As writers for six Marvel Cinematic Universe films, they may be behind movies with countless explosions, fight scenes and supervillains, but °µTV alumni Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely know the story is still paramount.
āThe spectacle is pointless if you don't care about the person involved in it,ā McFeely said in conversation with Chancellor Gary S. May in the latest Chancellorās Colloquium, Nov. 20.
Markus and McFeely, who met in °µTVā Creative Writing Program while earning masterās degrees from 1994 to 1996, were originally scheduled to visit campus May 18, but that event was postponed due to the pandemic. During their virtual return to campus, they discussed how the pandemic has changed their writing process, their comic-reading habits, favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe moments and more. All along the way, Chancellor May demonstrated his comics expertise and even showed off a few from his personal collection, which decorated his office for the occasion.
āI'm getting a cue to show you that I have The Avengersā most recent issue with Moon Knight fighting Black Panther on the cover,ā May said at one point.
The writers used Black Pantherās popularity as an example of the way that creating hit movies is a group effort. Because that film ā which they did not write ā was being shot at the same time as their stories for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, they didnāt know audiences would literally cheer when they recognized the back of Chadwick Bosemanās head in Avengers: Infinity War. Boseman, of course, was playing the Black Panther, and moviegoers were excited to see him make his appearance in the film.
āIt's so weird to talk about a movie that lives in the zeitgeist, which it so clearly did, and we never have that on our minds at all,ā McFeely said. āWe just have to do Page 72.ā
They said the various Marvel movies are made better because different writers contribute different aspects.
āEverything's better when you have different, almost conflicting, voices contributing to it,ā Markus said. āIf the MCU was all written by one person, I don't think it would be as entertaining as it is, because part of the charm of the MCU is itās espionage, ponderous, heavy, hilarious and all different things because they come from different creators.ā
The writers also shared behind-the-scenes memories of Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August at age 43.
āI will say, all my experiences with that guy were, āI never met Chadwick, I met the king of Wakanda,ā because he stayed in character ā or at least in accent,ā McFeely said. āHe never broke it when he was hanging around on set. So my fondest memory is, we probably had a half-hour conversation about Star Wars, as heās in the Panther costume doing the accent.ā
Effects of the pandemic
The pandemic has changed the way everyone works, and Hollywood writers are no exception. Markus said the pair has replaced their eight-to-10-hour writing and outlining sessions with much shorter Zoom calls.
āIf anything, it's been tighter and more focused because you can only do about three hours on Zoom before your eyeballs melt,ā Markus said. āMaybe it'll teach us to be a little more efficient [once we can write in person again].ā
The writers and May all said they miss going to movie theaters, and Markus said heās been passing some of his free time by reading comic books every day. He also recalled a box of old comic books an older cousin gave him as a youngster, including an Avengers story on traveling back in time to prevent a death, āwhich, in some way, was one of the seeds for Endgame.ā
Time at °µTV
The pair met through Professor Emeritus Jack Hicks, who directed the Creative Writing Program when they were students. Hicks once wrote a note granting Markus permission to write comedy, and Markus still keeps it framed next to his diploma.
Markus and McFeely said their time at °µTV taught them to write more precisely and to learn how to collaborate.
āThe idea of the workshop and getting feedback from your peers was brand new to me as a 24-year-old guy who had not written much at all,ā McFeely said. āThat's the first time that I've poured myself into 10 pages, put it out in front of people and the people go, āmeh.ā ā¦ It's basically all we do now ā write, turn it to other people, people give us feedback, and do it over and over again.ā
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