A clear difference noticed between classics and their modern-day counterparts is how the original pieces were far more focused on the characters and made sure we engaged with them on an emotional level before being committed to the plot itself. TakeAlien,Jurassic Park, andStar Wars, for example. While we love the terrifying xenomorph, T-Rex, or cool lightsaber battles, it is Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Luke (Mark Hamill) that we truly fell in love with.
Meanwhile, their legacy sequels, while showing off arguably better effects inAlien: Romulus,Jurassic World, and theStar Warssequel trilogy, lacked the same fondness. The MCU has gone in a similar direction in a far shorter amount of time. Sure, watching Falcon (Anthony Mackie) fight Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) is thrilling inCaptain America: Brave New World, but it is nowhere near the same emotional stakes as Cap (Chris Evans) versus Buckie (Sebastian Stan) inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
Thunderbolts*was an example of how, when we truly care about the characters' journeys, a bond can be formed with the audience. But fast-forward toThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,whichnails the emphasis on making superheroes a family we can relate to, and that is no mistake, thanks toMatt Shakman.
With a stunning history on television, we shouldn’t be surprised that it wasFirst Stepsthat made us care more about the people we were watching than how their actions affected the wider world. We also cannot ignorehow significant this could be in getting the MCU back to a place where we are hookedwith every step taken in the lead up toDoomsdayandSecret Wars.
Matt Shakman’s History in TV Allowed Him To Focus on The Fantastic Four as People
In TV, narratives are typically character-driven, as it can be hard to stretch a single plot over multiple seasons without it becoming stale, as we have even seen with Marvel TV, which feels like six-part films rather than an exploration of character. Shakman not only understands this, but his history is what allowed him to focus on the right part of The Four.
Shakman’s career can be best understood by the 130 episodes of TV he has directed, with many of these being character-focused episodes of shows such asWandaVisionandAlways Sunny in Philadelphia. Even inGame of ThronesSeason 7, a season that rushed many plot points, an episode he directed, “The Spoils of War,” gave us some of the highest points of the characters in that season, with Arya (Maisie Williams) returning home andJon (Kit Harrington)convincing Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) not to use her dragons on Kings’ Landing. Both of these moments nailed the satisfaction we felt after the emotional tension as the Starks got progressively further away from each other and showcased Jon’s diplomacy as well as Daenerys' fiery dark side that ultimately came from a place of wanting to free the Seven Kingdoms from Cersei’s (Lena Headey) grip.
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“Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long.”
InWandaVision, the high points of that show were the focus on Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision’s (Paul Bettany) relationship when they removed their powers — not the CGI battle in the finale. For example, the settings of the ’50s and ’60s in the early episodes of the show placed Wanda in stressful social situations, such as meeting Vision’s boss and wife for dinner, which revealed a darker side to Wanda’s control over the people of Westview whenMrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp)has a breakdown, telling her husband to “stop it!” as he chokes almost to death.
This, and later scenes such as the reveal of how Wanda created the Westview Anomaly after visiting the plot of land Vision had bought for them, were far more about exploring Wanda’s grief and how it could push a person to do terrible things, and — when they are superpowered — how dangerous that could be. But, again, itwasn’t about the Anomaly itself and how it would affect the larger world, but how it developed Wanda’s character on a far deeper levelthan seen previously.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Sees Shakman Portray a Family — Not a Team
In an interview withVariety, Shakman explained that his versions of Reed (Pedro Pascal) andSue (Vanessa Kirby)specifically were “parents first… scientists and explorers second, and they’re superheroes only when they have to be.” However, with a focus onBen’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) Jewish heritageandJohnny’s (Joseph Quinn)decoding of Shalla-Bal’s (Julia Garner) language, the entire team is shown primarily in a different light than how we would typically view The Avengers. Rather than kicking ass or giving speeches about how they can be the best heroes possible,we see them trying to be the best versions of themselves first.
This moral and personal drive made us far more emotionally connected to the decisions the characters made, such as fightingGalactus (Ralph Ineson)rather than giving up baby Franklin or abandoning Earth, because they weren’t objectively correct or obvious decisions. They were decisions made by people trying to do the best they could with the motivation of love, not nobility; a small but pertinent difference. It made them more relatable, andtherefore, the stakes of losing this world they fought so hard for, or losing a child they cared so much about, were thoroughly heightened.
In the end, this approach to what matters in a narrative, one born from TV, is what is necessary to cure superhero fatigue. It feels silly to say this, but the MCU has not been in trouble because of a lack of cool action or big CGI battles, but the lack of engaging characters whom we deeply care about.
When we get that, it makes the stakes and action far more engaging, as Shakman proved. Especially with the likelihood of a new universe on the horizon afterSecret Wars,portraying these characters as people, rather than heroes who can be moved like pawns on a chessboard, is what willmake people commit to the MCU for years to come.
