enemies, so it was a huge risk to develop the project outside theMarvel Cinematic Universewithout Peter Parker, and this risk did not pay off for Sony whatsoever.
