Back to the Drawing Board: The Man Behind ‘X-Men: First Class’
Matthew Vaughn, the cinematic genius behind the likes of Kingsman and X-Men: First Class, isn’t just another name in the star-studded list of action directors. He’s a storyteller who wants to bring a layer of reality to the make-believe world of capes and heroes. Screen Rant recently caught up with him at New York Comic Con, where he spilled the beans on what he thinks the future of superhero movies should look like.
Matthew Vaughn: “When you’re making a superhero movie, you sort of have to work harder because you’ve got to make people believe it. That’s why X-Men First Class was pretty grounded. We set it in the Cuban Missile Crisis; they had relatable human problems. And it wasn’t relying on the CG.”
Challenging the Status Quo: From Cuban Missile Crisis to Groot
Vaughn’s unique approach to superhero movies has always been clear: make it relatable, make it human. It’s why he took a significant gamble by grounding X-Men: First Class in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Not only does it offer an educational flavor, but it also provides a relatable, human crisis for superheroes to solve.
“I always say, the crazier it is, the more human it has to be,” Vaughn revealed during the interview.
But his praise isn’t confined to his own projects. He speaks highly of James Gunn’s work in the DCU, and even Kevin Feige’s Marvel universe isn’t immune to his constructive criticism. According to Vaughn, the MCU’s crowning achievement in character development might just be Groot and Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy.
“Apart from Guardians, I still think Groot and the raccoon are f–king pieces of genius, that I feel so much for them,” Vaughn stated.
Can the DCU and MCU Reset?
In an era where superhero films are churned out faster than you can say ‘Infinity Stone,’ Vaughn hopes that filmmakers like James Gunn and Peter Saffron can bring some fresh perspectives to the DCU.
“I think at least DC is under; I think James Gunn and Saffron they’ve got a good chance of popping,” he optimistically opined.
He also has advice for Marvel’s Kevin Feige: go back to basics, concentrate on making fewer, better movies.
“Hopefully, Feige will go back to less is more and make less films and concentrate on making them great,” he added.
A Lesson in Humanity: The Vaughn Template
So, what’s the takeaway from Vaughn’s insights? It’s clear he wants both the MCU and DCU to prioritize storytelling over spectacle. X-Men: First Class is more than a movie; it’s a case study for how superhero films can tap into historical events and human dilemmas, thereby deepening audience connection and avoiding the dreaded ‘superhero fatigue.’
As the next wave of superhero films looms on the horizon, both Marvel and DC would do well to heed Vaughn’s advice. After all, as he succinctly put it:
“The crazier it is, the more human it has to be.”
In a world where high-stakes, high-power conflicts are the norm, perhaps it’s time to dial it back and focus on the individual heroes themselves. If history serves as any guide, Matthew Vaughn’s template may just be the antidote to a genre that risks losing touch with its audience.
