Credit: Marvel StudiosAs the writers and actors continue to strike in Hollywood, it’s going to be a long while before fans see any developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That said, it might actually be a blessing in disguise as renegotiations with the studio’s writing staff could give Marvel time to rethink and reform its cinematic direction.
It’s been said that the MCU needs to cool its heels for a while before introducing the next big Avengers-level threat, and that the bar has truthfully been set too high after the Infinity Saga. However, a recent discussion amongst Marvel’s fans has pointed out another factor facing the decline in the franchise. It could be a simple case of too many cooks in the kitchen.
Marvel Backlog Overcomplicates the MCU
A recent post on r/MarvelStudios made a very astute observation regarding the future of the franchise. The question, “do you think marvel has gotten worse since Endgame?” was asked, and there was a veritable sea of responses. One train of thought suggests it’s not so much the movies’ fault, but rather the excess of characters.
Related: Marvel Delays Could Spell Disaster for Studio’s Future
Syndrome in The Incredibles said it best, “And with everyone super, no one will be.” Since Endgame, Marvel has introduced a slew of lesser-known characters into the franchise, and it’s beginning to rub the fanbase the wrong way.
u/Busy-Cardiologist207 writes,
“The constant introduction of characters with no indication when or if they’ll reappear has been my biggest gripe. Don’t introduce Harry Styles to the MCU and then pretend it never happened.”
To which u/johnsciarrino adds,
It’s this. There’s no overarching anything anymore. There’s no team ups either. Everything has felt like set up with no payoff, with all these characters going their separate ways. If we get any crossover, it’s basically just a cameo without any gravity to it.
The issue of cameoed characters with out a return is also brought up, as u/JDSchu points out.
“I was really looking forward to Asgardians of the Galaxy after Thor went off with the Guardians, but instead we got a goodbye scene leading into a thoroughly mediocre Thor movie that set up and killed off Lady Thor all within three hours.”
Fans go into a much more detailed on the matter when Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings is discussed, but the fact of the matter remains. Marvel has simply thrown too much at fans at one time to tie off every single loose end they leave behind.
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There’s nothing wrong with wanting to usher in a new age of Avengers, but too many irons in the fire can be disastrous. Marvel fans are simply asking for conciseness a direction that results in a desired payoff rather than franchise attempt after franchise attempt. In the end, it might be simply a matter of quantity over quality.
How would you rope the MCU back into focus? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!