A Modern Mythology In The Making: October 2024 Book Recommendation

(The next couple of book recommendations in the coming months will be short because I have my exams to worry about, so apologies)

Like many kids growing up outside of the United States, our first exposure to Marvel's world of superheroes started with either Spiderman or the Hulk, I don't really know how it started, It just somehow manifests and we just know them. Marvel movies have always captivated audiences of all ages around the world, offering it's watchers a blend of action, comedy, and heroic inspiration. Largely thanks to these films, Marvel has become a valuable American export. Childred around the world have Spider-Man toys and clothing, Captain America becomes a international symbol of American values, and it's characters and their ideas are referenced in various parts of global pop culture. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), was a force that hollywood has never seen before, with roughly 30-40 films and TV series coming together to construct a cohesive narrative. Many studios have failed to replicate the sucess of the MCU, with varying degrees of failure. By the time the pandemic came, the entertainment industry experienced a phenomenon known as "superhero fatigue", where interest in the genre dwindled. As it stands, the Superhero genre has become decentralized, with Marvel Studios experienced stagnation. Around the same time in 2023, a tell-all book about the inner workings of Marvel Studios and the MCU had came out, containing juicy secrets and behind-the-scenes information, and bacuse of that, this book sparked my interest.  

At it's surface level, "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" seems like your standard tabloid-esque report written in book format, but upon further reading, this book tells a story of Marve Studios similar to that of a political drama, filled with real-life characters, intrigue, and agenda that unfurl over the span of years. The book covers multiple aspects of the rise of Marvel Studios, from the beginnings of the studio in Mar-a-Lago, to Ike Perlmutter and Kevin Fiege's feud, to the Disney Acquisition. The book itself is detailed chronologically, with each chapter marked by different films and eras of Marvel Studios. 

I wish I could write more about this book, I really enjoyed it, and I would give this book 5 stars. This book is certainly a must-read for fans of the MCU films, and I think the contents of this book would give a much-needed context for what goes on behind making these movies.