This week saw Variety post an exposé called “Crisis at Marvel”, detailing several behind-the-scenes issues as Disney scrambles to pick up the pieces of a dying cinematic universe.
Ever since Avengers Endgame was released to critical and commercial acclaim, the cracks in the once unstoppableMCUjuggernaut have begun to show, spreading through every facet of production.VFX artists are stretched too thin, far too many shows and movies have been barreling out at breakneck speed, plotlines are falling apart as Jonathan Majors comes under fire for abuse allegations, and the world of TV has been managed without showrunners - the problems are abundant.
Many are optimistic that Marvel Studios can reassemble what little goodwill it has left, but it’s simply too late. The MCU is on its deathbed and it’s time we let go.
Let’s start with the most glaring problem - the multiverse saga. Marvel has tapped into the latest pop culture fad of branching realities, which comics have long explored to explain different continuities. However, the MCU chose to do so at a time when it wasalready becoming overexposed and tired, stretching it over two phases that are also juggling the emergence of the Young Avengers, Thunderbolts, and the supernatural. There are so many plates spinning right now that the ‘saga’ label is ill-fitting.
Adding fuel to the fire of a stale concept stretched too thin, which also relies on dangling shiny cameo keys instead of doing anything creative, is Johnathon Majors. The MCU multiverse has conflicting rules. Variants all look the same, supposedly, except for the Lokis and Spider-Men (don’t ask). Its main multiverse villain, Kang, therefore can only be played by Majors, since they’ve establishedhundredsupon hundreds of different Kangs that all look like him. The issue is that Majors is embroiled in a trial over domestic violence charges and nobody wants anything to do with him.
As such, Marvel is considering abandoning Kang in favour of Doctor Doom, butwe haven’t even had a Fantastic Four movie yet. Their most iconic villain may take the role of Thanos’ successor before we even meet the MCU’s Reed Richards. That’s not to mention that Kang’s first appearance in the films was in the middling Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, another major factor behind Marvel’s desperation to move on from all things Majors.
The entire ‘saga’ is an unrecoverable mess, and the solutions Marvel has allegedly put forward are desperate. Doctor Doom is clearly a hail mary aiming to appease a hungry fanbase, but there’s a much, much worse idea that Variety reports. Disney may be considering the possibility of resurrecting Black Widow and Iron Man for the next Avengers movie, clinging to the past in hopes of bringing back that original charm. It won’t. All it will do is crumble the already shallow stakes and make the MCU even more creatively bankrupt.
Marvel is truly fucked with the whole Kang angle - a dealmaker who saw the final Loki episode told Variety.
It couldn’t be more obvious that producers and shareholders run the show, not directors and writers. And nothing says that like pooling from a discarded box of action figures.
We’re watching as the MCU throws aside years of build-up and storytelling to plead with fans to come back, promising the things they love. But it’s not a sustainable solution. These are people who have played the role for decades, so they’re unlikely to hang around for much longer. It’s possible Marvel is simply trying to crawl its way to Secret Wars so it can reboot the MCU, but back-to-back universes are a surefire way to wear audiences out. Just look at the lack of interest in DC’s convoluted passing of the torch.
The other glaring problems are the expensive budgets, dwindling audience numbers, declining box office returns, and lower critical scores. Throwing everything at the wall and hoping it sticks has only knocked the wall down, and I can’t see the MCU building it back up anytime soon. Go out with dignity, at least. The last few years have been painful to watch and these plans we’ve now been made privy to are embarrassing. The MCU could’ve ended with a bang, but we are watching it wither away with a whimper.
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