the downfall of the mcu
Dissapointed by a Phase 4 movie? You or a loved one may be entitiled to financial compensation.
I’m sure that everyone is aware by now of the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU). You may be a die-hard fan, new to the series, or just friends with fans, but you can probably tell they’ve kind of fallen off the hype train. As a Marvel comics fan, I find the MCU a little odd. I’m going to attempt to decode the entire thing for you, right here, right now. Buckle your seatbelt, whoever you are. This is gonna take so freaking long.
Phase One - The Beginning - Iron Man, Captain America, etc.
I think the MCU started in a fairly normal fashion. Although superhero movies were not a new concept at all, the buzz when Iron Man released really influenced the superhero genre. It implied that audiences were interested in something with a bit less seriousness than Batman had been offering. As a commercial hit, the movie was even included in the Library of Congress - it was that good.
To interject my own opinion, I am not a fan of Tony Stark. I know, I know - shocking, right? Not really. He’s made to be unlikeable - which many people liked. Straight people like a guy with an ego. I don’t know. Although he wasn’t exactly relatable, people wanted to feel like him: important, cool, a little self-centered. While Batman offered someone who was generous but still dark and brooding, Iron Man let audiences imagine themselves as someone bold and daring. With a sequel coming out quickly after, Tony Stark had established himself as the character most audiences think of when they hear the word “Marvel”. As I find the sequel incredibly boring, I have nothing much to say about it. Let’s move on.
Captain America, on the other hand, gave viewers another option: compassion. While Iron Man fights because he enjoys the spotlight, Steve Rogers fought because he wanted to help others. By creating the “All-American Superhero” Marvel had basically built a military propaganda movie that was going to sell - earning $370.6 million according to Box Office Mojo. There was no denying the pride that Americans felt about this truly classic movie.
Now, it may be easy to forget - I know I sure did - but Thor came out the same year as Captain America. It actually came out first, something I didn’t know before researching for this article. It was seen as good, but just so. Thor, somehow, didn’t take the cake the way Iron Man or Captain America did.1 That, in a weird way, makes sense - although he seems much more “traditionally superhero-ish”, people had been introduced to something new, and they were hungry for more.
Phase One - The Avengers & “The Comic Fan”
We’ve finally made it to the movie that, really, started it all. Of course, superhero teams existed before The Avengers, but none had been consumed by such a big audience, and never to the reception this movie received. I think this movie’s simplistic, classic plot won everyone over. The Avengers isn’t saying anything new in the world of movies. It’s reinforcing that good is better than bad, superheroes will always say fun quips, and even when there is tragedy the heroes will always succeed. But with the combination of new special effects, great previous movies, and a classic cast full of recognizable names, you’ve got the perfect combo for the third highest-grossing movie on the planet (at the time).
I would never deny that The Avengers is a great watch - it’s campy and full of nostalgia. Many people try their hardest to look too far into it, and to that I say it’s more enjoyable if you turn off the part of your brain that worries about NYC’s property damage for a few hours and have a good time. I also feel that this movie is where a lot of comic book fans began to lobby their opinions, and where that “comic fans hate the MCU” trope came from.
First off - I am a comic book fan AND an MCU fan. Most people are, I think. Comics have long been plagued with the concept of the “classic fan” (White, cis, hetero men usually ~30). I could write an entire blog post on the history of the comic fan stereotype, but to shorten it: comics fans, and by proxy MCU fans, are incredibly diverse and while, of course, there is some truth to the fact that the MCU ticked a lot of people off with its separation from the comics, I think they did the best they could while also trying to influence a bigger audience.
Phase Two - The Squeakquel
Riding off of the massive success of The Avengers, the team behind it thought “Let’s keep these good vibes going!” and made a bunch of sequels. I have nothing much to say about Iron Man 3, and even less about Thor: The Dark World, as those movies suck (argue with the wall, dude. They do!). Actually, almost all of Phase Two were sequels/trilogy conclusions, with the exceptions of Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. And those two exceptions were good.
Now that Marvel had established itself as a movie powerhouse, they could begin to let loose a little. Cookie-cutter movies continued to come out (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron were good sequels, but nothing new happened in either of them). With these new concepts, however, things could get weird; they had the room, so why not? Guardians of the Galaxy was half comedy half superhero movie, and although full of quips (the most annoying form of humor), it also introduced the concept of superhero movies having what I like to call “the most banger soundtrack known to man”. And Ant-Man - what a silly movie. I feel like this movie took the most risks, and they certainly paid off - it’s my favorite of the Phase Two movies by far. The cast, characters, and creative plot all work together to create a low-stakes joke-filled surprise that everyone (even the critics) enjoyed.
Phase Three - Is There Such a Thing As Too Much? Not Yet!
As the money, fans, and even professionals started to pick up their heads and cheer for the MCU, the movie numbers per phase began to increase. Phase Three had a significant uptick in movies: eleven, compared to Phase Two and One both having 6. That’s almost double the movies - but that’s okay. Phase Three lasted from 2016-2019, plenty of time to space those out. Three movies a year isn’t too much to play catch-up with. And those three movies were almost always worth the watch. Marvel was cranking out plots like never before.
Captain America: Civil War began the crossover. Although the previous movies had all acted like sequels to their counterparts (Avengers being a “sequel” to Iron Man, for example), Civil War brought in plenty of never-before-seen characters, who only got their movies after. Spider-Man: Homecoming brought in rom-com fans, Doctor Strange sci-fi fans, and as audiences grew so did the budgets, casts, and movies. Thor: Ragnarok was fantastic, one of the best movies of Phase Four if not Marvel in general, and I enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp as good sequels and fun watches.
Now, it’s time to discuss my favorite MCU movie: Black Panther. I think that everything in that movie came together perfectly: an easily contained but still expandable plot, gorgeous costumes, fantastic casting, realistic characters, and beautiful CGI. Black Panther is generally regarded as one of the best MCU movies, and I cannot get behind that more. It’s such an exciting movie, and it’s one I watch regularly. I have yet to find an MCU movie that holds up to me as well as Black Panther does.
Something was happening as these movies all came together. I began to watch them in the theaters, experience them as the Marvel Fan I was, come up with theories, and generally as I got older I noticed that something was missing. All of these movies crisscrossing plots, throwing around characters to each other like cornhole beanbags…what could they possibly be preparing for?
Well, we all know what they were preparing for: Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. As one of the most anticipated movies of the modern world, if Avengers: Infinity War did not live up to expectations, Marvel would be in some deep trouble.
Phase Three - Yes, We’re Still in Phase Three and Shit’s Going Down
It’s good that’s not what happened! I remember being in middle school gym class (a.k.a. hell) when I found out that *gasp* - all of those Marvel characters I liked a whole bunch all apparently died?!?! Of course, I had to see what is possibly the most spoiled movie among middle schoolers of all time in theaters. And what an experience that was! The shock in the practically-full theater room, the silence at the end; its viewing was only overshadowed by the cheers at the Marvel movie that would be to follow (yes, I was in a room where people clapped when Captain America held Thor’s hammer. What does that say about me). Avengers: Infinity War broke a bunch of records, blew everyone’s mind, and then everyone sat there and processed what they had seen…at least until Ant-Man and the Wasp came out, which was such a great diffuser after the intensity of Infinity War.
One of the things that worked best in Infinity War’s favor was the wait. With time on their hands, viewers were able to take a deep breath before the intensity of the next Marvel movie. Who knew that’d be something we’d look back on with a wish that we hadn’t taken those rests for granted?
Phase Three - This is The Last Section About Phase Three I Promise
Remember all those records that Infinity War set? Well, Avengers: Endgame beat them. As the second-highest-grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation), I think I can confidently claim that people really, really liked this movie. The MCU had become the stuff of legend, and with it came the novelty of simply watching a movie. There was homework now: you had to watch 21 movies before this one. But with just a movie (or three) releasing a year, that’s easy stuff. A weekend binge and you’re ready to go.
I’m not sure what to say about Endgame that hasn’t already been said. It was a big deal. It was a good movie (as long as you don’t think about it for longer than 20 seconds). Everyone could see it: kids and parents and grandparents and your weird single cousin. There was no audience market. Or, rather, the entire world was the audience. And for this movie, that worked. It had every superhero in it; teens could identify with Peter Parker and their dads with Tony Stark. I don’t think a movie with such a broad audience will happen again - even Avatar (the actual highest-grossing movie of all time not counting for inflation) has an audience (although it’s a broad one). If there’s one thing the world agreed on, it was that Endgame was good.
Phase Four - Something Weird Is Happening
Hey, did you just see that?
Wait.
Hold on a minute.
Oh. Okay. Thank you, Wikipedia. With the (obvious) problem of COVID-19, Marvel took a long break, as did the rest of the world. Things were feeling pretty good; movies were good, we had a global pandemic, and then movies would continue to be good. Yes? But before movies could be good, something else had to happen first:
And this is where most people think the downfall started. That does not mean WandaVision wasn’t good! It was my favorite MCU show, and as a vintage fashion/architecture lover it was such a well-done project on both fronts. But when this show came out everyone was still quarantining and they had jack shit to do. This, along with the extreme worldwide success of their previous films, began to grow Marvel’s ego. Along with seven Phase Four films, eight TV shows were added. I completely understand the appeal: shows tend to be cheaper to make than movies, and the episodic format can help boost that new streaming service everyone’s talking about, Disney+.
This concept, although smart, didn’t last long. An overflow of TV shows plus movies made viewers feel overwhelmed. Shows declined in viewings/ratings, moviegoers seemed generally upset, and now all that everyone talks about is “the downfall of the MCU”. But what if I said the downfall started back in Phase Three, when they were busy breaking records and building blockbusters?
Phase Four - We’re Back in Phase Three Again? Seriously?
Let’s say your science teacher tells you that your project on….I don’t know, quantum physics, is fantastic. The best one she’s ever seen. You get an A+. Life is great. On your next project, about plants, she gives you a D. What just happened? You put in a little less effort, sure, but that’s not a crime! So what if your teacher expects such greatness as quantum physics every time she assigns a project?
And…scene. That’s what happened to the MCU. They made such a good movie it broke practically every record set for movies in general (maybe not awards-wise, but you can’t win ‘em all). And once you set that impossible standard, and don’t forget about that global pandemic, you go back with high expectations and an ego inflated to the max. Although I know practically nothing about what goes on behind the scenes hiring-wise, I’m sure it’s a mess. That’s also gotta contribute somewhere. And with this disaster recipe popped in the oven, it’ll come out a fully-cooked Phase Four: a disaster.
Phase Four - The Highs and Lows
I find it quite funny that (what I consider to be) the worst and best Phase Four movies were released back-to-back. Thor: Love and Thunder…where to even begin? Directed by Taika Waititi, the same director as the last one, this movie was sure to be good. But what a letdown. It was a mess: a half-cooked plot, weird effects (Marvel’s most recent trend - don’t talk to me about Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, it makes me cringe too hard) and it even seems that the actors don’t know exactly what’s happening in the movie.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Although not the MCU’s best movie by far, it was certainly a breath of fresh air. It was such a lovely and thoughtful story, and I’m glad they decided to make a sequel at all. Without it, the story would feel hollow and unfinished. At least now there’s some closure.
Phase Five - So, What’s Next?
So far, Phase Five (which will consist of 6 movies) is shaping up to…at least be better than Phase Four. Although the only movie out so far, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, does have what at this point are the classic MCU plot problems: a runtime that is far too long, a few B-plots that go nowhere/aren’t needed, and a few wonky CG moments. But it has all of the charm of the other Ant-Man movies and is definitely a step in the right direction
If I was to make a prediction, I’d say the brains behind the MCU are planning on making a movie version of the Young Avengers. This team, in its modern iteration, includes Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, both of Wanda’s kids, Noh-Varr, and a kid version of Loki. I suspect America Chavez and maybe even Riri Williams might join them, turning them into a Young Avengers/West Coast Avengers mashup. I’m not sure how I feel about that. The MCU has betrayed my trust enough that I’ve become a bit of a comics purist, and I’m a little scared about what they’ll do with these kids. But I was thoroughly impressed with Riri’s introduction, so maybe I’ll be surprised.
Hopefully, I’ve done a good job explaining everything that’s happened - if I missed something feel free to let me know! And as far as the upcoming films and phases go, I’m content to just be patient. I’ve had a bit of an MCU overdose, and it seems like the rest of the world has too.
You might notice that a movie is missing. “Where’s The Incredible Hulk?”, you ask?. Well, as the only MCU movie I’ve never seen, I decided to not even mention it here. I can guarantee that it will not affect your retention of the MCU if you skip it. :)