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Credit: Marvel StudiosAvengers: Kang Dynasty (2025) should prove interesting.
In today’s day and age of social media, fan opinion has influenced media more than ever before. One need look no further than Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), wherein the massive outcry from the terrible design of the main character caused the studio to drop millions of dollars to change it! In that instance, it was definitely for the better and spurred the creation of a sequel to the film that may well have been a flop otherwise. Now, this Marvel screenwriter has revealed if the same is true for his next film.
The critical response to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) has been surprising, to say the least. Bringing in more than the other two Ant-Man films on its opening weekend, the film still has the second lowest score on Rotten Tomatoes of any Marvel Studios film. Though fans are more accepting, critics have almost universally panned the movie, which may not bode well for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans are well aware of how Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe struggled. There was no cohesive theme, and it felt as though many of the movies were simply being phoned in. Ant-Man, kicking off Phase Five offered some hope to the fanbase, but after early screenings panned the film, things looked shaky once more. What does the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hold? Especially since the writer of Quantumania, Jeff Loveness, is writing the next huge film Kang Dynasty.
Loveness himself answered that question during a recent interview on the Phase Zero podcast, as reported by ComicBookMovie. The writer explained how the reviews affected him in the lead-up to and following the release of Quanumania. He explained how the fan response, more than anything, has bolstered his confidence. So, has the backlash affected his work on the new Avengers?
“I had to get used to that, it’s sort of a whack to the face, but I also feel like I’ve grown up a little bit. I’m alive, and it’s like, I’m very excited to write the next one. It’s not affecting the work right now, but we’ll see if my badge has been locked out of Disney. We’ll see if I can get into the building.”
In reality, that’s for the best. While the Sonic redesign ended up being positive, changing the storyline based on the whims of the public rarely works out for the best. Case and point: Star Wars: Episode IX – Rise of Skywalker (2019). Though it had its moments, many strong elements from Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) were lost because of backlash, and the film was made weaker for it. Hopefully, Loveness stands his ground and writes the movie he intends to write.
Related: Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Has Just Been Censored
Loveness’ current film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is currently in theaters and stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/The Wasp, Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, and Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/MODOK. Quantumania delivers some fantastic humor, action, and drama as Scott (Rudd) goes head to head against Kang (Majors), setting up the “Kang Dynasty.”
What do you think about Loveness’ statement? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!