After Marvel’s highest-grossing film, Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019, many fans agree that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost its way. Many reasons include Disney Plus, rushed writing, and the loss of legendary characters.
The launch of the streaming service Disney Plus was a great way for fans to access a variety of Disney movies. Marvel has gone all in on the streaming service, releasing many shows in a short amount of time. In 2021, Disney Plus debuted Marvel mini-series WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, and Hawkeye. This doubles the typical release schedule for Marvel and the amount of content produced is equal to multiple movies. Many fans have agreed they want quality over quantity when it comes to these beloved films and characters. “I feel if they make it more authentic and take their time on movies they’ll do better,” said Maya Lopez, senior.
According to StudioBinder, Marvel was releasing two films per year until 2017 when they started to release three films per year. This was done to limit superhero fatigue. Since 2021, Marvel has released ten movies and ten mini-series on Disney Plus. Lopez says that for Marvel to intrigue watchers and fans again, she sees no need for new superheroes to be introduced so quickly. “I feel like going back to old superheroes and showing more backstories of these characters would make good movies, the Black Widow movie was really good,” Lopez states.
There is no doubt that the loss of iconic characters Iron Man and Captain America impacted the interest of many fans and the franchise as a whole. Marvel writers invested more than a decade into the storyline of these characters and how their stories would be concluded. Fans were emotionally attached to the relationship between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. The deaths of these intriguing characters left fans wondering what new characters would fill the gap. In a GQ interview Chris Evans, who plays Captain America said, “It’s been such a big part of my life for a decade…my life is forever not the same.” These comic book characters not only impacted watchers or readers but also those who acted as them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and he describes his character’s conclusion as bittersuite.
Fans question what’s in store for the franchise. Marvel will release three films this year, Captain America: A Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Although viewers are not entirely happy with Marvel’s recent content since Avengers: Endgame, there’s no doubt about the big plans for the franchise and what young Marvel stars will begin to shine.
