Disney owns two of the most successful studios, and franchises, in the world. With Lucasfilm's Star Wars Universe and Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney seem truly unstoppable as the studio's releasing hit after hit - that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, though. Star Wars has been an unstoppable force (pun intended) since its inception 40 years ago, and it just so happens that it could teach the MCU a thing or two. So let's take a look at what Lucasfilm does masterfully, and what departments Marvel Studios lacks in, and see how the MCU can be made even stronger.

RELATED: Avengers 4 Set Photo Teases [SPOILER] Survives Infinity War

Heroes Shouldn't Be Immortal

Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Sometimes the most heroic action is a sacrifice. If you've seen Star Wars, then you'll be well aware that Lucasfilm isn't afraid to kill off main antagonists, but it's never for no reason. Whether it's Obi-Wan shutting down the tractor beam before dying to Darth Vader in A New Hope or Luke Skywalker's selfless sacrifice in The Last Jedi, it always feels right when a hero is killed off. It proves that actions have consequences, and it can create a real sense of jeopardy.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's a rarity that a main player is killed off. So far, Yondu is the only hero to perish (ignoring Quicksilver's death as fans barely had time to get to know him), and it worked. Marvel should look at Star Wars, and Yondu's death, and realize that it's okay for titular characters to die after a while. Captain America has starred in his own trilogy, and in two Avengers movies, and he's still going strong. In the comics, both Sam Wilson and Bucky have taken over the mantle after Steve Roger meets his fate, and some of the stories have been huge successes. It's time for Marvel Studios to retire some of their staple heroes, and Avengers: Infinity War is the perfect time to do it.

Compelling, Layered Villains

Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Empire-Strikes-Back

Star Wars does many things right, but it's definitely one of the stand-out franchises when it comes to great villains. The trick is to treat protagonists like antagonists in terms of properly fleshing them out and giving them a real sense of purpose and motivation, which makes things all the more better when they come face-to-face with the heroes. Darth Vader is multi-dimensional as the franchise took the time to build up his character. Kylo Ren is working great so far in the new trilogy as he's the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, and there's a complexity to his character as he's not entirely on the Dark Side (as of yet).

RELATED: Avengers 4 Photo Furthers Rumors That Flashbacks Will Play Big Role

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, is notorious for having somewhat of a villain problem. Besides a handful of antagonists -- namely Loki, Vulture, Hela, and Zemo -- the heroes of each movie have been the main focus, and the villains feel like throwaways. The aforementioned villains that work all have something in common: they have motivation and/or have been developed wonderfully. Loki was introduced in Thor before he was the central villain in Avengers, the Vulture had a real purpose to his actions in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and so on. Marvel Studios needs to look at what makes these characters work compared to the ones that fall flat, and a glance at the villains in the world of Star Wars would help to steer them in the right direction.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='The%20Importance%20of%20Diversity']



Diversity Is Key

Finn, Rey and Rose From Star Wars: Episode IX - The Last Jedi

Star Wars spans the entire galaxy, and Lucasfilm understands that there are humans and aliens of all creeds and colors in the universe. The original trilogy had a strong female lead in Leia Organa, an important black character in Lando Calrissian, and many more. The prequel trilogy had Mace Windu, Padmé Amidala, Sabe, and so on. The new trilogy's main characters are Rey, Finn, and Poe -- none of which are white males. What we're getting at is that the franchise has always opted to use a diverse cast, and it's entirely welcomed. Representation is important in film, and Star Wars does it well.

Let's face it, Marvel's roster of heroes is much less diverse. In the Avengers, five out of the six main players are all straight white males. Sure, that's how the majority of Marvel Comics stack up too, but Marvel Studios need to change it up. Of course, it has Black PantherAnt-Man and The Wasp, and Captain Marvel on the way in the near future, but they've taken the studio way too long to produce. Even taking these movies into account, the percentage of white male heroes is overwhelming, and ashamedly, high. Let's hope the MCU continues to widen its offering in the years to come, especially since it has (at least) another 20 movies on the way.

RELATED: If The Avengers Survive, They’ll Continue to Go to Space

An Iconic Score

John Williams

Star Wars has undoubtedly one of the most iconic, recognizable musical scores in all of cinema. John Williams has delivered countless incredible compositions of music to accompany the franchise for many years, and his contribution remained strong in The Last Jedi. There's more to film than just visual; audio is a huge component of a movie -- it can help to set the scene, build tension, or provide some much-needed entertainment. Even when the score stops playing, the silence can be incredibly effective, but the score is needed to create that effect.

The MCU, on the other hand, has released 17 films thus far and only has two arguably good scores: the Avengers and Thor: Ragnarok. In Avengers' case, it's become a staple in the franchise, and nothing has stood up against it since. Guardians of the Galaxy, both volumes one and two, have great soundtracks, but that's a bit different from the score. Nonetheless, music is a big part of the series and it intertwines with Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord's origin story masterfully. Marvel Studios should look to create more iconic sounds for its movies to make them that much better.

Break The Mould

Leia and Poe in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Sometimes, things can get a little samey - especially when you're planning on releasing 22 movies all set in the same universe in just 11 years. Marvel Studios is a machine in releasing huge blockbuster movies, but a lot of them have definitely followed a blueprint; there's a reason Doctor Strange got compared so heavily to Iron Man. Hey, you can't blame Marvel, they've found a formula that works and they implement it whenever they introduce new characters to create yet another A-list superhero.

RELATED: Captain America’s MCU Story Shouldn’t End In Death

Star Wars, however, just took a huge turn with The Last Jedi. Instead of following up on threads left from The Force Awakens, director Rian Johnson took the series in a brand new direction - and whether you like it or not - it's performing massively at the box office, and winning universal critical acclaim along the way. If the MCU wants to survive in the long run while releasing three movies each and every year, then it's going to need to venture into new genres and directions to beat "superhero fatigue," a phrase that is becoming more and more relevant as time goes on.