First published 2023
Marvel Entertainment operated as a struggling toy company less than two decades ago. Today Marvel Studios dominates both Hollywood and global entertainment. Culture writers Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards conducted over one hundred interviews with actors, producers, directors, and writers to chronicle this transformation. The studio's path involved constant internal battles, starting with the controversial decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man in 2008. Conflicts continued through recent disappointments like Ant-Man and the Quantumania and the shocking executive departures of 2023. The authors reveal how Marvel's core innovation involved reviving and adapting Hollywood's classic studio system for modern filmmaking. Yet questions remain about whether the company can sustain its remarkable success. This comprehensive account draws from extensive insider access to tell the complete Marvel Studios story and examine a major force in contemporary American entertainment.
Genres: history, business, action, non-fiction, film
Vibes: comprehensive, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-access, rise-and-fall
Setting: Hollywood
Period: 21st-century
528 pages · Hardcover · Liveright