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The Death of the MCU

Writer's picture: Zaina Nauman AfzalZaina Nauman Afzal

(SPOILERS AHEAD)



I remember that as children, we would stand eagerly in line for hours to buy tickets to see the latest Marvel franchise movie, and characters like Ironman and Captain America were the subject of all entertainment, toys and media. Up until a few years ago, me and all my friends would ritually watch every movie as soon as it came out, and spend hours micro analyzing for details, hints and discrepancies of parallels across movies. As an avid Marvel fan for most of my life, even I can admit that today my interest in their content has significantly decreased and I am no longer rushing to make sure I have each and every update on every show and movie the way I did before. The MCU has lost the spark that it once held, and despite popular opinion this is not due to us just growing up and losing interest. Marvel fans have always been devoted and loyal, and it takes a lot to stop engaging with their content. Let's analyze why exactly this has been happening:


Evolution of Media Quality:

When the MCU began with the first Iron Man movie, the idea of superheroes was monopolized by Marvel (later to only be battled by DC), and the CGI and quality was revolutionary for the time in comparison to other movies out simultaneously. There was already an enormous fan base due to the comics and they deemed the movie true to their imagination, immediately providing Marvel with a stepping stool to become the most popular franchise ever. Children were in awe of these heroes with powers. In a time where previously romcoms and animated movies were on the rise, Marvel helped start the Era of the Superhero Genre. Their new ideas dominated the media industry and gained popularity and fan loyalty due to the sheer quality and content of their movies. Even today, anyone will tell you that Marvel flourished with the use of post credit scenes, to the point where people stayed in the cinema till the very end of all credits so as to not miss any content. In today’s world, over 15 years since the MCU began, thousands of movies have been released, increasing in quality over time. Modern technology and movie scripts have caught up with the Marvel ones, and the latter no longer has the cutting edge of unique content over other movies that it had before. There are many other movies with people with powers, aliens, CGI, action and so many qualities that democratize the power Marvel held over their audience. For this reason, fans are no longer restricted to a small set of MCU movies to see the content they yearn to watch and have many more options, making Marvel less popular. 


Falling from a High:


With the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe peaked. This is a fact everyone can agree on. This movie was a culmination of over 10 years of movies, cliffhangers, and characters arcs. It allowed fans to view the conclusion of many characters' storylines and their farewell to the MCU, tying up all loose ends into a knot in the form of Marvel’s longest ever movie. There were tears, there was screaming and there was a standing ovation. After this movie, there were a lot of major characters that left the MCU, leading to introduction of new storylines. As soon as Endgame came out it was apparent that the next movie to follow up would not be able to top this one, making the Marvel comedown inevitable.


B List Characters:

The MCU lost its A list cast in the blink of an eye. Endgame had the killing off of characters Black Widow and Iron man, and the ending of Captain America’s story. Black Widow had a prequel yet announced she would not be returning to the universe anytime soon (probably as a result of a huge public fight with Disney+ studios) and the actor Chadwick Boseman who played Black Panther sadly passed away in 2020. Tom Holland has said he is taking a break from Hollywood at the moment; all these added up leaves the Marvel universe with quite a large void, that they are attempting to fill with an influx of new actors and character storylines. Even the character set up for the villain in the brand new Avengers, Kang, was arrested for assault, stirring even more commotion. Marvel has brought in a plethora of characters, in the form of movies and shows, and therefore saturated their quality. For the youth who have just started consuming this media and have not seen previous Marvel, there is no connection or loyalty to these heroes that are not only new but lacking in character development, but there is also no incentive to pick them over other movies and shows - Amazon’s show ‘The Boys’ has surpassed almost every Marvel TV show in revenue, viewership and ratings.


Quantity over Quality:

With the sheer number of projects the MCU is pumping out as well as apparent budget cuts, the poor quality is showing up onscreen as a result of an unsustainable release schedule. Many blame this on the fact that Marvel’s Entertainment operations were folded into Disney’s larger business unit in March 2023. Additionally, with the amount of complications and miniscule details that have included in the multiple timelines across movies and shows, watching their content becomes more of a chore and less of a form of entertainment, increasing the urge to watch something else instead. There are also movies like Thor: Love and Thunder that were highly criticized for not being what the fans expected at all from a superhero movie, with even lead actor Chris Hemsworth stating the movie wasn’t the hit they were expecting it to be and that he cringes at it


Conclusion:

Overall, the decline in hype around Marvel can be attributed to many factors as mentioned above. Audiences are getting sick of viewing repetitive grand fight sequences, and are eagerly (and unrealistically) awaiting the day the MCU returns to their so called glory days. However, certainly no one can deny the hold the universe held over fans of all ages, and the way it revolutionized the film industry at one point in time. Of course, I am aware my opinion may be biased to my experience withe the movies and that there are exceptions to everything, so feel free to give me your thoughts on the matter as well!


Zaina Nauman Afzal

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15 Comments


Rida Salman
Rida Salman
Jun 30, 2024

As perhaps one of the biggest MCU fans out there, it pains me to acknowledge the saying, "All good things must come to an end". You have perfectly summed up the major dimensions that led to the resulting decline. In recent times, I believe "LOKI", "WandaVision", and "MoonKnight" were exceptions to the great heap of movies and shows that fall under the "Quantity over Quality" heading, with captivating visuals, storyline, and acting. This consistency wasn't found elsewhere even though there was a lot of potential in shows such as "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" or "Hawkeye". Instead, we had disasters such as She-Hulk. In my opinion, the problem can be fixed by using the budget on a better script…

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Nabeeha Khan
Nabeeha Khan
Jun 28, 2024

There has definitely been a shift in the appeal of Marvel movies but I had never really sat down to think about it until now. It is kind of like a market phenomenon where as soon as technology and innovation got to competitors, the consumers got more choices, and Marvel failed to improve and adapt in a way to keep that edge an maintain its monopoly. As someone who loved the show " The Boys", they capitalized on this idea by deconstructing the superhero idea in a dark humorous manner which was more suitable to the modern audience. Again connecting it to the idea of research about the target audience, just like in marketing. This clearly indicates a significant shift…

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Zaina Nauman Afzal
Zaina Nauman Afzal
Jun 28, 2024
Replying to

You are definitely right, Marvel was not able to become innovative and lead the pack the way it did before. The reason I believed it stayed ahead for as long as it did was the mass of loyal fans who kept watching. In regards to your question, I may disagree with you there. A few years ago your point would have been valid, but today with the overcomplication of timelines and influx of new characters, even the most loyal fans lack connections strong enough to be active to the degree they were before. If Marvel wants to maintain their base, they really need to step it up.

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raomahmed26
Jun 27, 2024

As a huge Marvel Fan this blog stirs a plethora of emotions, while it saddens me to see that MCU is indeed dying, I am also grateful to have witnessed its remarkable journey. The level of depth and character development throughout the series of movies is facinating to say the least. I do believe that End Game was the perfect amalgam of all the storylines and characters providing a satisfying closure to many of our favorites. However I do feel they ended the storylines of Iron Man, Cap and Black widow at the perfect time. Had they dragged these characters for a bit longer, it might have risked turning  MCU into another prolonged franchise like "Fast and Furious."  “You either…

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Zaina Nauman Afzal
Zaina Nauman Afzal
Jun 28, 2024
Replying to

I agree with you! While i do critique the Marvel of today, the ending to the original heroes we grew up watching was bittersweet and perfect, and dragging it on too long could have washed it out. There is always potential for improvement, and if Marvel plays their cards right they can do the same with the new B list characters; this would require a few changes on their part though. I can only hope future generations get to experience it the way we did, as it truly was something extraordinary

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Kainat Saif
Jun 27, 2024

As a person who is not a marvel fan, I really do not have as much knowledge as you but I agree with your point based on my limited knowledge. For many fans, it appears that the appeal and enthusiasm that previously surrounded Marvel films has diminished. I hear that the older films included innovative computer graphics and gripping narratives that offered a novel departure from the typical fare. However, it seems that some of the appeal has faded with the departure of well-liked characters and the arrival of new, maybe underdeveloped ones. It's intriguing to consider how casual viewers would find it more difficult to follow up and maintain their interest due to the massive amount of content and…

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Zaina Nauman Afzal
Zaina Nauman Afzal
Jun 27, 2024
Replying to

I agree with you. Throughout my time being a Marvel fan, I have encouraged my friends and family to 'enter the universe' and start watching the movie, something which has almost always elicited a positive reaction. However now a days, I would not even recommend it to people anymore. It has lost its core essence, and is only a shadow of what it used to be. I would definitely encourage you to watch Marvel movies starting from Phase 1 and the early 2000's movies, but in terms of recent movies, I would say they can be skipped!

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25110004
Jun 27, 2024

Interesting post. I was wondering, do you think Marvel movies have lost their charm because they have started to focus on unnecessarily complicated plot lines, such as the multi-verse, where some theories just seem so bizarre to follow along? Perhaps, viewers may thus feel that the plot lines have lost their maturity in a way, where the plot seems to demonstrate sloppy thinking on part of the creators. Also, how would you compare current Marvel movies to olden day films that were considered more sophisticated and praised for different aspects such as character profiles, actors, cinematography, and score?

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Zaina Nauman Afzal
Zaina Nauman Afzal
Jun 27, 2024
Replying to

I think there are a lot of complexities and layers to unravel when it comes to answering your questions. In regards to current Marvel movies vs in the olden days, I would say times have definitely changed. Marvel had innovative ideas and never seen before graphics, with a new superhero genre that everyone wanted to see. Now days, any movie you watch can have an elaborate fight scene and aliens in outer space; the monopoly and power Marvel held over film is incomparable to any franchise today. In response to your question about them lost their charm, I do think complexity is a factor. Yes, the universes before were a little complicated but a high degree of investment meant peopl…

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