Unveiling the Achilles' Heel of Marvel: A Writer's Strike Revelation

The ongoing 2023 Writers Guild of America strike is bringing to light several issues within the entertainment industry, particularly with regards to the frustrating way Marvel handles its movie scripts. Marvel Studios is home to numerous prolific writers, with films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever requiring entire teams of writers for various reasons. Writers like Nicole Perlman (Captain Marvel) and Jac Schaeffer (WandaVision) work on intricate scripts and crucial plot points, while also ensuring that new storylines align with the overall vision of Marvel Cinematic Universe's architects, such as Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito. However, despite being a well-oiled machine, it's surprising that Marvel still makes the same frustrating mistakes when it comes to creating new movie scripts. The MCU has faced criticism for being too silly or relying too heavily on CGI, but the larger issue that many have with Marvel is their tendency to rewrite scripts after filming has already begun. While this issue has been largely ignored for years, the Writers Guild of America is using the ongoing strike to bring this topic to the forefront of mainstream discussion.

The 2023 Writers Strike, Explained

Despite the incredible advancements in streaming technology and the unprecedented access to an array of TV shows and movies, the industry standard of paying writers has remained stagnant. Writers are still being compensated through residuals, which are paid on a quarterly basis and generated every time the content generates ad revenue with reruns. However, the shift towards streaming has resulted in a decrease in earnings for writers, as viewers can now watch their favorite content without ads and at any time. It is the responsibility of big studios like Marvel to ensure that the writers working on their scripts are paid fairly for their hard work. Unfortunately, it seems that studios are more interested in making bigger profits, while the writers are left behind, receiving less compensation than they deserve.

The issue of underpaying writers is a pervasive one in the industry, with Marvel being among the many studios accused of such practices. Despite streaming services generating billions of dollars in revenue annually, writers are often left with meager residuals, with the average dropping from $13,000 - $20,000 per quarter to as low as $700 or even $23. In an effort to cut costs, studios have even gone so far as to remove content from streaming services to avoid paying residuals, with Disney Plus alone making over $7 billion in 2022 from shows produced for companies like Marvel and Star Wars. This is where the Writers Strike comes into play.

The Writers Strike is advocating for both fair pay and fair treatment of writers, including their contributions to script creation. Previously, studios would only create a writers’ room after the success of the pilot episode, but now they are building mini-writers’ rooms and requesting multiple scripts in the hopes of securing a show. The Writers Strike is also pushing for writers to receive proper compensation for their time and effort, even if the show they are working on does not make it to production. This raises the question of how Marvel, a studio known for its successful films, approaches script development.

Marvel Needs To Finish Scripts Before Shooting

Marvel fans are no strangers to last-minute changes in the production stage of their favorite projects. Both TV shows and movies have experienced script alterations mid-filming, causing disruptions and challenges for the cast and crew. Director Anna Boden shared her frustrations with this chaotic method while filming Captain Marvel in 2019. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer also struggled with the constant changes to her character's script while portraying Janet Van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Even Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch, gave up on reading the scripts altogether for her role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

It's natural for changes to occur during the filming process, but there should be a limit. Fans are eager to uncover spoilers for upcoming Marvel projects, and withholding information from the very people who bring them to life can compromise the quality of the final product. Adding new storylines to the existing cinematic universe is already a challenging task, and having to do so while dodging leaks and spoilers only exacerbates the difficulty. The ongoing Writers Strike is a result of poor working conditions, including those imposed by Marvel on its writers. Despite their hard work, they are severely underpaid and forced to endure exhausting circumstances.

Marvel's efforts to fix the wrongs committed around recent movie scripts like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are commendable, but they are not addressing the bigger issue of constantly interrupting movie production to make script changes. This practice has allegedly caused more delays in the making of the new Blade movie, starring Mahershala Ali. The Writers Strike is shedding light on the common misconception that everyone in Hollywood is rich and exempt from conversations around wages. The truth is that writers in the entertainment industry are just as vulnerable to greedy employers as anyone else. Marvel's underpayment of its writers to make constant script changes is a real problem that needs addressing. The Writers Strike is fighting to change the industry standard and ultimately improve the conditions for Marvel writers. With the support of unions like the Writers Guild of America, employees can fight for their rights and ensure that employers like Marvel remember that they are nothing without their workers. Whether or not these efforts will be successful remains to be seen, but one thing is certain - change is necessary to prevent fans from being disappointed by the same old mistakes.