Only the Marvel Cinematic Universe could generate a sweeping sense of reactionary panic – not to mention much knife-sharpening by trolls and haters – based entirely on an unconfirmed rumor that at long last a comic book adaptation is planning to come in at under two hours, but that’s exactly where The Marvels finds itself.
Online scuttlebutt has pegged Nia DaCosta’s sequel to Captain Marvel, WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion all at once at a light and breezy 98 minutes, instantly causing many to question the audacity of Kevin Feige wielding the scissors with reckless abandon to cut down the initial cut, or in some cases the desperate move to try and salvage a serviceable film from what’s sure to be an outright disaster.
Of course, none of the above has an ounce of weight behind it seeing as we won’t be seeing The Marvels until November, and there’s nowhere in the rulebook where it says a shorter superhero spectacular is a bad one. Somehow, we’ve been conditioned to expect them to run for at least 120 minutes and change, and shaving almost half an hour from the norm could be a blessing in disguise.
We can’t overlook the fact that The Marvels‘ immediate predecessor happened to run for a combined total of 223 minutes, but Secret Invasion never amounted to anything more than a steaming pile of hot garbage. It was the shortest, most expensive, and worst Disney Plus series by far, indicating that money and minutes don’t mean a damn thing in relation to the quality of the end product.
And yet, The Marvels is already facing accusations that it’s doomed because it lasts less than 100, so go figure.