With ‘Black Widow’ ticket buying suddenly drying up, growing questions for Disney’s Marvel about what did it in

The MCU unofficially kicked off with Robert Downey Jr.’s “Iron Man” in 2008, when Marvel’s movies were being distributed by Paramount. It reached an early apex with Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” in 2012, several years after Disney acquired Marvel, as audiences took to the world’s sprawling mythology and high stakes combined with intimate quips and personal drama. Under Feige, the MCU in the years since has spawned one global hit after another, creating legions of fans and lining the pockets of Disney, its shareholders and movie-theater owners.