Draft:MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios is a 2023 nonfiction book about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Written by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, it delves into the history of Marvel Studios and the MCU, chronicling its rise, struggles, and uncertain future.

Development
In April 2023, W. W. Norton & Company announced MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, for release on October 10, 2023. The book presents an unauthorized look at "the rise and uncertain reign of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), analyzing Marvel Studios' place as a major player in Hollywood and global pop culture" from Marvel Studios' inception, through events in early 2023, conducted through numerous interviews with those closely associated with the MCU. Norton approached the writers to work on a book centered on the MCU in 2019. Robinson explained that the book was originally meant to be an oral history, until Disney was no longer enthused about the book's publication despite initially being open to it, and told current employees and former stars not to talk to the writers. The writers were able to supplement the interviews they were able to get with those from "cultural critics and comics experts" in addition to years of research. Robinson added that because of the long work put into the book, it was able to cover the studio's expansion to television on Disney+, as well as "this current state of what I like to call a 'wobble' in Marvel's long reign", and provide "a lot of answers about how we got here". Additionally, the book was not deterred by the then-recent firings of Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso and Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, needing only "a few cosmetic tweaks to weave the whole story together" with Robinson explaining those firings "actually reinforced our sense that we really had captured the story of Marvel in both its triumphs and its stumbling blocks". Robinson was able to interview many of the subjects while Gonazles did the majority of the book's research, with Edwards compiling it all to give the book a "flow".