Originally a DVD extra, "Assembling a Universe" now appears on Disney Plus in the documentary section, which is, if I'm honest a little bit of a stretch - but it does go into the creation of the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and does have a few interviews with the key figures.

Starting with "Ironman" in 2008, Marvel's risky decision to stop leasing out their iconic characters to other studios and instead make the movies themselves has paid off in a big way. Their masterstroke though was to set all the movies in one shared universe, allowing for characters to continually cross into each other's stories leading to "Avengers Assemble" their major crossover movie. Their success with the "B-Team" characters allowed not only for riskier and more varied projects going forward, but also for the big players to return home.

Again, it's not really a structured regimented documentary, it's a 40 minute recap / advert for their projects with some teasers for "The Winters Soldier", "Guardians of the Galaxy" and particularly for the new "Agents of SHIELD" show, that it felt at the time might prove to be more important than really it was allowed to be. There are interviews with the stars and directors of the various films, thought I suspect they were actually recorded for the DVD's of the films themselves. There's also interviews with Kevin Feige about his visions for the overall storyline of the universe and how their carefully seeded things in the direction of the Infinity stones and Thanos from an early point.

It's a little dated now and, as I say, more an advert than a true documentary, but as a time capsule curio it was reasonable interesting.

This consists of interviews with the cast and crew, all of whom have something compelling to add within their area of expertise(and there is a very clear love of what they're working on), clips from the MCU films, behind-the-scenes footage, and incomplete effects shots.

It's 43 minutes long. This is found on Disney+. It spoils a lot of the movies, and so will this review, so that I can go into more detail.

They talk about creating Marvel Studios, so that they could guide the adaptations themselves. Getting Jon Favreau, and the leads. The jump from Iron Man to a team-up. Doing a manhunt story for Hulk, like on the TV series. Using Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. to connect the separate entries. Using humor to ensure the audience have an easier time accepting the fantastical elements of Thor. How complex and interesting Loki is. Making good use of the Tesseract to tell compelling stories. Why Steve is chosen to become Captain America. Ensuring that we can see some of Tony in Howard Stark. Bringing all of the individual heroes together in The Avengers. Upping the stakes after that. Making it more personal. Showing what happens next. Doing One Shots. Explaining what happens with Abomination after we saw him last. Agent Carter. All Hail The King. Coulson returning in Joss Whedon's 2013 effort. Winter Soldier and exploring Rogers being stuck in the present, dealing with things no longer being black and white but morally grey. The Guardians of the Galaxy and doing something unexpected. Age of Ultron and introducing the Maximoffs. Doing different subgenres.

I recommend this to any fan of the property. 8/10

"Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe" is a 43-minute documentary from last year that takes a look not only into the movies starring the Avengers, Captain America, Thor etc., but also takes an insight into the short films and the television series that became popular in recent years. This, however, is also the only positive aspect I see in here. I did not find this a particularly informative documentary and I really did not like how full it was of itself throwing superlatives at us from start to finish. There is little in here that will be new to you if you have seen the films and shows on television. I am actually a bit of a fan of the films as I love watching a quality superhero film from time to time, but this one still did not do a lot for me. Maybe you have to be a really huge addict, one that goes to Comic Con etc. to be able to appreciate this. Everybody who does not belong to this target group can skip it. Not recommended.