If Marvel’s first plans for a movie franchise had succeeded, theMCUprobably wouldn’t exist today. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown exponentially throughout the years, going from the Avengers' monumental team-up in 2012’sThe Avengersto their universe-defining battle against Thanos in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, and from Marvel Studios' first venture into streaming withWandaVisionto the multiversal war at the center ofAvengers: Secret Wars, as well asmore than a dozen upcoming MCU projectsin the next few years.
Kevin Feige’s ambitious plans for an interconnected franchise made the MCU what it is nowadays: an ever-growing behemoth grossing almost $30 billion and gathering Hollywood’s biggest stars.Sixteen years afterIron Manmarked the beginning of the franchise,the MCU now comprises over thirty-four movies, fifteen shows, and two Special Presentations, plus a few shorts. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so successful that C-list characters have become fan-beloved icons and supporting characters from other supporting characters' shows have gotten their own spin-off shows. However, the MCU almost didn’t happen.
Marvel’s 1999 Plans Brought Tier-A Heroes To Screen At Multiple Studios
Marvel’s First Plans For A Movie Franchise Overlooked The Concept Of A Cinematic Universe
Marvel famously filed for bankruptcy in the 1990s due to several factors, including the burst of the comic speculator bubble and changes in comic book distribution. This crisis led Marvel to sell its characters' movie rights to different studios, all of which had differing ideas about what a successful adaptation looked like.In 1999, then-Marvel Enterprises CEO Avi Arad announced a plan for theatrical Marvel productions(viaVariety). This plan aimed to adapt Marvel Comics characters to the big screen more faithfully than previous box office flops like 1979’sCaptain Americaand 1986’sHoward the Duck.
AfterBlade’s success at New Line Cinema in 1998, Marvel moved forward with projects such asSpider-ManandDoctor Strangeat Sony,HulkandNamor the Sub-Marinerat Universal;X-Men,Fantastic Four, andSilver Surferat 20th Century Fox, andBlack Pantheralso at New Line Cinema alongside aBladesequel. Ideas forIron Man,Daredevil, andCaptain Americawere also in development, and early plans for aThoranimated movie were considered and later transformed into a live-action movie concept.Damage ControlandPrimealso joined Marvel’s early-naughts movie slate.
Damage Control
Unknown
Speaking toVarietyin 1999, Avi Arad explained Marvel’s goals, saying,“Our three big profit centers are publishing, toys and licensing, the latter of which encompasses movies, TV and videogames,”and detailed Marvel’s approach to franchise-building. Instead of a cinematic universe, each Marvel movie was supposed to be a stand-alone property with a couple of tie-in projects attached. Arad said,“You jump-start things with an event movie, follow up with a TV show for continuity and fashion a high quality videogame. When the three are combined and introduced successfully, that creates a very powerful brand.”This approach is considerably different from the current MCU.
Why Marvel’s 1999 Slate Never Happened
Different Studios Handled Marvel Adaptations Their Own Way
Each top-priority Marvel property for each studio went into development soon after Avi Arad’s 1999 announcement of Marvel’s movie plans.Fox was the first studio to release its Marvel movie with Bryan Singer’sX-Menin 2000, which became a unanimous success and got a sequel greenlit. Meanwhile,James Cameron’s scrapped plans for aSpider-Manmoviewere reworked at Sony, and Sam Raimi was hired to directSpider-Man, which also became a massive hit. Fox’sDaredevil, Universal’sHulk, and Fox’sFantastic Fourdidn’t gain the same acclaim, but they kept strengthening studios' faith in the superhero genre.
Several directors were considered for every Marvel movie. For instance, Sam Raimi was attached toThorbefore directingSpider-Man, andHulkdirector Ang Lee was considered forSpider-Man.
Plans forDoctor Strange,Namor the Sub-Mariner,Silver Surfer,Black Panther,Iron Man,Captain America, andThordate back several years before early-2000s Marvel movies likeX-MenandSpider-Man, but they struggled to get off the ground much longer. For instance,Doctor Strangewas a heavily-contended project between Regency, Columbia Pictures, Dimension Films, Miramax, and Paramount (among others), and it went through various directors such as Bob Gale, Wes Craven, David S. Goyer, and Guillermo Del Toro.Iron Man,Captain America, andThorwent through various early drafts before they began development at Marvel Studios.
Only A Couple Of Movies In Marvel’s Planned Slate In 1999 Haven’t Happened
The MCU Has Introduced Characters Whose Solo Movies Were Considered Almost Thirty Years Ago
Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Doctor Strange only received their own live-action movie adaptation when Marvel Studios launched the MCU. Hulk also got an MCU reboot inThe Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four and Daredevil are starring in their own solo MCU projects —The Fantastic Four: First StepsandDaredevil: Born Again— in 2025.Although they’re now part of the MCU, Silver Surfer, Namor the Submariner, and Damage Control haven’t starred in their own live-action projects yet.Silver Surfer’s solo movie was canceled with the release of Fox’sFantastic Fourfilms, and aNamor the Submarinerfilm has struggled to move forward since the character’s distribution rights are still held by Universal.
The United States Department of Damage Control has been a part of the MCU sinceIron Man, Namor made his MCU debut inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, andthe Silver Surfer will appear inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
One Marvel character who stands out in Marvel’s 1999 movie slate is Prime. Prime is a superhero created by the now-defunct Malibu Comics for its Ultraverse imprint. Marvel acquired Malibu Comics in 1995, and the entire Ultraverse was canceled shortly after. However, Marvel began developing a Prime movie around 1999, which remained in consideration at Universal until 2003.Hulk’s mixed reception may have convinced Universal to cancel the project quietly. In the Ultraverse comics, Prime is a genetically-modified kid named Kevin Green with the ability to transform into an adult superhero, with the downside that his grown-up body breaks down into slime.
Marvel Studios Benefited From Previous Hits And Failures Before It Launched The MCU
Marvel’s decision to split its characters' cinematic rights saved the company from bankruptcy, but it also made the idea of a cinematic universe impossible for some time, as each studio had different plans for their respective properties. Successful solo movies likeX-MenandSpider-Manproved superhero movies were a good investment, while critical and commercial disappointments likeDaredevilandHulkshowed that not every studio and director knew how to make them work.Ifevery pre-MCU Marvel moviehad been a hit, Marvel would have kept letting various studios follow their own plans with each property.
Every studio could have launched entire franchises centered on one or a few Marvel characters
If other studios had moved ahead with their own versions ofIron Man,Thor,Captain America, andBlack Panther, they would have likely held on to the characters' rights to produce more standalone sequels and spin-offs, each in their own independent continuity. Just like Fox created an extensiveX-Menfranchise and Sony created its own Spider-Man villain universe separate from theMCU, every studio could have launched entire franchises centered on one or a few Marvel characters, thus making it impossible for Marvel Studios to have enough characters to launch an interconnected cinematic universe.
