Every time we thought Marvel was back and fighting fit, another entry set them back and left fans concerned about the future of the MCU. It's hard not to argue with them, really. After Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday is the next film on the list, and we're not even sure who is on the roster for the original superteam. With issues like this, fans took to Reddit to discuss where the Marvel Cinematic Universe started to lose its way, and there are a few noticeable slips that highlight this.
The two issues the OP pointed out were "Delaying the release of the Black Widow movie for so long until AFTER Natasha dies in Endgame due to the power struggles between Feige and [former Marvel Entertainment CEO, Isaac] Perlmutter over creative direction," as well as "Diminishing Hulk overall as a character as soon as the Russos took over Avengers (the biggest thing I will give Joss Whedon credit for is that he knew what to do with Hulk and did it brilliantly in his two films)."
One fan argued, "Not having a proper crossover in Phase 4. So many of the ideas and characters that people actually liked in Phase 4 still haven’t been followed up on. Thunderbolts in some ways felt like the first proper crossover to take advantage of the MCU since Endgame." This led another fan to back up the point, adding, "Phase 4 still doesn't feel like it's ended to me, there was no finale to make me think that chapter is over. Now we're somehow in Phase 6. It just feels like one long Phase with nothing truly marking that transition."
Another fan highlighted an issue that has occurred more than once since the MCU transitioned to television, requiring fans to do even more homework than they were accustomed to stay up to date. "Trying to carry on main hero stories in TV shows, especially Captain America, but to a certain extent Captain Marvel too. Most people I know didn't watch the shows, and it put them off the films too. Save TV for defenders style stuff or a separate story (eg, the magic of Agatha and Ironheart works well as a series)."
One fan was brutal to one specific show saying, "Not a film but pretty much everything about Secret Invasion. Killing Maria and the whole ending was the absolute worst part of the MCU. It's sad that Emilia Clarke keeps taking part in the worst endings to shows there are lol."
One creative choice that some now see as a setback is having a variety of alternate realities to dive into, which one fan argues removes any high risk going forward. "I feel that the whole multiverse thing was a misstep. Having infinite realities just means that there's no suspense since if it all goes wrong in one universe then you have an infinity of other universe, so win or lose it doesn't matter."
Well, good job there's no multiverse-hopping villain set to rip the MCU a new one any time soon, then, eh? Meanwhile, Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on December 18, 2026. For now, you can check out every MCU movie and show heading our way here.
