wouldn’t Marvel Universe be something different and more expansive than Marvel Cinematic Universe?
That would be debatable imo. To me a “universe” in terms of comic properties denotes a world that is connected at least in existing in the same place/time/existence vs one that is not. So previous to Ironman and the creation of the MCU, any marvel film was just that…a Marvel Film. Without some level of connectivity, there is no universe to bring it together. Same goes for DC properties, previous to Man of Steel and the following films, all DC films* were their own beasts that existed separate from each other.
*within their own series. Like Bond, the Keaton-Kilmer-Clooney Batmans were supposedly the same continuity. Same with Reeve and then Routh Supermans (although that later one ignores Reeve’s 3 + 4 films)
No no. It’s been decreed.
The world being denoted as connected in the same place/time/existence is the one within the Marvel comics. Films like Howard the Duck and Punisher: War Zone and even the obscure Man-Thing can all be described as being within the Marvel universe (small ‘u’) because they share that common background, even though they do not all take place within a shared continuity between them - much as the comics themselves are what might broadly be described as “continuity-fluid”.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a concentrated effort to deliver a central continuity across media the same way the Marvel Ultimate Universe within the comics was intended to deliver a central continuity, rather than the traditional method where outside of organised cross-company events the comics were ‘technically’ within the same universe but in reality almost totally isolated from each other outside of editorial control dictating who might not be available to make cameos or be part of a team based on being off-world or dead in their ‘primary’ story.
The Marvel Universe (large ‘u’) of the comics is in reality entirely chaotic and almost completely distorted by shifting timelines, canon, origins, places, events, and multiple copies of the same character; so, from a comic perspective it’s completely normal to mentally excuse any incongruities between them to recognise the shared historical fabric of the storytelling; and intuitive to describe the various franchises and one-offs resulting from this shared comics heritage as partaking in this universe.
I’d rather see the better term of multiverse for your small universe usage myself. Then I would have no problem with what you are saying. Using “universe” as a stand in for “media/character/story owned by one company to use as they see fit” really doesn’t sit well for me. To me your statment betrays what is Marvel-616 (and its affects from interacting with other universe/realites) has managed to be and evolve over the years. DC with everything from Crisis on Infinite Earth onward as well.
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