The MCU has not been the same since Avengers: Endgame. With every Marvel movie leading up to Avengers: Endgame, it felt like the massive war and conclusion, which also constituted a celebration of over a decade's worth of film felt like it culminated in the franchise's perfect ending. Tony Stark received a devastating conclusion that highlighted years' worth of character growth and development. Natasha Romanoff's conclusion resulted from years of devotion to an emotional cause. Finally, Steve Rogers got to live the calm life he had spent years hoping for. Thor let go of being King of Asgard, and Clint finally reunited with his family and enjoyed retirement. But, continuing afterward while giving some quality content also resulted in some problems.
Update July 28, 2023: This article has been updated with more information regarding the MCU following the rather disappointing finale of Secret Invasion.
Marvel's expanding universe has not had the same effect in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, whether that be to vital characters dying or moving away from the franchise, the new characters and stories not being as exciting to long-time viewers, or because the addition of Disney+ originals may have resulted in superhero fatigue. Now there is the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic shifting releases around, delaying movies and television shows and staggering them out in a different release pattern, but it does feel like the MCU is no longer as invincible as it once was. So was Avengers: Endgame the MCU highlight, and where should it have ended? The aftermath and beginning of the Multiverse Saga suggest that maybe Marvel would've been better off concluding on a triumphant high note and going out as one of the most consistent and thriving franchises ever.
15 Increased Output Sacrificed Quality
Let's stop here for a moment to highlight a few numbers. From phases 1 to 3, the MCU had 23 releases. All of them are certified bangers with excellent box office numbers. Sure, there were a few issues regarding continuity, but the stories made a lot of sense as individual trilogies and as a shared universe. The writing was solid, the post-credit scenes kept us coming back for more with each new tease, and it took 11 years to get there.
Somehow Marvel Studios thought it was a great idea to pump out as many products with the launch of Disney+. Now the stories are told in movies and TV shows. Marvel has released nine TV Shows, two Specials, and nine films in three years. It's 20 titles you have to keep track of, and 17 of them are only in Phase 4. If any of the shows were good, we wouldn't complain, but the law of diminishing returns is already doing its thing, and the Rotten Tomatoes scores reflect the results of overstuffing the audience.
14 Attention Spans Are Worn Thin with Each Release
Things were relatively easy to follow when the MCU was all about films. Now the attention spans of the regular audience are worn thin, like bits of butter on too much bread. Sure, your average fan can afford Disney+. But the service is not available worldwide yet, closing down specific markets while encouraging pirating and affecting the overall story's narrative.
This is an issue inside Marvel Studios itself, as productions of interconnected stories overlap, making them redundant. WandaVision and Dr. Strange in The Multiverse of Madness were affected by this, as the cast and crew of both shows didn't know how the connection between the show and the film would work out. The result is a show that leaves Wanda in a somewhat sympathetic place, but she's turned into a full-blown villain by the time she meets with Stephen.
13 The VFX are Getting Worse
Here's the situation with VFX in Hollywood and why these people should be the ones striking (but cannot since they are not unionized). There are a number of studios in town able to handle the VFX for movie studios these days, but these shots get auctioned by studios to the lowest bidder. Studios like Marvel also demand last-minute changes and reworking on scenes that take months, if not years, to complete. If you have noticed the VFX has taken a dip in quality, it's because it has.
These VFX studios are being overworked and underpaid to the last drop they can squeeze out of them, and the finished product is a reflection of that because all these studios have to juggle multiple projects simultaneously to make ends meet. In the recent past, it was pretty straightforward: one studio handled one film, and it was done months before release to work on any edits. Now these studios have to cannibalize each other to get things done, and the finished result is the subpar visuals we have been getting.
12 Eternals Is a Rushed Origin Story
Even though Eternals is over two hours long, the movie spends so much time jumping between time periods and slowly reuniting the group that it takes forever for the story to get anywhere. Eternals is a project that spans centuries and likely would have been better served as a Disney+ series.
11 Thor: Love and Thunder Prides Itself On Jokes
Finally, it appeared that Marvel had fixed a Thor problem with Thor: Ragnarok, movie-wise and character-wise. Thor: Ragnarok perfectly balanced the severity of the story while adding light-hearted comedy, which allowed this film to fit in better to the MCU's comical tone. But, while the movie was filled with jokes, it never jeopardized the story for them.
The fourth Thor installment had unlimited opportunity, from creating a more extensive use for the Guardians of the Galaxy to making the entire film about Thor trying to find himself and come out of his shell again after defeating Thanos. However, it makes jokes the primary center of the film. If anything, Thor: Love and Thunder at least does something Marvel is typically accused of not doing: it gave more control to the director than normal. The result, however, was a movie that felt like it never took itself, its world, or its concept seriously.
10 Subpar Reactions to Disney+ Marvel Shows
Disney+ Marvel originals tend to be either hit or miss. While some, such as Loki and WandaVision, were beloved by fans, others received less than ecstatic reviews. Part of that may come from how each series has concluded, with She-Hulk: Attorney At Law seemingly aware of the controversy and making a joke at Marvel's expense.
However, there have been so many shows, and while they may have been exciting at first, audiences have argued over whether they were of quality or if the endings fell flat. In addition, while each show may have had something vital to include, whether it be the introduction of a new character or dynamic, fans were not overly thrilled with everything they received. Secret Invasion, in particular, seems to be a tipping point as the finale is the worst reviewed in the MCU.
9 Marvel Hasn't Quiet-Cracked TV
Marvel Studios films are often accused of following a formula, but whatever formula they had for Phases 1 through 3 worked as the movies were beloved and generally well-received. They knew how to make movies, but when it comes to television, they have struggled. Most of their series have committed to six-episode runs, which at times feel like stretched-out movies as opposed to taking advantage of the format of television. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, Loki, and Secret Invasion all easily could have been movies. Marvel needs to break away from the six-episode rule and embrace letting the story dictate how many episodes it needs to be or structuring each episode to be better as a piece of television instead of a movie cut up into six pieces.
The only MCU series that seemed to have worked are the ones that have embraced the format of television. WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, What If...?, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law understand the rules of how to structure a television series and make fun stand-alone episodes that also tie into a wider storyline and could only work as television series. There is hope as Daredevil: Born Again will be 18 episodes, and Armor Wars was upgraded to a feature film, as opposed to trying to stretch its story out to six hours.
8 Moon Knight's Lack of Connection to the MCU
Whether Moon Knight was enjoyed or not, the show was drastically separated from the MCU to the point where if someone later claimed it was a Multiverse story where the Avengers never existed, it would be readily believed. Additionally, while Marc and Steven's journey is intriguing, and it is certainly a different story than Marvel usually tells, there are almost no references to any other Marvel character or event that has occurred since the MCU began in 2008, which is quite difficult to understand considering the MCU's circumstances would've affected people all over the universe.
While it is admirable that Marvel wanted the series to stand on its own, it is unclear exactly how Moon Knight factors into this universe or what niche he is meant to fill in the wider franchise. This gets into another major issue with the franchise.
7 Characters Uncertain Future
At the end of Ant-Man, it was already clear that audiences would see him again the following year in Captain America: Civil War. The MCU was very good at introducing characters, and audiences would know immediately when they would see them again next. Yet Phases 4 through 5 have introduced so many new characters in post-credit scenes like Hercules, Clea, and Starfox or interesting new heroes like Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing, and nobody knows when they will be seen next.
Even a popular hero like Shang-Chi does not have a sequel confirmed yet, and if it doesn't arrive until after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, where he will likely appear, that is five years after his solo movie. Even though Doctor Strange did not get a sequel until six years after his movie, he appeared regularly in a movie every year from 2017 to 2019 and then in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. All of these teases mean nothing and are becoming more infuriating than exciting because nobody knows when they will appear next.
6 What If...? Reaches Too Much For Alternate Universe Stories
What If...?'s job felt like it was meant to piggyback off the end of Loki while helping explain different interpretations of the Multiverse to help the arrivals of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the chosen stories seem like more significant excuses to throw characters together who never had anything to do with each other and call it an alternate reality without a good enough reason to have them interact in such a way.
Although some characters may have had things in common, and the occasional story seemed like it could have been an organic possibility, such as "Captain Carter," others come across as reaching too much to deliver a dip into the Multiverse.
5 It Has Started to Feel Less Connected
Initially, the MCU seemed like small pieces that were eventually meant to fit together for a larger puzzle. Iron Man delivered a post-credits scene featuring Nick Fury speaking to Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative. As Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger followed, it grew and felt like an overall expanding universe. As the phases continued through Phase Three, it grew to be an expanding but connected universe, especially considering The Avengers had teased Thanos as a villain and a space population before Guardians of the Galaxy came out.
But, Phase Four did not hold the same type of connection. While Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings did show Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers in the post-credits scene, and films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness do connect to other elements of the MCU, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is another origin story for a new Black Panther, which feels separate from the other characters and Thor: Love and Thunder does not easily connect to the rest of the franchise in any way. Without an Avengers movie to culminate into, things feel less connected.
4 Timeline Confusion
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Marvel had this issue before Avengers: Endgame but given the five-year time jump and the return from being snapped out of and back into existence, the timeline has gotten severely more confusing. While some MCU projects portrayed or gave insight into the aftermath of the Blip, such as Spider-Man: Far From Home, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and WandaVision, others barely reference it happened or never provide a solid understanding of who had Blipped and who had not.
Given the movies and shows are not all happening simultaneously, there has to be some time difference between them. It is also unclear when shows and movies happen in relation to one another, like how long does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 take place after Thor: Love and Thunder, and does this mean that the High Evolutionary has been waiting to claim Rocket for over twelve years since the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?
3 More Toxic Fans
This is less to do with the MCU itself that it has control of but more something it needs to grapple with moving forward. As with any long-running franchise that has seen audiences grow up, there are certain sections of fans that become very possessive of the material. The MCU has recently tried to expand its fanbase by catering to wider audiences with an emphasis on new heroes like She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Ironheart.
Yet certain fans venomously reject these characters and attempt to skew the perception that they are not liked by reviewing bombing projects for them in an attempt to control the narrative that these characters are failures. The idea that these characters could be liked by others seems baffling to them, and since they do not like them do not want the fans who do as part of the franchise. Marvel will continue to diversify its roster of heroes and embrace new heroes that reflect the world the audiences live in, as Marvel Comics was always meant to reflect the world outside the reader's window. Marvel Studios will have to be careful about the so-called "audience reaction," so the franchise does not become toxic the same way Star Wars has at times or that Marvel doesn't make another mistake like firing James Gunn again.
2 No Central Figures
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Phases 1 through 3 of the MCU were clearly defined by The Avengers movies. Those six characters acted as the central pillars of the MCU, with the three heroes of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America having trilogy film franchises that clearly acted as the poster faces of the franchises. Yet the Multiverse Saga has no Avengers team, and it is unclear who the lead faces of the franchise are.
One would assume old stewards like Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel, but that seems to be up for debate. Is it legacy heroes like Sam Wilson as Captain America or Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel? Shang-Chi is a breakout hero, so should he be more important? Can one count Spider-Man, given that his future is unknown because of the deal with Sony? Does Shuri's new Black Panther have a larger role in the franchise? It is unclear who the main faces of the MCU are now or who will be the lead characters front and center for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and that makes the series feel more stretched out and less connected.
1 Superhero Fatigue
Especially with the addition of Marvel's Disney+ originals, there seemed never to be a break from superhero projects. When it was just movies, audiences had breathing room to process what had occurred, and enough time would pass to build up momentum for the next film and group of characters. But that is not the case with the additional shows. Since everything has come out so close together, there is no break between shows or movies anymore, and superhero content is being thrown with such force that there is no moment to breathe. Due to that, people get tired and become okay with missing something they know they can watch later. There was a time when missing a Marvel movie's opening weekend was horrifying because it meant risking spoilers, but there is a fear that superhero fatigue is setting in.
Marvel seems to have recognized this concern as they have now started to slow down development on announcing new projects and are now focused on the projects already announced. They are also spacing the projects out more in the hope to build anticipation and excitement between each release and not having them stack up on one another.