@Crimson Chin said:

Have Disney made millions off of a franchise mainly filled with average films?

I think that's very, very true. And I'm saying that as someone who usually enjoys them to an extent. And I do think that they have made a few more great one's than Guardians and Winter Soldier. Civil War being the obvious one that springs to mind.

But Iron Man is a perfect example. It is an enjoyable film, but it isn't exceptional in any way whatsoever. It was successful and popular because it was broad. It hit a wide audience. But it does absolutely nothing new or groundbreaking other than make money. Compare it to other comic book films that had come out previously like The Dark Knight or Sam Raimi's Spiderman and there's nothing artistic that makes it stand out.

And a lot of the other Marvel films that followed suit were in a similar vein. It was all part of their broad marketing strategy. And hey, it worked.