There is one thing that is made evident by ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, and that is that Marvel is no longer thinking small. The studio is returning to what made it invincible: years of mixed reception, massive, character-filled storytelling.
Kevin Feige claims that the next crossover will have an average of 30 to 35 actors on set at any given time. That’s not just big, it is almost chaotic. However, it also portends ambition in a way we have not experienced since ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
Can ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Balance Its Overloaded Roster?
To be honest, this type of ensemble is exciting and risky. The combination of old stars, new heroes, and even characters of other times and other worlds is a dream on paper. You have names like Chris Hemsworth, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen who could all be sharing the screen. That is the type of crossover fans have long dreamed of.
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“There are days when there are 30 to 35 actors on set, some of whom have been playing these characters for decades, some of whom have just been playing them for a year or so. And the Russo Brothers both make them feel so comfortable that they can begin to further develop their characters,” Feige told Fandango.
However, this is the trick: more characters do not necessarily mean a better story. A lack of focus has been one of the largest criticisms of recent MCU projects. Emotional impact may become watered down when there are too many storylines competing to be heard. And that is a concern in a movie that is supposed to conclude a whole saga.
With that said, Marvel appears to be conscious of the challenge. It is not a coincidence that Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, the creators of ‘Infinity War‘ and ‘Endgame’, are coming back. They have dealt with this scale previously, and more to the point, they know how to allow big moments to breathe.
‘Doomsday’ Is Taking A More Collaborative, Character-Driven Approach
The interesting thing about this time around is how the Russos are going about the chaos. They are leaning towards flexibility instead of trying to put all the characters into a strict framework. The production is being written as it goes, actors are pitching ideas, and scenes are being rewritten on the fly.
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Such creative freedom may be taken in either direction. It may result in something organic and emotionally full-bodied, or something untidy unless well managed. However, there is one thing the Russos have demonstrated, and that is that they know how to get to the human heart of the most overcrowded tales.
And that is why ‘Doomsday’ must succeed. Not spectacle, not cameos, but with characters that count. By the end of the day, viewers do not recall the number of heroes on the screen. They recall the way those heroes left them feeling.
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