Credit: Marvel StudiosThe Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has experienced a great deal of turbulence over the past few years. Since Avengers: Endgame (2019) grossed $2.799 billion worldwide, the franchise has struggled to maintain a consistent level of success.
The MCU Has Been Struggling for Years
Of the 14 theatrical films that have come out since Endgame, only two have passed the $1 billion mark: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which grossed $1.921 billion worldwide and $1.1338 billion worldwide, respectively.
That’s not to suggest there haven’t been other successes, though.
The following entries came close to that threshold: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($955.8 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($760.9 million), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($859.2 million), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($845.6 million).
But for every success, there has been a disaster — such as Black Widow (2021), Eternals (2021), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), and The Marvels (2023).
Of course, a film doesn’t need to pass, or even reach $1 billion to be a success, but it certainly helps. It’s also worth noting that among those box office wins are plenty of critically panned installments, including the hugely disappointing Thor: Love and Thunder.
As for the flops, none of them were received well by fans or critics.
Disney+ MCU Shows Have Ruined the Franchise
As we move over to the streaming side of things, Disney+ hasn’t fared much better with its live-action MCU shows.
Things got off to a promising start with WandaVision (2021) and Loki (2021), but shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), Secret Invasion (2023), Echo (2024), and, more recently, Ironheart (2025), have left viewers and longtime MCU fans extremely disappointed.
There’s also the issue of oversaturation and convolution. Where once the MCU was a mostly streamlined affair that was selective with its content, it’s now an agonizingly bloated mess, with the Multiverse concept having undoubtedly contributed to the franchise’s fall from grace, no matter how many thrilling moments it has given us along the way.
Related: Here’s How DC Could Finally Dethrone Marvel at the Box Office This Summer
The Failure of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)
Simply put, the MCU’s heyday is long over. So, is it time for another shared cinematic universe to take its place? Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe (DCEU) certainly gave it a shot, but the majority of its films failed to meet audiences and critics’ expectations.
With a new DC Universe (DCU) now underway, with James Gunn’s Superman (2025) kicking things off in July, who knows what the future holds for the Justice League-led franchise — perhaps it will eventually “replace” the MCU in terms of consistency and quality.
Only time will tell, but looking at Disney, there could be another multi-movie franchise being cooked up in its labs as we speak, and all signs point to the Alien and Predator franchises.
Alien and Predator Could Rival the MCU
Alien and Predator currently share 15 movies (including the recent anime Predator film Killer of Killers that premiered on Disney+ in June). In fact, they literally share two of those 15 movies in Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).
Since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, the company hasn’t been resting on its laurels when it comes to these two iconic sci-fi horror IPs.
In 2022, we got the Predator prequel Prey, which bypassed theaters and broke streaming records on Disney+. And last year, Alien: Romulus (2024) grossed $350.9 million (against its $80 million budget) in theaters worldwide.
Now, Prey director Dan Trachtenberg has returned to give us two more Predator films: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands (2025), which releases in theaters on November 7.
There’s also a new Alien sequel in the works, with Romulus director Fede Álvarez expected to return to the helm. But before then, the franchise’s first-ever live-action television series Alien: Earth (2025) will stream on FX on Hulu+ in August.
While the Alien vs. Predator (AvP) films failed to ignite both fanbases, Disney is now fusing them together once again, which explains why Badlands features a Weyland-Yutani droid (as seen in the Alien films) played by Elle Fanning, which has led fans to speculate that the film is a “secret” AvP reboot. Watch the official trailer for the upcoming film below:
But while Disney is re-merging Alien and Predator, it’s also possible that they’re planning an even bigger shared cinematic universe that calls upon other sci-fi franchises from its vaults.
Clues can be found right from the get-go in the Badlands trailer, which opens with a shot of one of the Predator’s trophy walls. Upon the trailer’s release, fans were quick to spot the skull of one of the “Harvester” aliens from the Independence Day films, a property that also resides under Disney following the Fox acquisition.
And in a recent interview with The Movie Podcast, director Dan Trachtenberg also said that the other skulls in the scene belong to aliens from other 20th Century Fox properties:
“The trophy room is filled with fun little nods, and the Independence Day [alien] is made by 20th Century Studios,” a seemingly cautious Trachtenberg says in the video when asked to confirm whether the central skull is indeed from the Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum-starring sci-fi 1996 blockbuster. He then said, “Other things under 20th Century, you know,” adding that “there may be a couple of them up on that trophy wall.”
So, could Disney be preparing a full-scale invasion by bringing together multiple alien-centric sci-fi franchises, including Alien, Predator, and Independence Day?
While the MCU remains highly lucrative, it might be high time for the superhero franchise to take a well-deserved break and let another shared cinematic universe take the reins for once.
That said, fans eagerly await the release of the highly anticipated Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), which releases on July 25. The film is expected to reinvigorate interest in the MCU, but how many times have we heard that in the last couple of years?
What other such franchises reside in Disney’s vaults? Can you spot anything else in the trailer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!