In My Head, Twilight And The MCU Are The Same Thing

Summary

Marvel movies and Twilight both made their actors incredibly famous, turning them into household names.
The actors in both franchises have expressed disdain for the work that made them famous.
Both Marvel and Twilight have a habit of hiring independent directors, though the directorial vision may be stifled by the influence of the studios.

Twilight and Marvel are the same. I already know some people are going to hate this comparison. After all, what could be more egregious to MCU fanboys than comparing their favourite IP mega-franchise to one of the biggest cultural phenomena to possess teenage girls en masse in the 2010s? But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. My colleague Ben Sledge wrote about how Marvel fans have turned on Taik🐭a𝓡 Waititi for saying he did Thor Ragnarok for the money, and in my head, I was asking: why? Not why Waititi wants to feed his kids – that much𓆉 is obvi🐷ous. I’m more confused as to why people are mad that he said this publicly.

It’s no secret that the people who do Marvel movies aren’t doing it for the love of their craft. Marvel movies aren’t cinematiꦚc masterpieces. Nobody is getting critically lauded for their work on a Marvel film. They are, however, getting paid more than most movies can afford to, and it can easily change a lesser-known actor’s life to be cast in a M💙arvel movie just from the publicity alone.

They Made Their Stars Household Names…

When Robert Downey Jr. acted in the first Iron Man, he’d enjoyed critical success but had never been in a blockbuster of this caliber, and after various drug-related scandals, seemed to be down and out. Marvel movies are what got him listed by Forbes as Hollywood’s highest-paid act𒀰or from 2013 to 2015. Chris Evans had plentඣy of work before he became Captain America, but Marvel made him a household name. It’s the same with Mark Ruffalo becoming The Hulk, Chris Hemsworth becoming Thor, and Scarlet Johansson becoming Black Widow. Being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe made them household names, even if they weren’t making particularly interesting cinema.

You know where else that happened? Twilight.

Twilight did much the same thing for its actors, especially if you were within that target demographic. Everybody knows who Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner are. My 60-year-old parents know who those people are, by name and﷽ by face. Two of those actors are now critically lauded for various roles they took on after ge⭕tting extremely famous, but they would not be this famous were it not for the blockbuster, multi-billion-dollar-grossing Twilight saga.

Another thing these actors have in common with those in 🍷the MCU – they don’t really care for the work that made them so famous. The Twilight actors notoriously look back on the movies with disdain. Robert Pattinson has that internet publications have been gleefully publishing all his negative comments for a decade. . when he was still underage.

Likewise, the Marvel actors hav🎃e commented on the effect of the Marvel movies in their lives. Chris Evans said , and , “I think sometimes it feels like almost nothing in my career or life is really happening to me. It feels like you’re watching someone else do it, or you feel like you’re spectating.” Dire stuff. Robert Downey Jr. said he after a decade of acting in the MCU. Gwyneth Paltroꦺw .

… And They Both Picked Independent Directors

There are similarities in how directors are chosen, to🎃o – Summit hired relatively unknown directors known for iconic, cult classic films, though of course, none of those directors are particularly respected for making a Twilight movie. Catherine Hardwicke, director of 2008’s Twilight, was previously best known for her critically-lauded 2003 film Thirteen. Chris Weitz, director of New Moon, is best known for his work with his brother Paul Weitz on American Pie and About A Boy. David Slade, hired to direct Eclipse, was best known for Hard Candy. Bill Condon was lauded for his directorial work on Gods and Monsters, Chicago, and Dreamgir♋ls before he made Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Thor: Ragnarok

It’s the same with Marvel, who has made a habit of hiring independent directors. It’s bagged Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler, Chloe Zhao, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Nia DaCosta, propelling those directors, like the actors, into the spotlight. None of those movies have been particularly unique, nor do they stand out like the movies that made those directors famous – perhaps with the eꦡxception of Waititi, whose Thor films redefined the character and retained his characteristic humour. The rest were lacking directorial vision, likely due to the stifling influence of Marvel S꧂tudios.

I’ve made my case. Both are mediocre (at best) franchises, both made their stars incredibly famous, and both are done for money, not for the love of cinema. Marvel and Twilight are the same, capitalism sucks, I wish artists could just make art they want to make without having t⛄o do crappy movies to feed their families, and everybody should leave Taika Waititi alone for saying what most people contractually tied to Marvel will not or cannot say. It’s okay to do things for money, even if you’re an artist. Especially if you’re an artist. Maybe the fanboys will eventually come to terms with the fact that most of these directors aren’t doing it out of lov🦋e for the franchise. I wouldn’t bet on it, though.