Shubhi Agrawal
Whether you are an MCU fan or not, you probably know that the series has been getting bad reviews and making less money than it used to. The movies and shows in the fourth and current phase of Disney+ are not that appreciable. Thor: Love and Thunder and The Eternals both got Bs on the cinema score (which is the lowest score possible). The Rotten Tomatoes website gave Love and Thunder a 66% rating, while Eternals was the first MCU movie to get a “Rotten” rating. Just looking at these numbers shows how bad things are for the MCU. Also, DC, the main rival of the MCU, has done a lot better, with the Snyder’s Cut of Justice League coming out and The Batman being a much better movie than most people had expected it to be. This round’s competition was much tougher, which put the MCU in a much more dangerous situation.
Since theaters had to close during the COVID-19 situation, it was only natural for some movies to not make as much money as they used to. During the fourth phase, many Marvel Cinematic Universe movies were released. At the box office, every one of them fared quite well. Even so, Eternals only made about $164 million in the U.S., one of the lowest totals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It’s becoming clear that the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs the success of the movies that came before the fourth phase if they want to bring in new viewers.
When making a lot of movies quickly, overworking is one of the most obvious problems that can happen, and this is precisely what happened during Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since all of the new Disney+ shows and movies were released simultaneously, it was hard for the corporate offices to control the quality. It also shows how much their jobs, in general, are affected.
Before, a single production cycle led to the making of about eleven movies. Every year, they used to make a lot of movies, TV shows, and presentation films for a great streaming service. Since so many options exist, some will inevitably be worse than others. According to The Ringer, most of the complaints regarding the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were about how boring the graphics were. This suggests that team working on the the visual effects was overworked and given arbitrary deadlines to meet.
Phase 4 of the MCU got mostly bad reviews from critics, and COVID-19 was one of the main reasons. During the filmmaking process, changes were made that were not planned to meet all safety criteria and regulations. Some TV shows and movies had to be pushed back, and others had to be moved to different times. This messed up the schedule. For example- the 10-episode story of Wanda Vision had to be changed, which led to a quick ending that didn’t fully answer all the questions.
After what happened in Avengers: Endgame, it was clear that the MCU would eventually have to deal with this issue. Since there are lesser well-known characters, you will have to make new heroes and villains that people can relate to. The problem is that new characters are always judged against the old ones, and if they don’t measure up, they are considered failures. Fans have said negative things about characters like America Chavez from “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and Riri Williams, who is sometimes called “Iron heart” in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The AV Club says that the movie is “shockingly lifeless for huge chunks of the film”. The source says that the character doesn’t get much attention and is only there to move the well-known Avengers around the story. This is not the best way to make money off a famous fictional character that fans have been waiting years to see on the big screen.
The MCU isn’t as easy for new fans
Before moving on to the newest movies and TV shows, many fans used to watch the whole canon of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and shows. Since new content is made every year, you will never be able to watch everything in your life. Even the most dedicated fans forget little things from earlier episodes from time to time. No one can keep up with everything going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To watch the episodes, you need Disney+, but not everyone wants to spend all their time watching content, and they shouldn’t have to.
Marvel tries to promote aggressive feminism
You can make a woman look like she has more power by giving her physical training and hard jobs. Almost all filmmakers choose this option, which is a shame. They will make the men look silly to make the woman stand out and give her more power. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed that the female versions of the original Avengers are taking their place, which is fine if you like Marvel. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are upset because every show uses the second strategy: to make the guy look stupid so the woman can shine. This is another cause of failure.
Spiderman: No Way Home was one of the few good things regarding Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which can be mostly considered lame. Because of She-Hulk, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Ant-Man 3, fans are less sure that the MCU will change.
These are the major reasons that led to the failure of Phase IV of the MCU. Whatever the reasons may be, the MCU needs to come up with new, unique, and creative content if they want to continue its legacy.
