MARVEL COMICS

In 1939 the publishing house “Timely Publications” published the first comic called Marvel Comic#1, where for the first time, there were the characters of Captain America and Nabor the Sub-Mariner.  In the same year the comic writer Stan Lee was employed as office assistant; two years later he was promoted to editor until 1972.

In 1961 Stan Lee and the artist Jack Kirb created the “Fantastic Four” a team of adventurers who accidentally received powers from cosmic radiation during a trip to space. A new style of superhero comics took hold, focusing on the internal drama of the characters and their heroic adventures. From here “The Marvel Age of Comics”  started.  

Marvel Comics have been translated in many languages all over the world. They arrived in Italy in the 1980s thanks to the editor Corno.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe   is the set of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios and based on comic book characters published by Marvel Comics. It includes TV series, short films, digital series and comics. All the films have a distinctive feature, they share  the setting, some characters and some plot elements. The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 with Iron Man and ended with Spider Man in 2019. It is divided into three phases composed of 23 films which brought to the big screen more than 30 characters, including heroes and villagers. These  phases together are  called  Infinity Saga.   The name  is due  to the presence of the powerful Infinity Stones ,  the main theme around which all the films take place.

Phase 1 lays the foundations for the story presenting the characters and giving a first hint of the topic. In this phase Avengers puts together all the characters.

Phase 2 introduces the concept of Infinity Stones and also new characters that will support the previous ones.

Phase 3 is the final phase and it is probably the most spectacular and dynamic, leaving the audience breathless.  A lot of films are based on a superhero, but actually they introduce all the Avengers as a sequel of the story. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only influenced cinema but also television. The decision to integrate the saga through TV series was decided following the success of The Avengers, and it was decided to begin with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.S., (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement  and Logistics Division) an agency dealing with intelligence and espionage, led by Agent Phil Coulson . The TV series are set in parallel with the films. The same Joss Whedon, executive producer of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.S., said that «Our plan is to fit in between films and try to make them a rewarding experience for both sides». 

With the birth of Disney, Marvel series have now found their ideal home, to be reunited in a single space where there are also films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.