Despite its over-saturation within the cinematic market and eventual plateau in quality, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continued to prevail in providing the biggest and brightest of superhero media in both film and television. While many will argue on the consequences of its success, one thing that’s clear has been the sentiment regarding the MCU feeling more homogenous as time goes by (with some of their signature elements, more specifically its long-form narrative structure and lack of stakes, being its most controversial). If Disney and Marvel Studios want to continue to thrive in this post-Endgame landscape – especially as other studios continue to replicate their success and oversaturate the market – their best option may be to look inward and branch out towards something that’s a little less structured, and a little darker; a solution they already attempted more than a decade ago, with their now-defunct Marvel Knights production arm.
Similar to the comics imprint of the same name, Marvel Knights was the MCU’s short-lived film studio for characters that were more mature in nature, with their films slowly gaining a cult following in the years since their release. Only two theatrical films were released under that label: the first being 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, and the second being 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. At the time, the film rights for both characters belonged to Lionsgate and Sony Pictures, respectively, so while Kevin Feige and his team were busy making films that better suited their multi-arc saga (and before they were bought by Disney), the Marvel Knights brand was used to showcase projects that weren’t aligned with their vision. That distinction was a retroactive blessing to some today, serving as a reminder when films of the genre told a standalone story that had no concern to set up the next big thing by the end of it. These were movies that just needed to be as good as they could be, and because they weren’t given as much oversight as the MCU, that allowed them to practically get away with whatever they wanted.
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Looking Through the Lens of 'Punisher: War Zone'
Punisher: War Zone is technically both a reboot for the stone-cold vigilante and a sequel to the film led by Thomas Jane from 2004, only this time with Ray Stevenson playing Frank Castle. The film by Lexi Alexander is, to put it bluntly, über metal. It’s a fun action movie that makes great use of its R-rating to a hysterically gory degree, which is more than fitting for a character like Punisher. Some of the kills in the film are so gnarly and ridiculous that they pretty much rival the violence you’d expect from a Friday the 13th film. If nothing else, it should be admired for possibly being the only film to ever display a man taking a missile to the stomach while cartwheeling through the air.
As a fan of the Punisher growing up, I look back at War Zone with the same level of respect I have for the MCU-connected Netflix series. Both are a great showcase of what Frank Castle’s war on crime can be, with one serving as this bloody introspective look on trauma, and the other being just a silly popcorn movie about a guy who’s pissed off at mob bosses and wants to stick it where it hurts. People didn’t see that upon the film’s release, where it bombed at the box office and was critically panned. It took some time for the film to get its chance in the sun, with people like Patton Oswalt being a vocal supporter of over-the-top action and violence. While it’s possible for someone like Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to somehow find a spot within the larger MCU, it would be a wasted opportunity to not take that version of the character and continue to create stories with him that aren’t restricted by the franchises’ sensible guidelines.
The Incredibly Bonkers 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'
A similar story can also be said with the also critically-panned Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the sequel to the 2007 film starring Nicolas Cage as the half-man/half-flame demon Johnny Blaze. The film’s premise is quite the bonkers one, where a drunken priest played by Idris Elba seeks out Blaze, so he can stop the devil who turned him into the Ghost Rider from merging with a boy who’s essentially the antichrist. It was directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor of Crank fame, and for what it's worth, you feel it in every frame of this off-the-wall, oddball action movie. Spirit of Vengeance is a film that’s always going to be divisive, to say the least, because it’s an action film that’ll gel with your tastes or not. There are many things that can be said about this movie, but one thing that’s clear is how it was clearly made by people who love making something bizarre and edgy. But that shouldn’t be taken as an offense! Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance was a film made by distinct voices who attempted to add something different to the table. While it wasn’t universally loved or profitable, the core idea behind it is exactly what should be done by the MCU: unrelated projects where filmmakers can create something that is truly unique from the main course (and hopefully good).
Whether we like it or not, the film industry has been making bank for more than a decade with the superhero genre, and it’s fair to say that this success can be largely attributed to the then-risky endeavors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Those risks were paid off and then some, but as we approach 15 years of Marvel dominating the market, it’s becoming clear that another 15 years of the same formula is not going to cut it, especially when you have DC Studios and its non-canon Elseworlds label on the horizon. The MCU needs to branch out, not like how they’ve done with their Disney+ shows and their Special Presentations, but like how it was many years ago when you had these Marvel Knights comics that had these unique styles to them and were unlike each other.
One would imagine a media empire with Disney money could make some good cheddar on projects like a faithful Miracleman film, a '70s throwback Heroes for Hire series, or a Miller-inspired Elektra anime by a renowned international studio. And as they learned all those years ago, those great risks could often come with great rewards. People will obviously go to the movies to see the Punisher hang out with Spider-Man, but at this moment where almost every superhero film is some interconnected setup for the coming attractions, maybe a Punisher movie where he’s just doing his thing fighting his way out of certain death is all you really need.
