봉신 유니버스에 대한 비판적 고찰 —마블 시네마틱 유니버스의 프랜차이즈 전략과의 비교를 중심으로—

China’s major animation studio Enlight Media - Color Room Pictures (光线-彩条屋) produced the ‘Ne Zha(哪吒)’ series and ‘Jiang Ziya(姜子牙)’, both of which are based on the classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods(封神演义). Because of this, there is growing media and internet commentary in China expressing high hopes for a “Fengshen Universe(封神宇宙)”. This optimistic discussion seems to be infused with admiration for the global success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Such expectations began to spread after the box-office hit ‘Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child(哪吒之魔童降世)’ in 2019 and were reinforced by ‘Jiang Ziya’ in 2020. More recently, the overwhelming popularity of ‘Ne Zha: Battle of the Seas(哪吒之魔童鬧海)’ has fueled even more attention. In this paper, I start by asking whether the “Fengshen Universe” can truly be considered a “universe,” why Chinese people are dreaming of it, and whether it is likely to remain a uniquely Chinese universe or become a more universal franchise. Based on these questions, I then compare and analyze the “Fengshen Universe” strategy with the “Marvel franchise /MCU” — which it seems to look up to or even hope to surpass — to discuss its limits, possibilities, and future prospects.