By trying too much, the MCU is doing too little for audiences
Trying to deliver the near-impossible task of following up the Infinity Saga, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is losing some of what made it so special
By the time Kevin Feige and a plethora of directors and actors took the stage at Hall H during San Diego Comic-Con 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had already conquered the pop culture sphere. In a year where Game of Thrones tarnished all of the goodwill it had earned with fans and Star Wars was sinking to lower, more embarrassing depths than it ever had before, Avengers: Endgame was a triumph of a conclusion whose adoration by fans was proved by its broad acclaim and temporary spot as the highest-grossing film of all time. Add in both Spider-Man: Far From Home and Captain Marvel both crossing the billion dollar mark (the latter for possibly the wrong reasons), and it cements the MCU as the most successful film franchise of all time, with 23 movies that were all well-received and made enough green to make the Hulk nervous.
Flash forward to today, two weeks after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the finale of Moon Knight both released within days of each other. Years ago, most fans would be drooling over the fact that we got a new MCU movie and episode of one of their Disney+ shows in the same week. For yours truly, neither of them cracked my top 20. The initially pleasing concept of so many movies and shows within one universe has started to wear out its welcome, with a lingering sense of oversaturation that is draining some of the franchise’s previous novelty. Since January 2021, 5 movies and 6 shows have released to varying reception. From an overwhelming success (Spider-Man: No Way Home), classic superhero fun (WandaVision, Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), lukewarm general enjoyment (Black Widow, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, What If…?, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness), or outright negativity (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Eternals). With so much content, the brand becomes increasingly stale and formulaic (especially because comic-book films from other universes and even other Marvel properties such as Venom or the glorious achievement that is Morbius), so much so that Hawkeye felt aggressively forgettable when on years without so many shows, it could’ve been simple fun. Recent announcements have even been made about devoting entire shows to side characters, such as the delightfully sinister Agatha Harkness from WandaVision and the deaf antagonist Echo from Hawkeye, that only continue that pervasive Disney motto: “Anything that can be milked/remade/spun-off, given unnecessary sequels, will be milked/remade/spun-off/given unnecessary sequels.”
The “too much” problem only highlights the most concerning aspect of Phase 4, which is the scattershot ideas and tones that range throughout the entries. From the multiverse, to tales of gods spanning thousands of years, to street-level introductions focusing on a grounded scale, to a flashback story about a character who already died, Feige’s vision seems all over the place. Compare this to the other introductory Phase 1, which had a wide variety of stories and sizes, but kept a cohesive tone that built to an earned payoff with The Avengers. The success of a satisfying conclusion is best represented in the gleeful blast that was Spider-Man: No Way Home, which heavily relied on nostalgia and returning faces but did it in a way that not only fleshed out the familiar such as Andrew Garfield’s Spidey, Green Goblin, and Electro, while also delivering the standout action, comedy, and sincere journey that Holland’s Spider-Man needed. Without a central goal to build up to, every movie feels aimless and causes the audience to struggle for investment when it constantly feels like we’re going in a new, independent direction while relying on other MCU properties. Jarring as it is to go on without many of our favorite characters, it’s even worse when they’re being replaced with far less interesting replacements. Need a new Captain America? Get Sam Wilson. Want a younger Hawkeye? Introduce Kate Bishop. Updates of Hulk and Thor? Take She-Hulk and Lady Thor. Aside from the charming Shang-Chi, the new additions aren’t capturing what makes the legacy characters so interesting, while the writing feels much more comfortable when focusing on the familiar like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the MVP of this phase with Scarlet Witch.
By continually straying away from the original plan, the final weakness of the MCU is exposed, which is the familiar formula that’s starting to feel increasingly stale. Movies like Black Widow are continuously bogged down with a need to add excessive humor and a predictable formula, so much so that even when risks are taken within WandaVision, Moon Knight, or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, they can never fully commit to doing something different and feel the need to fall back on their tired tropes. Though this template was admittedly fun at the start, the audience is craving something new for the universe, with fresh creativity shining through in much of WandaVision and beats of Raimi’s direction in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Though not everything, this will always be weclomed more than the staleness of Black Widow and the overstuffed miscalculation of Eternals. This particular apprehension is what held back much of my excitement over the recent news that Daredevil will be returning to Disney+. On one hand, it’ll be so satisfying to see these fantastic characters and actors again and telling the grounded crime stories that the show excelled at. However, the bland writing team that has replaced the original creators of the show confirms the fears of Disney sanding off the show’s edges, and that the MCU will not be able to commit to the gritty, realistic tone that made it stand apart from the sanitized spectacle of other universes. It’s hard to imagine such a phenomenal, emotional scene like the one below existing in the fizzy tone of this franchise, particularly when the brutal and methodical Kingpin was watered down to a softer, bumbling crime boss throughout his appearance in Hawkeye.
While you readers are seeing all of these improvements that I would make, I should also acknowledge that I still love the MCU. The sheer ambition of this cinematic universe is still impressive to this day, particularly due to the continuous failed copies that other studios have tried to force. While it may not be perfect, the consistency of the quality and continuity of this franchise is unparalleled and always makes these films and shows feel like a cohesive unit. The risks that they’re taking makes me excited for their new directions and experiments, allowing them to expand their mythology and characters in ways that we haven’t seen. Finally, the MCU is taking many of their classic heroes in bold arcs that are paying off well, such as Wanda’s previously praised turn to villainy and the growth of this iteration of Peter Parker. However, the rebuilding of this universe has continuously been plagued with underwhelming results, relying on going into so many different directions and providing so much quantity of content to make up with the diminishing quality. Likewise, by abandoning so many of our favorite characters and stories, it’s forcing lesser portrayals in their place while refusing to divert from the typical style and tone. These blunders are preventing the franchise from reaching their original highs, when the audience was seeping in anticipation from the eventual culmination (though that enthusiasm can also be blamed on a fan base that gets more exhausting by the day, with one saide complaining about being “woke” and whining about anything different, while the other side relentlessly adores everything without complaint, especially when provided shallow fan service and familiarity). That same focus and excitement is what’s currently missing as they’re establishing this phase, as fans are drowned in a sea of content and similarity. Without the top of the water in site, we’re only left to sink lower.
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