By Jess Taylor
DAVIS – Last Friday night, the Chancellor’s Colloquium introduced two of the most prominent screenwriters in the country – UC Davis Alumni Chris Markus and Steve McFeely who have written six of the Marvel series films, including the highest-grossing film “Avengers: Endgame.”
The beginning of this virtual event started off with classy jazz music and a comic book-themed intro that made the viewer feel as if they were in a 1950s movie theater.
The dynamic duo, famously known as the Marvelous Match, spent the night with Chancellor May discussing their success within Hollywood while answering questions submitted by viewers.
The two screenwriters met as graduate students back in 1994 when entering Davis’s creative writing program. Markus and McFeely began writing together when they met in class and have been professionally working with one another for 26 years.
One faculty member’s comment on the two is that they were always fun and talented in their work. These were two students that people wanted to see do exceptionally well.
Markus was a comic writer, but this style of writing was not generally accepted in academia. Because his work was remarkable, one of the department heads wrote a bland note that gave Markus permission to be a comic writer; the note literally says “Chris is allowed to be a comic writer” in marker. To this day, Markus has it framed on his wall next to his diploma.
Chancellor May was the host for the night where he was extremely enthusiastic and interested in the two’s work. Comic bubbles periodically popped up next to the speakers with little facts. One bubble informed that the Chancellor has 13,000 comic books while he mentioned he has Avengers comics decorating his office.
Discussing the research that goes into these movies, McFeely emphasized it is a substantial amount of time spent. Describing the pair’s first Marvel gig, he said, “In 2008 we had our first job with “Captain America.” We spent eight months reading comics to prove that we were the guys to do this.”
Before their first Marvel movie, Markus and McFeely had spent their time screenwriting the “Narnia” series. This sort of writing was a different place in Hollywood, so the opportunity to write in a different dimension could define the course of their careers.
One of the first questions asked was how they write on the superheroes. Beginning, Markus expressed that the key is to write on the character, not the superhero. Referring to Iron Man, he explained that the characters have these conflicting lives, which is why Tony Stark constantly bounces between leaving the suit off for good.
Adding onto this, McFeely said it was no accident that Steve Rogers (Captain America) came back in a more interesting way. As an individual, he is in a predicament as a man being out of time. “It’s not a superhero movie, it’s a movie,” he says.
Anyone that has seen the “Marvel” series can always expect one thing: the appearance of Stan Lee, the Marvel comic book creator. Chancellor May was curious as to how they choose these “Easter eggs” where he humorously appears. According to Markus, “A lot of the Stan appearances are things we need anyway to keep the plot moving. As we think of that thing we need, why not fill it in with some fun names so it’s someone everyone can recognize.”
Moving forward, one of the questions that came up pondered how they manage to write for a complex universe with so many characters. Markus and McFeely discussed how the process is dependent on writing different scenes with just a few of the characters and interweaving them with one another. The shots chosen are crucially analyzed to create the most cohesive story.
One question that every Davis student watching was curious to know, was how their time at Davis helped them throughout their career. McFeely answered in-depth about how the workshops challenged his work. “Workshops are where I met Chris. Some people in your group understand what you’re doing, and others don’t. It’s important to find the voices you vibe with and to learn to take criticism.”
The two of them laughed with Chancellor May about their failed outlines of movies, like “Baywatch,” to professors ripping apart their stories in grad school. Coming to an end, the chancellor asked if there is anything in their careers they would have done differently.
This question had McFeely chuckling. With a big smile, he admitted, “Some movies we rejected did quite well. I remember seeing “Hunger Games” and thinking, ‘wow, should’ve done that one!’”
Markus continued laughing saying his regrets are in his personal life, where Chancellor May made the moment more humorous by chiming in how that’s a different show.
The night concluded with the chancellor wishing that the Marvelous Match could have come in person. The men joked about giving speeches at future graduations and saying that they are excited to return to their alma mater.
Just like the Marvel movies, end credits flashed with a series of superhero comics and a photo of Markus and McFeely alongside Chancellor May in a superhero costume with an Aggie logo on his chest.
Jess Taylor is in her senior year at UC Davis from a small town called Wheatland. She is finishing her studies in English and Human Rights.
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