What do you think about Joss Whedon's influence on the MCU films?

[GAP]

Exactly what it says in the title, what do you think of Joss Whedon's influence on the MCU in regards to the writing of the MCU? Especially in regards to his humor and general style?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I liked his stuff so it's not a big deal to me. I'm fine with it.

[HollowSage]

I don’t think his influence is really felt outside of the two movies he did. If Age of Ultron had been a bigger hit he might have had a more lasting impact but I think James Gunn and the Russo Bros. had a bigger impact on the MCU than Whedon.

[GAP]

You maybe right but I do see his style "humor" in the movies and series. Joss certainly did influence the "humor" aspect of the films.

[HollowSage]

You maybe but I do see his style "humor" in the movies and series. Joss certainly did influence the "humor" aspect of the films.

When people talk about humor in the MCU today they usually reference Gunn or Waititi for good or ill. Many have claimed that GOTG set the tone for the MCU after that movie was a hit. I don’t agree except for maybe the Thor movies but many do.

Since Marvel parted ways with him after AoU his contributions to the MCU have been overshadowed by others.

[Frobisher]

I don’t think his influence is really felt outside of the two movies he did. If Age of Ultron had been a bigger hit he might have had a more lasting impact but I think James Gunn and the Russo Bros. had a bigger impact on the MCU than Whedon.

Yup, this. Whedon's style of quips always feel to me more like the characters speaking the writer's lines than anything they'd organically say.

[thwhtGuardian]

I actually don't think he had much of a lasting influence at all. His last film was seven years ago, and that's ages ago in terms of the MCU.

[AndrewCrossett]

I honestly think his influence was a big reason for the MCU's success. One of his big strengths is injecting humor into dramatic and even horrific storylines to make the experience fun. Without him I think it would have ended up more like the DCU... and probably given up as a failed experiment by the end of Phase One.

[80sbaby]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. He's not really that influential. Quips and jokes were a part of the MCU since Ironman. The other films that have them are moreso a result of the respective directors. Waititi, Gunn, Russo's, etc all have their distinctive style that which incorporates humor. That's not a strictly Whedon thing.

[godisawesome]

I think Favreau established the "house style" more than Whedon, and that, as others have said, Gunn and the Russo Brothers had a greater impact in establishing both a better team formula and a much broader range for the MCU as a whole.

Having said that, I think his organizational skills and experience as a comic writer and TV show producer likely smoothed over a lot of possible hiccups the first Avengers movie had, and that Feige and others might have absorbed his skills in that are going forward.

But yeah, I think Favreau, Gunn and the Russos are the "Holy Trinity" of MCU cretaors.

[AndrewCrossett]

Wouldn't that be a Holy Quadrinity?

[Frobisher]

Wouldn't that be a Holy Quadrinity?

Like a four-threes kind of thing?

[Alan2099]

This feels like it was supposed to be one of those "Joss Whedon is a horrible person and everything he touches would have been better without him!" topics but so far everyone's just been "Sorry. Don't care."

[Kirby101]

Pulling off Avengers, and making it the biggest Marvel movie to date was no mean feat. So his impact isn't a small thing. That said, others, like Favreau and the Russos had more influence.

[DrNewGod]

Pulling off Avengers, and making it the biggest Marvel movie to date was no mean feat. So his impact isn't a small thing. That said, others, like Favreau and the Russos had more influence.

Yeah, I think Kirby101's got the seminal take on this one. Whedon's Avengers took the excitement the first five films had built and ramped it up several notches. It wasn't just him, but the film proved the multi-franchise model would work.