Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have been on a serious hot streak, and it didn't happen by accident

Marvel Studios/Disney

It all started at the very beginning, really. Marvel Studios hired the most unlikely actor to play a superhero who wasn’t very popular with the masses: Iron Man.

Director Jon Favreau, originally seeking an unknown actor to play Tony Stark, cast Robert Downey Jr. in the role, with some major pushback. Throughout the 90s and early 2000s, Downey had been arrested several times on drug-related charges. He went to rehab more than once. Downey said that he was introduced to drugs at the age of eight, because his father was also an addict and provided drugs to him.

“The best and worst moments of Robert’s life have been in the public eye,” Favreau said about his casting. “He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That’s Tony Stark.“

Downey’s casting proved to be brilliant when “Iron Man” received glowing reviews — especially for Downey’s performance — when it came out in 2008.

But as the MCU started to grow into the 2010s and a lot of people showed up to see its movies, the films got more formulaic: superhero finds his powers (2019’s “Captain Marvel” will be the first female led MCU movie), superhero falls in love with a woman he has to save a few times, and superhero pretty easily defeats a forgettable villain with an accent.

But years into the universe it created, Marvel Studios was reminded of the unconventional choice that got people into this ambitious franchise in the first place, and made bolder and bolder decisions, from directors to casting to source material.

Here’s our guide to the MCU’s recent winning streak, where we analyze what started it, and how it can continue in the future.

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