MCU

The Reign of Marvel Studios

By: Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards

Narrated by: Andrew Kishino, Joanna Robinson

“I watched all the movies. I devoured all the articles. I listened to all the pods. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the MCU . . . and then I read this magnificent book. For fans, by fans; hilarious, gripping, and emotional; no infinity stone is left unturned. I loved it three thousand.” Damon Lindelof

The unauthorized, behind-the-scenes story of the stunning rise and suddenly uncertain reign of the most transformative cultural phenomenon of our time: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Entertainment was a moribund toymaker not even twenty years ago. Today, Marvel Studios is the dominant player both in Hollywood and in global pop culture. How did an upstart studio conquer the world? In MCU, beloved culture writers Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards draw on more than a hundred interviews with actors, producers, directors, and writers to present the definitive chronicle of Marvel Studios and its sole ongoing production, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For all its outward success, the studio was forged by near-constant conflict, from the contentious hiring of Robert Downey Jr. for its 2008 debut, Iron Man, all the way up to the disappointment of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and shocking departures of multiple Marvel executives in 2023. Throughout, the authors demonstrate that the original genius of Marvel was its resurrection and modification of Hollywood’s old studio system. But will it survive its own spectacular achievements? Dishy and authoritative, MCU is the first book to tell the Marvel Studios story in full and an essential, effervescent account of American mass culture.

©2023 Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards (P)2023 Recorded Books

Thorough and revealing history of Marvel Studios

Robinson, Gonzales and Edwards were able to get many, many behind the scenes details of how Marvel Studios was formed, the bets they made, the directors and actors they hired, The ones that worked, the ones that didn't and why. Now I know why Jon Favreau stopped directing the Iron-man serie and why the tone changed in the Thor series, leading to the most successful comedy in movie history (Thor Ragnarok) how the Disney + shows helped then hurt the studio. It also does a terrific job of painting a picture of Kevin Feige. The narration was awesome. Over-all a total winner. I look forward to the 2nd printing with an update on this next phase of movies.

You’re Hooked!

Enjoyed listening to the narration, excellent job! Kept me wanting to know what happens next. Very enlightening

A must-listen for any MCU diehard fans

This was very clearly researched and written over the course of years, because the amount of detail compiled is astounding. I have a new appreciation for Kevin Feige and a renewed disdain for the creative committee. Great narration as well.

Well reported, well told

Really comprehensive history and documentation of one of the more interesting phenomena in modern entertainment. Lots of new stories and details even if you follow the authors other work. Structured and paced so that even the uninitiated can keep all the characters and set pieces straight...kinda like the MCU. Hoping for a sequel.

Incredible story!

If you are a fan of the MCU, you need to hear this book it explains so many secrets about what happened during production and why the movies ended up being the way they were

great telling on the history of the mcu

A well researched story about the genesis of the mcu and how to build a complex series of interconnected stories.

Fascinating

Although the history of the MCU is not over and likely will not ever reach its endgame, the fascinating history, combining art, and business is well worth a listen. Although I do not agree with all of the opinions and societal issues raised, it is a very thoughtful and and evenly paced production

Assemble

If you are a Marvel fan, this will be of great interest to you. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the audio book is well done.

Interesting!

Great history of the company. Engaging narration. A good follow-up to the book
DisneyWar.

A great recounting of MCU history, but I wanted more.

This book is a fun ride through the past 20 years of Marvel movie history. It’s great to have this collection of stories told and the most interesting parts are about how chaotic the process is. That said, there’s more story to tell here and I would’ve liked them to have delved deeper into that. While the authors are completely uncritical of the current state of the MCU, they don’t discuss any of the current issues besides the CGI controversies. In Phase IV Marvel essentially tried to cash into the girls market by recasting all of their characters with women and girls and there’s been a noticeable backlash to that. Maybe someday someone will write that book, but you won’t much discussion about it here.