As Deadpool just reminded us, Marvel is at a low point. We love complaining, but what if it’s fine that the MCU can’t actually be saved… by anybody… ever?
I’m going to make a well-educated guess and assume that you’ve read that headline and either sarcastically sighed or winced. Unless you’ve made good life choices and chosen not to invest in a franchise that tries to tear your brain and heart apart on a medieval rack, you’ve undoubtedly been affected by Marvel’s self-implosion.
Cast your mind back to 2019, when everyone was on the top of the world. Marvel had just given the world the brilliant Avengers: Endgame, fans were both bereft and fulfilled, and Robert Downey Jr made a dignified exit from the MCU, making way for a new generation of superheroes.
In hindsight, though, this new generation has all gone a bit burnt-dinner-in-the-oven. Particularly since Eternals, Marvel has become more confused and less creative in its output, and fans haven’t been shy about calling them out at every turn. It was all going to change this year with Deadpool & Wolverine.
To its credit, Deadpool & Wolverine has been a commercial and critical success. Yet this is Marvel, and the haters lurk around every corner. Amid some crass gags, a noticeable portion of Twitter and Reddit think the film stinks like a dead possum in a ditch.
To top it all off in an absolute fever dream of a move, Downey Jr is returning to the MCU as supervillain Doctor Doom in Avengers 5. Marvel fans lost it after the SDCC announcement, but with the dust still settling, the reaction is souring.
Should we be surprised by any of this? No. But it’s all very well fixating on who started what like a fight in the school playground. As fans, we need to start thinking about the bigger picture – and that possibly looks the healthiest if the MCU burns itself to the ground.
What could the MCU announcements mean?
Before we get to that argument, let’s assess where we’re at. Our next five steps for the MCU are already locked in – Captain American 4, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers, Secret Wars. There’s essentially no flexibility until at least 2027, but as far as I see it, we’re already way past the make or break point for Marvel.
If you’re in the cynical camp like me, this next Marvel phase won’t do much other than plummet the franchise to even further depths (with the possible exception of F4).
If Deadpool & Wolverine was anything to go by – its meta take on endless cameos wears thin against a weak villain and a burning need to link to Avengers – the fractured MCU hasn’t cohesively woken up to the truth that things drastically need to change. It’s no use just slapping a ponytail on a suit to generate internet hype… changes have to come from the core.
With the next two Marvel movies already filmed, and the following two deep in development (Secret Wars hasn’t been written yet), it’s too late for the MCU to make any sudden changes. Lord knows there have already been too many changes after the Kang controversy and ensuing course correction. Marvel is sticking by what they have no matter what, and you can see why that’s the easy choice.
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If you’re anything like my Features Editor, you think these next steps mark more of a transition for the MCU. We could essentially be about to see a soft launch in the lead-up to Secret Wars that could hold more mystery than we might think. What if RDJ isn’t the Doom, but a Doom? What if the path towards a new Avengers and X-Men timeline is actually challenging and enriching?
We can’t give Marvel too much credit for our good ideas, especially when there’s no evidence they’ll follow through with it. The information we do have points in the same direction as Deadpool & Wolverine, and that leads everyone further down the hole of superhero crap.
Let MCU burn and we’ll be better off
However, one man’s crap is another man’s inspiration. If we were Marvel activists – and the way that fan scrutiny is going, we basically are anyway – we’d like to adopt a radical theory to create real change. The idea? To get that change, an existing structure must be completely dismantled and built back up from the ground.
It sounds rather trite to apply political strategy to well-paid actors in lycra, but the more Marvel keeps making the same mistakes, the more this way of thinking is desperate to be heard. We might as well see the inevitable death of the MCU as we know it as a beacon of hope rather than something we should hate even more.
Change gives way to opportunity and innovation. Once Doom has finished Dooming as he sees fit and we have another Avengers blowout that may or may not be epic, the slate is clean. Marvel can tap back into their core philosophy – anyone can be anything – without having to adhere to lore, fan scrutiny, or the mistakes of their past five years of releases.
Sure, we’ve still got projects like Doctor Strange 3 which are rumored to be in the offing… but Marvel has also gone back on its word before (hello, whatever is happening with Blade). Just because it’s promised a film doesn’t mean it has to deliver it – and as much as I love Charlize Theron, maybe we’re better leaving that post-credits scene alone.
Close your eyes and try to imagine an optimum Marvel; a Marvel multiverse variant, if you will. Instead of being so wrapped up in timelines, cameos, and crossovers, our new MCU prioritizes heart, good storytelling, and projects that can stand on their own two feet without tying into an impending release.
It’s possible – and after 2027, that possibility hits its peak. Fans can get the Marvel they really want just by sitting tight and watching the flames take hold.
Those flames are coming – Kevin Feige is making sure of that by choosing things that make fans want to tear their hair out – so let’s grab a blanket, a marshmallow, and a toasting stick, and watch the world burn.
For more, keep up to date with Spider-Man 4 and Venom 3, while taking a look at the rest of Marvel’s upcoming movies and TV shows and best supervillains. You can also find new movies streaming this month.
