3 Valuable Lessons Marvel Can Learn from HBO's Incredible ‘The Last of Us’

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann Zero In on What Is Crucial to Exceptional Storytelling (Mild Spoilers Ahead)

Image: HBO

The most recent Marvel (MCU) releases are underwhelming slug fests, with Easter egg-loaded post-credit scenes being the only motivation to sit through nearly three hours of CGI debauchery.

As a massive Black Panther fan, I must admit even Wakanda Forever cannot measure up to the original without Chadwick Boseman's incomparable talent.

Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind the highest-grossing franchise, recognizes the MCU is sailing through troubled waters. We see this through his postponements of future projects, including Blade, Fantastic Four, and Avengers: Secret Wars. 

Once a steady flow of record-breaking blockbusters, MCU has become a never-ending cycle of lackluster films bordering on complete garbage.

What caused one of the largest cinematic universes to become tedious and borderline trivial—seemingly overnight?

Numerous insightful analyses pinpoint how the MCU has gone astray, including this thought-provoking article by Eric Pierce at Fanfare that shows how Marvel is losing its soul. To sum it up, he states:

“Face it: These days, the MCU (mostly) sucks. The movies are predictable and trite, the shows are worse, and there’s all just too much of it anyway.” 

The common thread among the MCU’s latest woes is that the cinema juggernaut prioritizes spectacle over fundamental character development. 

Marvel’s intergalactic connected storyline, previously its greatest asset, has now become a weight that fans no longer wish to carry.

For example, striking a balance between disparate elements that connect while sacrificing fan-favorite characters to maintain a unified story is, at best, an unsustainable illusion.

Anyone who’s seen Thor: Love and Thunder agrees. 

Tessa Thompson’s badass Valkyrie has earned more screen time and a better emotional arc than she was given in this farcical film.

While the fourth Thor entry earned over $700 million at the global box office, it ranks just 17th on the overall MCU chart and has one of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores among all Marvel films.

The MCU’s over-reliance on Easter eggs, end-credit scenes, and treasured cameos is nauseating. 

Marvel has lost its mojo—crowd-pleasing grounded storytelling is a thing of the past.

This is where The Last of US succeeds, thanks to two storytelling maestros, Craig Mazin, and Neil Druckmann.

Mazin partners with Druckmann, the developer of the widely known video game, following the critical acclaim of Chernobyl. Together, they pen HBO’s breakout hit series, The Last of Us.

The Last of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a feisty teenager, who join forces to battle the harsh conditions of a post-outbreak America.

Mazin and Druckmann adapt one of the most beloved video games ever, making smart changes to expand the dystopian world and strengthen its lore.

Their brilliant series focuses on the one thing that matters most: its characters and their journey. 

The Last of Us is a big hit among critics and audiences, setting viewership records for HBO.

How did Mazen and Druckmann craft an instant timeless classic while, in contrast, Marvel's popularity fades?

Let’s consider the three most valuable lessons the MCU can glean from The Last of Us,’ rewarding adaptation to lift the embattled franchise back to its former glory.

Image: HBO

Lesson #1: Every character’s story matters. 

“There’s a point to each scene. There’s a takeaway. There’s a reason that scene exists. If there isn’t, then you shouldn’t be writing that scene. It doesn’t belong in the movie. So I want the scene to have a purpose. I want there to be a takeaway, and I want that scene to drive me to the next one inexorably.” - Craig Mazin via Go Into the Story

For a show about “zombies,” few scenes feature crazed, infected clickers because Mazin and Druckmann’s adaptation is an incredible character study.

Mazin and Druckmann invest in every character, whether it’s the titular Ellie and Joel or Marlon (Graham Greene) and Florence (Elaine Miles), the grumpy old couple they meet on their travels.

Marlon and Florence appear in the opening scene of episode six, “Kin.” It takes viewers less than ten minutes to grasp their dynamics and roles in the show’s central narrative.

Mazin and Druckmann understand that the more interactions characters have, the more lived-in and intimate their world feels.

These writers don’t overwhelm us with mindless spectacle. Instead, they use supporting characters to show Joel and Ellie how dangerous and hopeful their post-apocalyptic limitations can be.

By introducing layered peripheral personalities such as Marlon and Florence, the creative duo builds an immersive environment that provides clues about the main characters’ respective journeys. 

Each character in this exceptional adaptation is equally important, serving as a moral reflection and heightening the stakes for the main protagonists.

The Last of Us boasts a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, while Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania and Eternals are tied for the worst-reviewed MCU movies because one story services characters, while the other two neglect them. 

Mazin and Druckman convey the underlying themes of love and humanity’s triumphant spirit in The Last of Us through Joel, Ellie, and everyone they encounter. 

In contrast, Marvel abandons crucial character growth to set up unproven future storylines.

Thor: Love and Thunder contains two wonderful examples.

Taika Waititi’s bewildering comedy botches Jane Foster’s cancer diagnosis and presents an incredible but limited and short-lived supervillain, Gorr the God Butcher.

All this is to justify Gorr’s daughter, Love—Chris Hemsworth’s real-life daughter—as a character in future MCU projects.

The Last of Us, unlike MCU, invests in the characters we care about now rather than mortgaging them for some unsecured payoff.

Image: HBO

Lesson #2: Know your characters better than anyone.

“And to always connect people’s behavior to love, because that’s what I think drives people more than anything, not greed. But love, even religion, ultimately, is connected back to love—love your tribe, love of your group. Love of the people who share your faith, love is what gets us both in and out of trouble. And that is provocative, and it’s exciting to write.” - Craig Mazin via Esquire Middle East

Episode three of The Last of Us, “Long, Long Time,” is arguably the best installment of episodic television this year. 

It follows the heart-wrenching story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). Mazin elevates Bill and Frank from two-dimensional figures in the game to three-dimensional, multi-faceted characters in the series.

In this compelling stand-alone chapter, he provides audiences with a  profound love story, giving Bill, a grumpy loner, and Frank, an optimistic traveler, in-depth backstories.

Mazin uses Bill and Frank to show us that love is the answer to saving humankind; when it seems like there's no hope left, love is the only thing worth fighting for. 

Bill and Frank’s invincible love withstands dystopian odds. 

This powerful writing provides the foundation for Offerman and Bartlett's tear-jerking performances, creating one of the most moving episodes viewers have seen in some time.

Mazin realizes the potential of television's extended run time and wide dramatic range and uses savvy storytelling to expand secondary characters in the game into emblematic symbols in the series.

Mazin’s appreciation for characters like Bill and Frank runs deeper than gamers, audiences, and superfans.

An expertise Marvel was once renowned for.

Image: HBO

Lesson #3: Defy expectations with unconventional choices. 

“I called up Neil like, ‘I have a radical suggestion. What if Sam was deaf?’ It automatically brings a certain kind of intimacy to those scenes because they’re quiet, which I love. There is a lot of talking. This is a very verbal show. Ellie talks a lot. And it was interesting to see what it would be like if it were quieter.” - Craig Mazin via Inverse.com

Mazin tests the limits of the series’ bleak tone in episode five, “Endure and Survive,” where he crafts another heartbreaking installment. 

In it, we follow Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Kevionn Woodard), two brothers on the run.

To evade capture, they must avoid the infected and Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), a ruthless militia group leader.

Mazin pulls Sam and Henry from the game with two significant changes: Sam is younger and hearing impaired in the series.

What appears to be a valiant effort to check an inclusion box is an ingenious storytelling move. Sam's hearing loss displays how unconventional character choices can bring more depth to the main characters.

Henry and Sam’s devoted bond represents a turning point in Ellie and Joel’s relationship. 

At this stage in their journey, Joel accepts his responsibility for protecting Ellie, and she trusts him as her defender.

Sam’s disability drowns out the noise and heightens the emotional stakes between the protected (Ellie and Sam) and their champions (Joel and Henry). 

 Mazin’s character twist amplifies the palpable tension, especially when Henry makes a life-altering decision while in a state of shock.

(For those familiar with the game, please don't mention any details about the scene the next paragraph addresses. Doing so would spoil it for those new to the story.) 

Joel and Ellie witness Henry’s melancholic state and Sam’s lost innocence on a devastating scale. This pivotal watershed moment alters Joel and Ellie's destiny in their forsaken world.

What kind of fate awaits the weary nomads if Henry is unable to shield his dear brother from dystopian dangers?

Mazin shows Marvel that inclusivity is more than race and gender-bending superheroes on the screen to check a box.

In Marvel’s Eternals, Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) stars as a mighty Black deaf celestial who uses her superhuman speed to elude danger.

She appears briefly on the screen, with no meaningful connection with the other immortals, leaving viewers to ponder her true purpose.

Superficial characters cannot be used to placate marginalized groups. Storytellers must impart depth, bringing them to life through the authentic experiences of people we rarely see portrayed on screen.  

Marvel has yet to grasp this lesson.

Final Thoughts

Feige must rethink what it means to be a superhero in a post-COVID world. 

A global disaster forced us to ask ourselves what kind of hero we needed to rescue us from a real-life catastrophe, and neither Thor, Ant-Man, nor the celestial beings were up to the task.

Marvel’s imposing champions should be more than just demonstrations of strength—they should stir and encourage the best in humanity, just like they do in the comics.

Unlike Feige, Mazin realizes the path forward in telling good stories isn’t to go bigger in scale but to get introspective in scope.

The Last of Us serves as a beautiful metaphor for how we, as humans, are destined for more than just survival.

While we once visited the multiplex or tuned in to television to escape reality, we now consume stories because they help us recognize a promising benevolence within every last one of us.

Mazin’s love for humanity drove him to create one of the most critically acclaimed fan-approved shows so far this year.

Fingers crossed, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 recaptures the same compelling character magic as the first installment. 

If not, Marvel will prove it still has plenty to learn from The Last of Us’ smash storytelling success.

Searching for more unconventional storytelling on the small screen? Learn how a remarkable Black sci-fi renaissance strengthens the TV landscape.

Remember to subscribe and spread the word! More must-watch recommendations arrive next week.