It’s time for Marvel Comics to fix their movie preludes. Marvel has always tended to capitalize on the latest upcoming blockbuster by releasing official tie-in comics that ostensibly serve as “preludes.” It’s a smart approach because the comics serve as part of the marketing and merchandise for the film, and they sometimes help clear up a few minor continuity problems. Unfortunately, it’s been quite some time since these preludes actually felt important to the overarching narrative of the MCU.

Back in 2015, a corporate restructure broke the ties between Marvel Studios and the rest of Marvel Entertainment, and for years the relationship has seemed rather distant. The last tie-ins that really mattered were published in 2016, part of an ambitious publishing initiative connected to the theatrical release of Doctor Strange. Since then, the prelude comics have just been adaptations of previous movies. Writers such as Will Corona Pilgrim and Peter David have done their best to make them interesting, with David taking a fascinating approach with the Black Widow Prelude, but they still seem largely superfluous.

It’s time for that to change. The latest corporate restructure has seen Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige appointed Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment, finally re-establishing a link between the comics and the movies. What’s more, this has happened at a time when Feige is modifying the MCU, transforming it into a transmedia franchise where multiple mediums are of equal value. His focus is undoubtedly on the new Disney+ TV series, such as WandaVision and Falcon & Winter Soldier, but there’s absolutely no reason the comic book tie-ins couldn’t be revitalized as well.

Marvel would be wise to draw loose inspiration from Lucasfilm, who treats Star Wars publishing as something of a priority; in fact, the comics are probably better than the movies, and certainly, the narrative has been far more consistent. Marvel Comics’ writers and editors work closely with the Lucasfilm Story Group in order to coordinate plot points, and it’s becoming increasingly successful. The Rise of Kylo Ren miniseries marks the first time a Marvel comic has felt central to Star Wars, revealing the truth behind Ben Solo’s supposed fall to the dark side. A similar structure would allow Marvel Comics to work closely with Marvel Studios in order to flesh out the MCU.

At the same time, the approach would need to be modified. Marvel is unlikely to want to set up a monthly ongoing, as they have with Star Wars; however, a more interesting idea is to exploit the possibility of one-shots and miniseries. These could potentially feature any Marvel character, from Iron Man to Black Panther, from Captain Marvel to the Guardians of the Galaxy. And there are vast tracts of MCU history yet to be explored; there’s clearly a major untold Iron Man story behind the development of Iron Man’s nanotech armor in Avengers: Infinity War, for example, while Avengers: Endgame’s five-year time jump has so much narrative potential. How did the Asgardian refugees get to Earth? How did War Machine become closer to Captain Marvel, and did he use his Cosmic Iron Patriot armor on some deep-space missions with Carol Danvers? How did the Hulk establish himself as a publicly recognized superhero? Marvel Studios is unlikely to ever want to step back and tell these stories; they need to look forward and embrace the future of the MCU (Black Widow is an exception that presumably serves an important purpose). The preludes could continue as well but, as with Doctor Strange, they don’t need to feel irrelevant anymore; they could serve as official setup, really feeling important.

So: It’s time for Marvel Studios and Marvel Comics to take a close look at their tie-ins. The MCU is expanding, embracing the storytelling potential of other mediums. Given it all began with comics, it’s frankly ridiculous that the franchise isn’t making the most of this particular medium as well.

More: How One Marvel Comic Remade Black Widow For The MCU

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