The Marvels Director Details Black Panther Director Invaluable Advice For Handling The MCU: "Be Yourself"

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Summary

Nia DaCosta received invaluable advice from Ryan Coogler to "be herself" when joining the MCU, which she initially doubted but later found to be true.
The success of The Marvels may lie in its individuality, as recent MCU projects have been criticized for lacking individual feeling and being too routine.
The positive audience response to The Marvels and continued acclaim of Loki season 2 suggest that individuality is key to redeeming the MCU's recent slump.

Having a similar origin to her fellow franchise filmmaker, The Marvels director Nia DaCosta reveals the invaluable advice Black Panther's Ryan Coogler shared with her. DaCosta is making her big-budget debut with the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel, which sees Brie Larson's Carol Danvers returning to lead the movie alongside WandaVision's Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Ms. Marvel's Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. The story finds the three heroes having their powers mysteriously entangled, causing them to swap places whenever they use them, all as the powerful Kree warrior Dar-Benn embarks on a path of destruction.
Ahead of its theatrical debut, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Nia DaCosta to discuss The Marvels. When asked about turning to other MCU directors for advice about joining the franchise, the co-writer/director specifically noted the invaluable insight shared by Black Panther's Ryan Coogler, which she admits initially doubting until later realizing how true it was. See what DaCosta shared below:

I say this a lot, but Ryan Coogler said, "Be yourself." And I thought that was great advice. I mean, at the time, I was like, "Oh, what the hell are you talking about? Be myself?" But he was absolutely right. It's like I am the person I am, the filmmaker I am, and that's what I have to bring to the table. So don't dilute it, just really be yourself. And so that was really helpful.

How Individuality Can Redeem The MCU's Recent Slump Close With over 15 years of history on the big and small screen, the MCU has finally begun to succumb from the weight of its massive roster and wide array of projects. More recently, the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Eternals and Disney+'s Secret Invasion have seen some of the worst reviews for the franchise to date, with many critics lamenting their conventional storytelling and existence more as content rather than quality projects. Though The Marvels started with mixed reviews from critics, opening to a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it has steadily risen to a "Fresh" 61% rating, and the key to its success may very well be in its individuality.
As they were eager to build an interconnected universe, Marvel largely left the early MCU movies in the hands of their respective filmmakers, leading to Jon Favreau's equally energetic and intelligent Iron Man, Kenneth Branagh's stylish Thor and Joe Johnston's serial-throwback vibes of Captain America: The First Avenger. Even after bringing its characters together, a large majority of movies still felt like an extension of their creatives, namely James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the espionage-fueled Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Coogler's own Black Panther movies.
While some recent efforts scored praise for continuing this trend, namely Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok and Destin Daniel Cretton's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, others have found themselves criticized for being too routine for MCU movies and lacking any individual feeling. DaCosta's desire to stay true to her vision for The Marvels while also helping develop the characters at the center of the story seems to be resonating much better with audiences, sitting at an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, than with critics, but considering much of the negative press that swirled for the sequel ahead of its release, this swell of positivity along with the continued acclaim of Loki season 2 seems proof that individuality is the ultimate key to redeeming the MCU's recent slump.
The first Captain Marvel suffered an intense toxic backlash on Rotten Tomatoes, currently sitting at a 45% from audiences on the review aggregate.
Key Release Dates

The Marvels Release Date: 2023-11-10