avengers

Here’s how Marvel Studios moved away from simply numbering its sequels and why subtitles are more fitting for a cinematic universe.

With almost 30 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s unsurprising that most of them are sequels to earlier films in the franchise. What’s interesting, however, is how few of them follow the traditional Hollywood technique of numbering sequels. Instead, the majority opt for giving their sequels subtitles.

Back when Marvel Studios announced its lineup for Phase Two of the MCU, it became clear that it would only be the Iron Man films that followed the tradition of numbered sequel installments. While the studio confirmed Iron Man 3, it also confirmed Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Let’s explore the reasons why Marvel Studios gave up on numbering its sequels so soon in their cinematic universe.

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The first reason is simple, giving the sequels a subtitle gives audiences a clearer idea of what the film is going to be about. Titles like Captain America: Civil War are just more informative to audiences than Captain America 3. Furthermore, it helps build excitement for future projects. The title drop for Avengers: Endgame helped rocket the initial teaser trailer to being one of the most watched of all time.

It also helps the films evolve as the universe does. It’s the reason why audiences got Ant-Man and the Wasp instead of Ant-Man 2, or why audiences are going to get The Marvels instead of Captain Marvel 2. It allows for the universe to grow more naturally rather than getting stuck to set franchises. And while the ‘Home‘ naming convention for the Spider-Man films is odd, given that numbered sequels already exist for the original Spider-Man movies, it ended up being the right choice.

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Some series have even used numbering sequels in a creative manner, the Guardians of the Galaxy sequels are technically numbered. But the simple choice of calling each installment a volume helps link the films back to their soundtracks which is an intrinsic aspect of those films.

In recent years, the way Marvel films get titled has evolved even further. Films like Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness aren’t given subtitles. Instead, they have one long title more akin to classic adventure serials. It adds more diversity to the MCU and once again helps audiences get a sense of the direction their films are going in. The MCU would look so much more boring if the franchise stuck to numbered sequels.

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