Fall 2021 11 needlessly. The opposite can also be true, with a franchise having so many new ideas that it speeds through them and ends up being an unsatisfying mess. The sequel trilogy of “Star Wars” fell into this trap, squandering potential storylines with the addition of weaker new ones. A franchise’s greatest strength, however, is its characters. Beloved characters can carry even weaker entries and keep audiences invested. One of the advantages of a franchise is getting to watch characters grow and learn over multiple installments, and audiences will sometimes follow these journies for years. What are some examples of franchises that work? The most obvious answer is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU started with smaller, character-focused films and built towards team-up stories. This Marvel formula led to “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” two movies with massive ensemble casts that still packed hefty emotional punches. Having made the most of this formula, Marvel has decided to lean into more creative, ambitious, and risky projects in its Phase Four lineup. The success of the MCU stems from the creators’ understanding of the characters and the source material. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, got his first job as associate producer on “X-Men” because of his knowledge of Marvel Comics. The shared universe of the MCU was his idea, and he has been a producer on every MCU film to date. The MCU is almost the largest interconnected movie franchise at 25 films, matched only by Bond films. There is no other franchise like it, though many have tried to replicate it. Speaking of Bond -- James Bond -- the first film premiered in 1962, while the most recent installment debuted on October 8 of this year. This franchise has introduced too many tropes to mention, but that’s part of the charm. Even as Bond has
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