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2023 was a literal roller coaster for the MCU. The now household name of Marvel Studios went through one of its worst years yet in more than ten years. Secret Invasion, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania all had mediocre performances. However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki season 2 were highly praised.
Furthermore, December saw the definitive conclusion of one of Marvel's most difficult years with What If...? season 2 raising even more eyebrows. The MCU also officially split with Jonathan Majors, who played Kang the Conqueror. It was a rollercoaster of two highs and many lows for the MCU.
With 2024 finally here, Marvel has a rare opportunity to tone it down, adopt a quality-over-quantity strategy, and devote the amount of time necessary to make certain that each new MCU release feels unique and great rather than just another movie. But before we can comprehend the future, let's first discuss what perils the MCU faces and how it can rectify them.
5 Reasons why MCU films are underperforming
1) Too many projects, not enough concern
One of the primary reasons the MCU grew to be such a behemoth was its preference for quality over quantity. Marvel's superhero culture was previously thought to be nearly untouchable, but in recent years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has given fans too much of a good thing.
Enthusiasm for Marvel's TV series and films has decreased due to the abundance of impending productions. Even ardent fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are not very excited about the several upcoming Marvel releases.
Furthermore, this abundance and "too much of a good thing" has had the studio struggling to stay on track with its own production schedule in recent times. This has resulted in a number of hurried (and occasionally even incomplete) films and television series. Marvel might be poised to address its own quality slide by concentrating on a small number of live-action films for the upcoming year (which it seems to be doing).
2) No more purpose and a disjointed narrative
Several Phase Four titles received a great deal of fan service, but it seldom generated much beyond acclaim and a few chuckles. Consider the case of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Comic book enthusiasts were driven insane by the appearance of The Illuminati and the actors who would be portraying the heroes, although their significance to the story of the movie was ultimately little.
Characters were expertly introduced by the MCU when it first started (Thanos cameo), and viewers always knew when to expect them afterward and what their purpose would be. However, Phase Four and Phase Five have included a ton of new individuals in post-credit sequences, and it's unclear when or for what reason they will be seen in the grand scheme of things.
The MCU has become the victim of superhero fatigue due to its lack of coherence. Marvel media first appeared to be a collection of disparate parts that would ultimately come together to form a bigger picture. Avengers: Infinity War is still considered one of the greatest events in the history of cinema itself.
However, Phase Four did not have the same kind of rapport. Things feel less linked when there isn't an Avengers film to cap it off. The MCU must stand back, organize an event, or maintain coherence to fit the jigsaw pieces together.
3) Where is the experimentation, where is the wonder?
The MCU has grown at an astounding rate since Phase Four launched several TV series in addition to its films. However, the shows had the same formula. What the MCU did differently at the start is what established it as a successful venture—taking risks and diving into the unknown.
However, recently, it looks like Marvel has been paying attention to criticisms regarding the rigid structure of the MCU series. The simultaneous release of all of Echo's episodes on the same day and Daredevil: Born Again being 18 episodes long indicate as much.
A further move could be to play around with the timings of its series because several upcoming MCU projects could profit from a length more appropriate for their narrative. A mature rating and longer run time seem like a step in the right direction for Marvel Studios.
4) Neglecting smaller stories
Minimalism is frequently the greatest approach to adding new aspects, especially when dealing with franchises. It's about time for Marvel to return to its roots. Characters like Moon Knight, Daredevil, and Shang-Chi should be seen tackling grounded issues.
But what some of these so-called "street-level" heroes did was delve too far into the paranormal aspects of their specific source materials. The Marvel Universe contains a vast array of gritty stories that might be further investigated to enlarge and enhance the MCU.
Thankfully, it looks like the release of the upcoming limited series, Echo, is set to do exactly that. The new Marvel Spotlight banner will make a more cohesive and grounded narrative for our beloved street-level heroes to focus on.
Personal stand-alone projects are needed, seeing how the big events are not that relatable to the average moviegoer. Even though big events are fun, the universe shouldn't always be under threat.
5) Expand but slowly
The "all or nothing" mindset has long been a point of contention for movie adaptations of superheroes across the board as well as Marvel productions. It can be enticing for producers, directors, and similar creatives to try to fit too many concepts into one creation. Especially with anything as large and intricate as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is even more temptation to lay the groundwork for future entries.
In fact, creators who tend to plan too far ahead rarely produce better pieces of art. Maybe they are just forced to do so by company and fan demand, or maybe it is because of the confidence following their previous accomplishment.
In any case, it seemed like a disaster waiting to unfold that the stated goal was to duplicate and maybe even exceed what emerged previously in considerably less time. Everything they want can be done, that's already established but maybe slowing down a bit can be helpful for the Marvel moving forward.
