Christopher Markus is an American screenwriter and producer born on October 16, 1969, in Buffalo, New York, USA. He is best known for his collaborations with writing partner Stephen McFeely on films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Together with McFeely, Markus and McFeely became two of the most successful screenwriters in terms of U.S. box office gross, with their MCU projects contributing to over $20 billion in worldwide earnings.
Markus and McFeely met in 1994 during the graduate program for creative writing at the University of California, Davis. Initially aspiring to become novelists, they shifted to screenwriting after realizing the challenges of making a living from books. They earned their master's degrees in 1996 and relocated to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting careers, taking odd jobs such as receptionists at production companies. In 1998, they sold their first script, an unproduced story about a real-life Los Angeles murder, which led to their professional breakthrough.
Their early success came with the HBO biographical film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), a drama about the actor Peter Sellers. For this project, Markus and McFeely won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Dramatic Special in 2005. This Emmy marked their entry into high-profile biographical and dramatic storytelling.
Markus and McFeely's filmography includes adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia series, such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). Other notable works include the dark comedy You Kill Me (2007) and the crime thriller Pain & Gain (2013), directed by Michael Bay.
In the MCU, Markus and McFeely were instrumental in developing the character arc of Captain America (Steve Rogers) across multiple films, blending historical elements with modern superhero action. Their work on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame involved coordinating vast ensemble narratives, culminating in some of the highest-grossing films in history. They also contributed uncredited rewrites to Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Thor: The Dark World (2013).
Personally, Markus married producer Claire Saunders on October 22, 2011. In recent years, he has been involved in real estate in Los Angeles, purchasing a $6.01 million English manor-style home in Hancock Park in 2018 and listing a Silver Lake property for $2 million in 2019. As of 2024, Markus is not returning to write the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars due to commitments with projects at AGBO, the production company of directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.
Markus's career highlights his versatility in transitioning from television biopics to blockbuster franchises, often emphasizing character-driven stories within large-scale spectacles.
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