The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a mess, there really is no way to sugar coat it. And it’s a real shame realizing how badly Marvel has fumbled the ball. We entered Phase 4 with so much momentum hot off the heals of Avengers: Endgame, a movie that proved that Marvel and Disney knew what they were doing. And every new title, every new character, every new casting announcement – it was all full of electric energy. And then the electricity all just … dissipated. So what went wrong? Here’s my take on how the MCU has failed, and what we can do to resuscitate it.
Let’s start by identifying the problem.
While there’s lots of reasons we can speculate as to why the MCU has flatlined, there are three main interrelated etiologies that I think are at the forefront.
Problem 1: Content Overload. First and foremost at the root of the issue are the Disney executives who, for better or for worse, made the decision to unnecessarily overload Disney+ with content. Since the release of WandaVision in January 2021 we have been inundated with 11 whole television seasons. This is on top of the 10 movies that were also released in the same period (both on Disney+ and theatrically). Don’t get me wrong, it was incredibly exciting at the time to devour all this content, particularly in the heart of the pandemic. But the reality is, several of these characters have now debuted (i.e., Shang-Chi, the Eternals, She Hulk, Moon Knight) only to quickly disappear into nothingness.
Problem 2: Superhero Fatigue. With content overload, the masses have quite easily succumbed to the ever-quoted “superhero fatigue”. And I don’t blame them – it’s a lot. And this is coming from someone who is a fairly invested Marvel comic book reader. Asking the average movie-goer to now invest in 11 seasons of television is a monumental task so it’s no surprise that many have just given up.
Problem 3: A Missing Roadmap. It’s becoming more and more apparent that we don’t really know where we are going, even though we’re more than halfway through the entire Multiverse Saga. Part of this is because of content overload – when you’re producing so much content in such a short amount of time it’s nearly impossible to coordinate on a single vision. And of course, part of this is the Jonathan Majors of it all. But the fact that the vast majority of the content in the Multiverse Saga have not even acknowledged the Multiverse in any significant way is a bit of a problem.
So where do we go from here?
Being just a diehard fan and not a person in the industry, I acknowledge that it’s hard for me to fully understand the inner workings of the MCU in order to make real tangible recommendations. But after watching “The Marvels” there’s one thing that’s for certain – Ms. Marvel is the answer.
This is not to say that Canada’s own Iman Vellani herself is the answer – although don’t get me wrong, she is most certainly a beacon of light amongst the darkness that is the current MCU. What I mean is that “Ms. Marvel” and the most recent MCU movie “The Marvels” have given us the road map for how the MCU movies and TV shows can be integrated. All we have to do is follow it! Let me explain.
**SPOILER WARNING** – I will be touching on some of the content of The Marvels and Ms. Marvel, including the post credit sequences. If you are spoiler averse please don’t read any further!
In my recent mini-review of The Marvels, I said that The Marvels should have been the movie to end Phase 4, instead of Wakanda Forever (which, for obvious reasons, ended Phase 4 on a dour note). And I very much so stand by that opinion.
Imagine this – it’s November 11th, 2022, the Marvels gets released (instead of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). It’s been 3 years since “Captain Marvel”, 2 years since “WandaVision”, and only a few short months since the first season of “Ms. Marvel” wrapped with its exciting Captain Marvel end-credit twist. It means we wait a bit longer for Wakanda Forever, which gets pushed to February 2023 (the Ant-Man spot), but really this is the window where the original Black Panther was released and gives the movie the runway it needs to earn money. So why is this better?
Reason 1: Timeliness. I surmise that part of the reason why “The Marvels” didn’t do so well is that people lost interest in the characters. We’re almost 4 years from the original “Captain Marvel” movie, and almost 4 years from her last appearance in the MCU. We’re nearly 3 years since “WandaVision” and the introduction of Monica Rambeau. And it’s been over a year since “Ms. Marvel” was released. If we’re going to care about these characters we need to be seeing more of them and soon, which is easily solved by targeting an earlier release date.
Reason 2: Immediate Interconnectivity. If we’re going to introduce characters via TV we need to start immediately interconnecting them to the movie universe. This immediately signals to the audience that these characters, like Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, MATTER. And, if anything, it gives us a sense that there is a plan even if there isn’t one. I’m actually so glad that Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop appeared at the end of The Marvels because now that character MATTERS. (And she should matter, because Hailee Steinfeld is immensely talented and The Young Avengers comics are the best.)
Reason 3: Stays on Brand. And finally, why should this movie have ended Phase 4? Because then at least we would have ended Phase 4 on brand, with a climax and end-credit stinger that at least references the MULTIVERSE. This not only mirrors the end of Phase 1 (with the post-Avengers Thanos reveal), but it also keeps the Multiverse firmly in everyones mind. I’m not saying that The Marvels tackled the Multiverse well by any means, but at least it demonstrates to the viewer that the MCU can stay on target.
As an aside – imagine if the post-credit scene took place on Earth-838 and we encounter a post “Multiverse of Madness” severely injured Maria Rambeau Captain Marvel and a now Professor X-less Beast interrogating the Earth-616 Monica Rambeau following Scarlet Witch’s rampage. Talk about a timely, interconnected and on-brand cliffhanger!
So … Now What?
Now all of this is a little too late I realize, and is likely falling on deaf ears, but it just shows that with a few simple changes we can get the heart of the MCU pumping again. Moving forward it would be refreshing for Disney to look at each of their upcoming projects, think about the three things I outlined above that made “The Marvels” make sense, and green-lighting a project only if at least ONE of the conditions are met. Here’s what that would look like.
Condition 1: Make it Timely. If you’re going introduce a character, be ready to continue that characters story (whether in movie or television format) sooner rather than later. Don’t wait more than 3 years to green light a sequel (I’m looking at you Shang Chi), because unfortunately people will lose interest. And on that note stop trying to tease us with X-Men unless the X-Men are actually going to appear in the MCU in a way that’s more meaningful than a glorified cameo.
Condition 2: Make it Interconnected. If a sequel is not in the cards, don’t introduce a character unless you have a plan to interconnect them in another property within 2-3 years. I’m sorry but Shang Chi, The Eternals, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk, regardless how much I did or did not enjoy them (and I enjoyed many of these), have no reason to exist in the MCU Multiverse Saga. That said, I’m happy for these to be unconnected standalone properties as well, which would be a way to circumvent this condition.
Condition 3: Stay on Brand! If it’s not going to be timely or interconnected, at least make it further the Multiverse narrative. That’s why “What-If” gets a bit of a pass. Otherwise let’s just stop calling it the Multiverse saga altogether.
It’s too bad that based on the box office results of “The Marvels” this opinion may not even matter, which is a shame because the movie is filled with so much potential that is likely to be squandered. At this point all we can really do is hope that the executives at Marvel have taken a step back over the recent strikes to recalibrate and rethink what they are doing. Otherwise we might as well just brace ourselves for another disappointing take on the X-Men and Fantastic Four, because it looks like that may be where we are ultimately headed.
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