‘ANDOR’ Showrunner Tony Gilroy Does Not Think Much of Marvel’s Playbook

Let’s be real: Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are two of the biggest entertainment juggernauts out there, both sitting comfortably under Disney’s massive umbrella. But beyond their shared corporate parent, they’ve got something else in common—a knack for kicking off production with half-baked scripts or shaky plans. Think of the MCU’s Captain America: Brave New World, which reportedly scrambled to find its footing, or Star Wars, which hasn’t graced theaters since the polarizing Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. Both franchises have stumbled, but one Star Wars series managed to rise above the chaos: Andor.

The second season of Andor has fans and critics raving, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. In a candid Zoom chat with /Film’s Ben Pearson, showrunner Tony Gilroy spilled the tea on how Andor dodged a bullet by avoiding the same storytelling traps that have tripped up Marvel.

An Early Misstep Almost Derailed Andor

Picture this: Andor was originally pitched as a buddy-cop romp featuring Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk’s snarky droid K-2SO. Think Star Wars meets Bad Boys—all action, quips, and maybe a few explosions. It could’ve been a blast, but Gilroy wasn’t sold.

“In the show, it’s perfect. [K-2SO’s late introduction was] something I always intended. The versions that they had of the show prior, they were slick and they were interesting. They were not bad, but they had a fatal flaw, it seemed to me, which is if that’s your show, that we’re going to storm the Citadel in the pilot, what are you going to do in episode 9? What do you do? You’re just going to keep getting the disc?”

Gilroy, who’s penned gritty hits like Michael Clayton and the Bourne trilogy, knew better. He scrapped the buddy-cop vibe and turned Andor into a tense, character-driven spy thriller. K-2SO’s big entrance got pushed back, letting Cassian’s journey from petty crook to rebel hero take center stage. The result feels less like a popcorn flick and more like a novel you can’t put down.

Marvel’s Tesseract Trouble

Gilroy didn’t just critique Andor’s early drafts—he took a swing at the MCU’s playbook, too. He zeroed in on what he calls “Tesseract-chasing.” Remember 2012’s The Avengers? The whole plot revolves around the Tesseract, a glowing cube everyone’s fighting over.

“Trying to get the, what do they call it? I can’t remember the name of the box. What the f*** is the name of the box in ‘The Avengers’? What the f*** are they going for? […] The Tesseract! That’s why all those Marvel movies are all — that’s why they fail. You’re just constantly … if that’s all you’re doing, then all you’re doing is just trying to get the Tesseract.”

He’s got a point. The MCU built its empire on MacGuffins—those plot-driving objects like the Tesseract (later revealed as an Infinity Stone), the Orb in Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Time Stone in Doctor Strange. The formula was gold for a while: heroes chase the shiny thing, bad guys get in the way, cue the epic battle. But as the MCU ballooned, this rinse-and-repeat approach started to feel stale. Vanity Fair has pointed out how Marvel’s obsession with interconnected plots and spectacle has left its stories feeling hollow.

How Andor Got It Right

Andor could’ve gone the same route, churning out forgettable heist-of-the-week episodes. Instead, Gilroy bet on substance over flash. He wove a story rich with political intrigue and moral gray areas, making Cassian’s transformation feel real and earned. The show’s been compared to The Wire for its depth, a far cry from the MCU’s splashy CGI slugfests.

Gilroy’s no rookie when it comes to fixing messes. He helped turn Rogue One from a troubled production into a fan favorite, and Andor proves he’s still got the magic touch. Meanwhile, Marvel’s recent flops, like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Rotten Tomatoes), show what happens when you lean too hard on formula over heart.

What Blockbusters Can Learn

Gilroy’s take boils down to a simple truth: MacGuffins like the Tesseract or the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark can kickstart a story, but they can’t carry it. When franchises like the MCU—or Andor’s early drafts—bank everything on chasing the next big plot device, they lose what makes stories stick: characters we root for and stakes that hit home.

Andor proves you can tell bold, meaningful stories within a giant franchise. As Star Wars gears up for new films like James Mangold’s project (StarWars.com) and the MCU aims to bounce back with Avengers: Secret Wars, they’d be smart to take notes from Gilroy. Forget the Tesseract. Tell a story that matters.