TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis full steam ahead right now, perhaps more so than ever. It continues to release more content than ever (both in movie theaters and on Disney+). Several films and shows are releasing a year in this shared universe, so much so that it almost feels as if there’s a newMCUstory every other week.
Despite this massive amount of content, the MCU has garnered a degree of criticism in recent months for the quality of the movies and shows they’ve released. Some have branded the likes ofHawkeyeandShe-Hulk, two series that debuted on streaming, as forgettable and dull. Recent films likeThor: Love and Thunderhave also failed to meet the expectations of many, particularly as audiences thought so highly of its predecessor,Thor: Ragnarok.Despite these arguably valid criticisms, the MCU continues treading new ground in its shared universe approach and is still in top spot for cinematic universes.
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Less than a year ago,Spider-Man: No Way Homereleased in movie theaters and garnered an incredible reaction from audiences and fans alike. The film received a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 98% audience score,highlighting the universal love for the third in theHomecomingtrilogy. It also earned over $1 billion at the box office, the first film to do so since the COVID-19 pandemic began and the first sinceStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerin 2019. Suffice to say,No Way Homeshowed the power of the MCU once again.
Fast-forward one year, and the state of the franchise has shifted considerably. As stated previously, there’s a lot more criticism of the MCU and the stories being told, and audiences seem to be picking and choosing what they watch more.Thor: Love and Thunderin particular received an immenseamount of criticism for the apparent lack of care and effort that went into the making of the film and its overall failure to resonate with audiences.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis another film that didn’t seem to meet expectations,although that could be down to unrealistic expectationsfrom fans.
There also seems to be no clear through line or story that connects all the movies and shows in Phase Four. In years past, the sense of impending doom and looming threat of Thanos served as the connective tissue for much of the films. However,the current saga is scheduled to end in just a few years and Kang, the apparent main villain of this era, has only appeared once. Not much is known about him or his ultimate threat. The multiverse is just about the only thing that is carrying over from project to project, but even that isn’t quite adding up, at least not yet. The multiverse elements ofNo Way Homeseem to have no real connection to theDoctor Strangesequel or theLokishow, for example.
Despite these criticisms, the MCU still deserves praise for where it is. Characters are being highlighted and focused on that comic book fans would have never thought they would get to see in live action, and Kevin Feige and co. are so deep into this world and the story that there are projects like the recently releasedGuardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
That project might seem relatively unassuming, but its presence within the wider MCU and comparing that with rival franchises like DC and the newly formed DCU shows just how far ahead Marvel is. DC’s universe is still fractured, still lacking a creative direction or overall style. Warner Bros. Discovery seem far more comfortable producing isolated films likeThe BatmanandJoker.James Gunn is currently in the process of making the creative roadmapfor the future of DC, so there is hope for the future of that franchise, but they are still nowhere near Marvel right now. The same can be said for other rival shared universes.
Whereas Marvel is telling stories of some of their biggest characters like Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Panther and more, along with projects in development like Fantastic Four and X-Men, DC have had some of their most famous and recognizable heroes on the sidelines. Superman was absent for years, not appearing in the shared universe whatsoever for years, up untilBlack Adamin October. Even then, Superman only appeared in a post credits scene that, looking back, ultimatelyappeared to be a desperate attempt to increase box office intake. That didn’t seem to happen asBlack Adamonly took in a little over $300 million worldwide, which isn’t great based on its massive budget and the way in which The Rock was hyping it up for years.
The MCU has rarely had a project that failed to pass the Rotten Tomatoes test likeBlack Adam, which received a rotten score on the site. Even more rare is an MCU movie not making a massive profit,as even films that weren’t very well likedsuch asThor: Love and Thunderstill brought in quite a bit of money. The franchise isn’t exactly as well oiled or at its peak as it was in 2019, but it’s still far ahead of all the other shared universes.
