What Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy can learn from Avengers: Endgame
Marvel is riding high as king of the box office, so just what can Lucasfilm and its head Kathleen Kennedy learn from the MCU?
Avengers: Endgame is proving to be a mighty force at the box office. With over $2 billion worldwide to date, the film is forecasted to unseat Avatar from the global throne of the highest-grossing film of all time. With Endgame being the crown jewel in the MCU’s crown and the culmination of 22 films, it’s no wonder the film is the monster it is at the box office.
The MCU is not the only universe that has been kicking it at the box office, as Disney-owned studio Lucasfilm has seen success with its string of billion-dollar hits in the Star Wars universe. However, Lucasfilm and its head Kathleen Kennedy has received a one-two punch, due to the underwhelming performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story and the underperformance of The Last Jedi, which despite being a billion-dollar grosser managed to earn almost 700 million less than its predecessor. Its portrayal of series hero Luke Skywalker as a cowardly hermit rubbed many fans the wrong way as well, and the film went on to be the most controversial film since Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The controversy was so great that many attribute part of the bombing of Solo as a result of SW fans not going to see it.
All of this misfortune has many concerned for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the future of SW in general, and with good reason. So what can Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy learn from the MCU? It is necessary to look at what has made the MCU a roaring success. Indeed, no other franchise can claim the critical, monetary and fan reception that the MCU has. In fact, the MCU has not had a single flop or bomb in its entire roster. Thor: The Dark World, The Incredible Hulk, and Avengers: Age of Ultron come closest but even those have their fans.
One of the biggest reasons that the MCU has been a huge success is because of one man: Kevin Feige — the man with his hand on the pulse of Marvel and the mastermind behind its meteoric rise. Kevin Feige has gotten his fair share of criticism, but what no one can argue with is that he loves the Marvel characters and places, and it shows through all 22 films that he has kept a firm grip on the narratives and plot devices. If one looks, you will not see huge departures in the films from who the characters are in the comics.
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The Marvel characters may go through hard times, but they are always given a reason for why they are behaving the way they are and are allowed a road back to being the character the fans know and love. Now, let’s contrast what Kennedy did with the beloved legacy characters of Star Wars.
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Luke Skywalker was a coward living in exile (with a very flimsy and unexplained reason for it). Han Solo is divorced, in debt and running from gangsters. And lastly, Leia is no longer the strong new republic leader. No, she is a general running a woefully outmatched resistance group (We still don’t know why the New Republic seemingly has no interest in stopping the first order). In short, Kennedy decided that it was best to subvert the expectations of the fans. Luke Skywalker as powerful Jedi? Nope, he is a failed old man, who still dies a failure. Han Solo is back to being the same unethical smuggler we met before his redemption, and Leia has not taken the reins of leadership in the New Republic.
Needless to say, the fans were not happy, and The Last Jedi was viewed as such a disappointment that Episode XI is said to be taking steps to “course correct”. Now, back to the question at hand, just what can Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm learn from Kevin Feige and the MCU? It can be summed up in 8 little words:
Love the fans and give them what they want.
Now, does this mean they should pander to the fans? No. What is means is that Marvel Studios and the MCU have given the fans of those films exactly what they have wanted time and time again. Endgame was a celebration of everything MCU, there was no subverting of expectations. In fact, almost every single twist and story development in Endgame had been predicted a year before. Kathleen Kennedy needs to stop taking Star Wars so seriously. In the end, it’s a fun space romp, not unlike Flash Gordon. It does not need to be 2001: A Space Odyssey. It does not matter if the fans can guess the plot coming up as long as the road to the plot is fun and exciting. We all knew the Avengers would use time travel, but it was the way they used it that was fun.
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Kathleen Kennedy needs to realize, as Kevin Feige does, that the franchise belongs to the fans, it’s their dollars that bought the comics and made the movies the success they are. Thus, those fans should be happy with the finished product, and the heroes we all grew up with should not be turned into shadows of their former selves just for a plot twist.
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments section below!