TheMCUhas not been the same sinceAvengers: Endgame. With every Marvel movie leading up toAvengers: Endgame, it felt like the massive war and conclusion, which also constituted a celebration of over a decade’s worth of film felt like it culminated in the franchise’s perfect ending. Tony Stark received a devastating conclusion that highlighted years' worth of character growth and development. Natasha Romanoff’s conclusion resulted from years of devotion to an emotional cause. Finally, Steve Rogers got to live the calm life he had spent years hoping for. Thor let go of being King of Asgard, and Clint finally reunited with his family and enjoyed retirement. But, continuing afterward while giving some quality content also resulted in some problems.
Update June 17, 2025: This article has been updated with more information regarding the MCU following the rather disappointing finale ofSecret Invasion.
Marvel’s expanding universe has not had the same effect in the aftermath ofAvengers: Endgame, whether that be to vital characters dying or moving away from the franchise, the new characters and stories not being as exciting to long-time viewers, or because the addition of Disney+ originals may have resulted in superhero fatigue. Now there is the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic shifting releases around, delaying movies and television shows and staggering them out in a different release pattern, but it does feel like the MCU is no longer as invincible as it once was. So wasAvengers: Endgamethe MCU highlight, and where should it have ended? The aftermath and beginning of the Multiverse Saga suggest that maybe Marvel would’ve been better off concluding on a triumphant high note and going out as one of the most consistent and thriving franchises ever.
15Increased Output Sacrificed Quality
Let’s stop here for a moment to highlight a few numbers. From phases 1 to 3, the MCU had 23 releases. All of them are certified bangers with excellent box office numbers. Sure, there were a few issues regarding continuity, but the stories made a lot of sense as individual trilogies and as a shared universe. The writing was solid, the post-credit scenes kept us coming back for more with each new tease, and it took 11 years to get there.
Somehow Marvel Studios thought it was a great idea to pump out as many products with the launch of Disney+. Now the stories are told in movies and TV shows. Marvel has released nine TV Shows, two Specials, and nine filmsin three years. It’s 20 titles you have to keep track of,and 17 of them are only in Phase 4. If any of the shows were good, we wouldn’t complain, but the law of diminishing returns is already doing its thing, and the Rotten Tomatoes scores reflect the results of overstuffing the audience.
14Attention Spans Are Worn Thin with Each Release
Things were relatively easy to follow when the MCU was all about films. Now the attention spans of the regular audience are worn thin, like bits of butter on too much bread. Sure, your average fan can afford Disney+. But the service is not available worldwide yet, closing down specific markets while encouraging pirating and affecting the overall story’s narrative.
This is an issue inside Marvel Studios itself, as productions of interconnected stories overlap, making them redundant.WandaVisionandDr. Strange in The Multiverse of Madnesswere affected by this, as the cast and crew of both shows didn’t knowhow the connection between the show and the filmwould work out. The result is a show that leaves Wanda in a somewhat sympathetic place, but she’s turned into a full-blown villain by the time she meets with Stephen.
13The VFX are Getting Worse
Here’s the situation with VFX in Hollywood and why these people should be the ones striking (but cannot since they are not unionized). There are a number of studios in town able to handle the VFX for movie studios these days, but these shots get auctioned by studios to the lowest bidder. Studios like Marvel also demand last-minute changes and reworking on scenes that take months, if not years, to complete. If you have noticed the VFX has taken a dip in quality, it’s because it has.
Related:Why Marvel Movies Are Real Cinema
These VFX studiosare being overworked and underpaidto the last drop they can squeeze out of them, and the finished product is a reflection of that because all these studios have to juggle multiple projects simultaneously to make ends meet. In the recent past, it was pretty straightforward: one studio handled one film, and it was done months before release to work on any edits. Now these studios have to cannibalize each other to get things done, and the finished result is the subpar visuals we have been getting.
12Eternals Is a Rushed Origin Story
Even thoughEternalsis over two hours long, the movie spends so much time jumping between time periods and slowly reuniting the group that it takes forever for the story to get anywhere.Eternalsis a project that spans centuries and likely would have been better served as a Disney+ series.
11Thor: Love and Thunder Prides Itself On Jokes
Finally, it appeared that Marvel had fixed a Thor problem withThor: Ragnarok, movie-wise and character-wise.Thor: Ragnarokperfectly balanced the severity of the story while adding light-hearted comedy, which allowed thisfilm to fit in better to the MCU’s comical tone. But, while the movie was filled with jokes, it never jeopardized the story for them.
The fourthThorinstallmenthad unlimited opportunity, from creating a more extensive use for the Guardians of the Galaxy to making the entire film about Thor trying to find himself and come out of his shell again after defeating Thanos. However, it makes jokes the primary center of the film. If anything,Thor: Love and Thunderat least does something Marvel is typically accused of not doing: it gave more control to the director than normal. The result, however, was a movie that felt like it never took itself, its world, or its concept seriously.
10Subpar Reactions to Disney+ Marvel Shows
Disney+ Marvel originals tend to be either hit or miss. While some, such asLokiandWandaVision,were beloved by fans, others received less than ecstatic reviews. Part of that may come from how each series has concluded, withShe-Hulk: Attorney At Lawseemingly aware of the controversy and making a joke at Marvel’s expense.
However, there have been so many shows, and while they may have been exciting at first, audiences have argued over whether they were of quality or if the endings fell flat. In addition, while each show may have had something vital to include, whether it be the introduction of a new character or dynamic, fans were not overly thrilled with everything they received.Secret Invasion,in particular, seems to be a tipping point asthe finale is the worst reviewed in the MCU.
9Marvel Hasn’t Quiet-Cracked TV
Marvel Studios films are often accused of following a formula, but whatever formula they had for Phases 1 through 3 worked as the movies were beloved and generally well-received. They knew how to make movies, but when it comes to television, they have struggled. Most of their series have committed to six-episode runs, which at times feel like stretched-out movies as opposed to taking advantage of the format of television.The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,Moon Knight,Loki,andSecret Invasionall easily could have been movies. Marvel needs to break away from the six-episode rule and embrace letting the story dictate how many episodes it needs to be or structuring each episode to be better as a piece of television instead of a movie cut up into six pieces.
The only MCU series that seemed to have worked are the ones that have embraced the format of television.WandaVision,Ms. Marvel,What If…?, andShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawunderstand the rules of how to structure a television series and make fun stand-alone episodes that also tie into a wider storyline and could only work as television series. There is hope asDaredevil: Born Againwill be 18 episodes, andArmor Warswas upgraded to a feature film, as opposed to trying to stretch its story out to six hours.
8Moon Knight’s Lack of Connection to the MCU
WhetherMoon Knightwas enjoyed or not, the show was drastically separated from the MCU to the point where if someone later claimed it was a Multiverse story where the Avengers never existed, it would be readily believed. Additionally, while Marc and Steven’s journey is intriguing, and it is certainly a different story than Marvel usually tells, there are almost no references to any other Marvel character or event that has occurred since the MCU began in 2008, which is quite difficult to understand considering the MCU’s circumstances would’ve affected people all over the universe.
Related:Top 5 Most Underrated (And Most Overrated) MCU Films
While it is admirable that Marvel wanted the series to stand on its own, it is unclear exactly howMoon Knightfactors into this universe or what niche he is meant to fill in the wider franchise. This gets into another major issue with the franchise.
7Characters Uncertain Future
At the end of Ant-Man, it was already clear that audiences would see him again the following year inCaptain America: Civil War. The MCU was very good at introducing characters, and audiences would know immediately when they would see them again next. Yet Phases 4 through 5 have introduced so many new characters in post-credit scenes like Hercules, Clea, and Starfox or interesting new heroes like Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing, and nobody knows when they will be seen next.
Even a popular hero likeShang-Chi does not have a sequel confirmed yet, and if it doesn’t arrive until afterAvengers: The Kang Dynasty, where he will likely appear, that is five years after his solo movie. Even though Doctor Strange did not get a sequel until six years after his movie, he appeared regularly in a movie every year from 2017 to 2019 and then in 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home. All of these teases mean nothing and are becoming more infuriating than exciting because nobody knows when they will appear next.
6What If…? Reaches Too Much For Alternate Universe Stories
What If…?‘sjob felt like it was meant to piggyback off the end ofLokiwhile helping explain different interpretations of the Multiverse to help the arrivals ofSpider-Man: No Way HomeandDoctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the chosen stories seem like more significant excuses to throw characters together who never had anything to do with each other and call it an alternate reality without a good enough reason to have them interact in such a way.
Although some characters may have had things in common, and the occasional story seemed like it could have been an organic possibility, such as “Captain Carter,” others come across as reaching too much to deliver a dip into the Multiverse.
