The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), created by Stan Lee and Kevin Feige, is a globally loved franchise that has touched the minds and hearts of millions of people. Over the last 15 years, the Marvel franchise has grossed almost 30 billion dollars due to its popularity and skyrocketing success. So far, the franchise is comprised of 33 films and 23 TV shows, equating to 56 MCU titles. There are a total of 5 phases and 2 stages within Marvel, the most popular and longest saga being the Infinity Saga. However, after this saga came to a close in 2019, Marvel has been facing backlash due to their new projects. Fans are agitated over Marvel’s lack of creating good storylines and character development. The two core components of any good successful movie or TV show. So this begs the question, has the MCU reached its flop era?
The first-ever official MCU movie, released on May 2, 2008, was “Iron Man” a true classic and fan favorite. However, if you’ve watched Marvel you know that the story doesn’t begin there. If you watch it based on the chronological order, then the first movie is “Captain America: The First Avenger, ” one of my personal favorites. But for the sake of analysis, let’s recap the Infinity Saga based on timeline order.
Ah, so where to begin? Well once upon a time there was a young boy named Steve Rogers… I’m just kidding, I won’t make you endure all that. Here ya go…
The MCU Infinity Saga in Chronological Order:
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain Marvel
Iron Man 1 & 2
Thor
The Incredible Hulk
The Avengers
Thor: The Dark World
Iron Man 3
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & 2
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War
Black Panther
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Doctor Strange
Thor: Ragnarok
Ant-Man and The Wasp
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Endgame
Spider-man: Far From Home (Though I argue that this movie was the transition into the Multiverse Saga.)
So as you can see the Infinity Saga is a veryyy long saga, comprising a total of 23 movies. This is what fans like to call Marvel’s “Golden Age”, a truly fitting name for such a wonderful era.
However, in the new stage called the Multiverse Saga, Marvel has seemed to drop the ball in terms of CGI, character development, and overall plot lines. Which are key elements of any entertaining and enjoyable project. Now there’s no doubt that Marvel can create intricate, emotional, and cinematically extravagant films. However, after seeing what the MCU is capable of, it’s disappointing to see the vast difference between “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” to “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. Now don’t get me wrong, the Multiverse Saga has produced many great new projects such as “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, “WandaVision”, and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. However, do these strengths outweigh the weaknesses of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”, “Ms. Marvel”, and “Thor: Love and Thunder”? To be honest, no.
Marvel started off the Multiverse Saga strongly with “WandaVision ”, but they quickly lost fan interest with “Black Widow ” and the following projects. One might argue that Marvel’s lack of success is due to them releasing too many projects back to back. But many fans believe it’s because Marvel has become too focused on their views and grossing money rather than listening to fans and sticking to accurate comic book storylines. But let’s hear some opinions from actual Marvel fans at AMHS.
AMHS Students’ Opinions on the “New” MCU:
Turner Severs (9th) – “Marvel has really started to focus on quantity over quality in its films and its shows. Comparing the CGI in Endgame with the iconic portal scene to some of the new projects such as Black Widow, there is a significant decline. Some exceptions are made such as Guardians of the Galaxy 3 but overall there is a consistent lack of quality.”
Bouden Tippens (9th) – “I would say it’s flopping. I’ve seen every MCU movie up to Endgame, and after that, it’s been relatively disappointing. Between the numerous Disney+ shows and the build-up to Endgame, it’s hard to keep track of it all. Also if you don’t have a Disney+ subscription then you get even more lost.”
Over the years, Marvel has produced many great projects as well as creating a globally-revered and adored franchise. However, the Multiverse Saga has caused them to release some… well let’s just say “questionable” and “unique” projects. This has ultimately led the MCU to be in their “Flop” Era. Although Marvel has the capability and resources to reclaim their empire, are they willing to put in the effort, is the question. Now all fans can do is wait in anticipation to see if Marvel is willing to redeem themself and win back their fanbase and fame.
