I love Marvel. Im currently hooked up intravenously to every single Marvel NOW! comic available. Even just typing that got me daydreaming about becoming a super-superhero by putting all the books in my bloodstream (Bookman! Protector of books). Its just that Marvel Studios, as every successful empire has in the past, has gotten too big. Were talking a universe of characters here, and one that Marvel wants to bring to the screen in its near-entirety. Lets examine the pieces:

Meteoric Rise (Phase 1)

One of the primary reasons Marvel Studios has been so successful in the past few years has been the build-up of its extended universe. Starting with Iron Man (2008) and Disneys acquisition of Marvel in 2009, the studio built off of the proof of Sonys Spider-Man (2002) that popular superhero plus popular actor equals blockbuster. And what does Hollywood do when it figures out something works? Duplicate, duplicate, duplicate. Boom. We have The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton in 2008, Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey, Jr. returning in 2010, Thor with Chris Hemsworth (supplemented by Natalie Portman) in 2011, Captain America: The First Avenger with Chris Evans (supplemented by Hugo Weaving) also in 2011, and finally, where it all comes together, the blockbuster containing five other blockbusters, The Avengers in 2012. We reached the top, right? You cant really get much bigger than combining the core Marvel superheroes with some of the most-known names in the film industry, can you? Marvel seems to think so.

The Plateau (Phase 2)

The day is saved. The Avengers kicked some ass in the Marvel Universe and in the box office. However, there is still some work to be done. A third Iron Man movie will rake in some big bucks off of The Avengers hype still glistening, as will the Thor and Capn sequels (compared to the decent gross of their originals) when there is some nostalgia for the other team members after Iron Man 3. Thus, were back in our groove, following our favorite heroes as they triumph through comfortable mainstream storylines.

Then, Marvel tosses in something a little new with Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, but basically gives it the feel of The Avengers in space. Without the well-known characters, the average audience is left a little confused as to Marvels route or even mostly unaware of the projects existence. Nevertheless, around comes The Avengers 2 in 2015 in a huge way, this time building off of nine previous films and combining their audiences. However, it still cant quite shake the feeling of being a bit more like a college reunion than the original experience. But, were wowed. Were entertained. Were even a bit thirsty for what Marvel has for us next but what does Marvel have for us next?

The Fall (Phase 3)

Marvel is already ready to pack a hard punch right after The Avengers 2 to keep its audiences enthralled. It lifts the curtain and its Ant-Man. Now this is Marvel getting a little cocky, much like Hank Pym. Any avid Marvel reader has an appreciation for a hero that can be swallowed by a bad guy and then expand to blow him up. But, not every viewer is an avid Marvel reader. In fact, Id be comfortable in saying that most viewers arent avid Marvel readers. This is where Marvel Studios falls.

With RDJ Iron-Manned out post-2015 (hell be over 50) the weight of Marvels extended universe falls upon the less popular characters, and Marvels attempts to fit new ones in. Black Panther would have a successful solo movie for the dual reasons that hes a badass and that an African-American superhero movie would draw media attention. However, Doctor Strange and Ant-Man, two other slated movies for Phase 3, just dont have the audience-drawing capability that Iron Man, Spider-Man, or even Captain America and Thor have. Thus, unless a Hulk or Black Panther movie can pull the weight that the Iron Man franchise did, Marvel films will begin to fall flat.

This is not to say that Marvel Studios will not continue to be successful. Through Phase 3, no Marvel movie is going to lose money; the studio name has become such a brand itself that makes it worth it for some to see a film. The Avengers 3 will even be incredibly successful, just not as successful as its two predecessors. Simply put, after Phase 2, we will have seen the most box office money that will come from Marvel Studios in this created universe.

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I call ********.

If Ant Man joins the Avengers 2 team, that will set him up perfectly to have a successful movie. I'm not the biggest Ant Man fan at all but that test footage was enough to have me amped up to see a movie.

We don't know enough about Phase 2 to predict Phase 3.

Writers kill me when they write pieces like this with little to no evidence proving their argument.

I disagree... Batman has been a cash cow "fad" for over 20 years now.

'm pretty sure The Incredible Hulk lost money... There will be disappointments, there will be hits, that's the way it's always been

I hate when people write **** like they are on some Raven **** and can see the future

How will they know that? As long as there's hype, as long as there are fans, as long as there's a decent script, as long as there are relatable characters and as long there's a creative director that could mix and match those things/persons, Marvel ain't going anywhere.

This is common sense....