Bruce Timm had no idea the behemoth MCU would turn out to be

“They sound like they really suck”: DC Animated Universe Boss Was Convinced the MCU Will Fail, Now it’s a $30B Empire and World’s Most Profitable Franchise

Bruce Timm started working with DC Animations since 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series. Since then, he has worked on numerous projects that have come from the pages of DC Comics, and is still an important part of the DCAU. When he started working with DC, Marvel animation was but a blip in the pop culture world, and the MCU did not even exist.

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Bruce Timm. | Credit: Gage Skidmore - Wikimedia Commons.Bruce Timm. | Credit: Gage Skidmore – Wikimedia Commons.
It wasn’t until 2008’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. that the MCU started taking shape under the leadership of Kevin Feige. Fiege, now the President of Marvel Studios, had a vision, that he slowly started to bring to life. But still, it took him a little while to achieve a franchise that is now considered to be the most profitable.

Bruce Timm Could Not Have Been More Wrong About The MCU

Iron Man was a runaway hit for the MCU in 2008Iron Man was a runaway hit for the MCU in 2008
Bruce Timm started his career with FilmNation, but made his transition to the DCAU soon. He started with Batman: The Animated Series, and then went on to do many more projects like Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and other animated movies under the DCAU banner. Back then, MCU was only at its beginning level, and speaking with Think McFly Think in 2010, Timm revealed that he didn’t think the franchise would ever amount to much.

“I read about the Avengers and Captain America happening, and then I’ll read something about them, and they sound like they really suck. It always seems to sound good on paper, and then you see what’s going on with a project and it just isn’t nearly as interesting.”

“It was affirmative action”: Bruce Timm Had a More Noble Reason to Include John Stewart Instead of Hal Jordan in Justice League: The Animated Series
The DC already had The Dark Knight Trilogy ongoing, and was at the brink of starting the DCEU under Zack Snyder, starting with Man of Steel. The MCU had only just taken its first steps, and Timm had no idea that the future would be so much different from what he thought.

The Evolution of The Marvel Cinematic Universe

deadpool and wolverineDeadpool and Wolverine
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, after less than two decades in the industry, has become the biggest franchise of all time, valued at a whopping $30 billion. Even though it started only in 2008, much later than other profitable franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond, Fast and Furious, etc, it has managed to solidify its place at the topmost strata.
The Same Reason Bruce Timm Gave to “Never do a Justice League show” is What Marvel Phase 5 is Chronically Suffering From
Until Phase 3 of the MCU, which saw movies like Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, the MCU saw immense success. But after the culmination of Phase 3, the franchise suffered losses with projects that could not satisfy the audiences after the success of the previous movies. With multiple movies and TV shows unable to make a name for themselves, the MCU is currently trying to reinvent itself, while also bringing in newer characters into the fold.

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The MCU is currently getting ready for its upcoming release, Deadpool & Wolverine, set to hit theatres on July 26, 2024.