Marvel Comic-book universe is vast and multi-layered with thousands of characters under one roof. This is also the universe which has been successfully adapted into the big screen. Infact, it has broken all records in the comic-book genre.
MCU, as it is popularly called, recently had issues pertaining to maintaining a consistent timeline. The Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum has acknowledged the fact that its hard to establish the correct timeline when there are so many movies coming out each year. He was asked about Ragnarok timeline and larger MCU and he said:
“It’s not like, five minutes after Ultron ends we start this movie. It’s a couple years later… This movie takes place basically…You know, it’s hard. In the timeline of the MCU, things kind of happen on top of each other, especially now in Phase Three. They’re not as interlocked as they were in Phase One, you know, during Fury’s Big Week and everything. So Thor: Ragnarok happens maybe on top of Civil War, on top of Spider-Man Homecoming. Somewhere in that park.”
His answer was not convincing so he took it in his stride and convinced Marvel to fix the problem. He added:
“All of that debate has encouraged us. We are going to be publishing an official, and I’m not sure when, or in what format, an official timeline. It’ll probably be a part of ah, I don’t know, a part of an in print that you can fold out and look at,” he said. “But suffice to say, only in limited cases do we ever actually say what the actual years are because we never want to be tied down to a particular year and I think people assume that whenever the movie is released is when is when the movie is taking place, and that is not the case.”
But the timeline within Marvel Comics is creepy and strange at the same time. It is a different ball game altogether. The same heroes have been fighting the same bad guys ever since World War 2. No one has aged and the writers don’t seem to care about general rules of biology.
In Marvel Comic, all events happen in the present while the continuity within it can be traced back to ancient times.
Like I said, Creep and Strange! Characters who have been around in the Marvel Universe even before than the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 haven’t aged a bit. What is their beauty secret?? Why doesn’t biology get through the Marvel Comic’s writers’ thick head??
Stretching Time
Stretching the element of time for the sake of Storytelling is an age-old technique used by comic books. You may think your favorite comic books are happening in real time and would have events that coincide with reality.
But Comic books are not soap operas. In Soap Operas, characters live, get married, get divorced, take a break or die. In comics, time works a little differently.
‘Marvel Time’ is a concept that finds its roots back in 1968. An avid reader wanted to know the time span of the Fantastic Four issues. In response to his question, Stan Lee introduced the idea of ‘Stretching Time’.
In the comics, the issues you read do not necessarily fall into a specific chronology. They can occur the next hour, the next day, the next month or the next year or maybe even later according to the needs of the storytelling.
Take for Example Peter Parker. Our Friendly neighborhood Spiderman used to be in Junior High in 1961. But he became a high school graduate only in 1968. So basically it took 7 years for him.
But it actually takes much less than that. So what happened? Was he too dumb? Peter Parker is one of the brightest minds on the planet. Are you willing to bet on the fact that Peter Parker was too dumb to pass High School?
This is where Marvel Time comes in. In the Marvel Universe, believe it or not, all the events you see take within an incredible time span of only 7 years!!!! Or at least that is what the writers believed it to be. That is the notion with which all comics within the Marvel continuity are published.
Marvel Time has flaws
Captain America fought the Nazis and ended up being iced for more than half a century. He woke up in the real world with absolutely no signs of aging. While that is understandable, the fact that he was on ice for more than 50 years while Marvel Time is supposed to be only seven means Marvel has got plot holes the size of the Hulk.
In Dan Slott’s Silver Surfer Run, Galactus is mentioned to have visited Earth 12 years ago. Ben Grimm and Reed Richards have said they both served in the Gulf War of 1991. Magneto is a popular Marvel Villain. His origins begin in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany.
Unless hi magnetic powers help him stay fit and kicking somehow, something is seriously wrong with Marvel Time.
What does a reset mean?
In the latest Marvel 2-in-One issue, the timeline is shifted again. The Series introduces Reed Richards and Ben Grimm (Mr. Fantastic and The Thing) as college mates in 1998. So that means the Fantastic Four came into being only in 2001.
Marvel time has expanded from being just 12 years to 17 years. But we are still not sure if the new timeline is canon. What we are looking forward to is that the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s First Family and Comic Book Royalty now finally have a chance for a comeback to the Marvel comic book universe.
Even this new Reset to the timeline has its own set of Flaws. Captain America #695 places Steve Rogers’ thawing about Ten Years ago. That means there were roughly 6 to 7 years between the Formation of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.
The Expansion could also have serious ramifications to the Marvel Universe. With falling sales and DC Comics winning the stores with its rebirth and Metal issues, Marvel is looking like lost in a desperate race to catch up. Legacy may or may not introduce the Fantastic Four, but if Marvel does not get its house back in order, all hope’s lost.
It seems Marvel comics need to adapt MCU in terms of marketing and advertising as well. All the Marvel movies are promoted well in advance in the most amazing way possible. From Iron Man in 2008 till Black Panther which is about to be released on February 16, 2018; if we go by the first reactions it is already looking good and will do well at the box office.
Despite good titles and story-telling, sometimes the Marvel comics PR division fail to create a hype and excitement necessary for fans to empty the shelves. But yes Marvel needs to address the creative component in its comics as it is plagued with huge issues in terms of missed opportunities, inconsistent timelines and weak character arcs that fail to deliver the goods in the end. It’s time to take a page from MCU’s playbook instead of imitating DC Rebirth (sorry Marvel fans but its true to some extent). All the Best for the journey ahead.
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