The Brutal Truth Behind Why Marvel's "Phase 4" is Falling Short for Audiences

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The Brutal Truth Behind Why Marvel’s “Phase 4” is Falling Short for Audiences

By Joe Burgett - October 10, 2022

Marvel’s Obsession With Adding Humor Where It Doesn’t Belong

Don’t get us wrong, we love a laugh just like anyone else. Heck, comedies are one thing that helps to keep us sane. You cannot be dramatic all the time, as it would only become problematic. A light-hearted nature is needed, but it can get in the way at times. While we’re not saying the MCU needs to go the Zack Snyder DC route where everything is dark and dramatic. We are saying they need to know when to let stuff breathe. Marvel Studios is owned by The Walt Disney Company, so it should not surprise anyone that Disney would ideally like to keep everything family-friendly. However, Disney’s top brass is not handing edicts telling Marvel Studios to never let drama be present for more than 10 seconds.

With some characters, you need comedy. Deadpool is perfect for this, as he’s comedic and this allows you to get past all the murders he’s committing. Yet to take Thor from a Godlike being capable of defeating giants and turn him into a joke is odd. The last few Thor films have presented him as a bumbling moron while in the Avengers projects, he does not mind chopping off heads. It’s odd usage, and it happens with a ton of characters. The Marvel Studios phases aren’t exactly calling for this type of thing. Yet it goes back to the newer director/writer issue. They go off of what they “think” Marvel and the fans want, which might turn out fun. Yet it doesn’t really fit in a realistic setting.

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The Introduction Of The Multiverse

Let’s get one thing straight immediately here. We love the multiverse concept, especially being science nerds. However, it is literally our job around here to explain some really complex scientific concepts most of the time. Trying to explain how a possible multiverse could operate to someone is difficult. As there are numerous possibilities and a variety of different outcomes. Comic book fans tend to grasp the idea pretty well, as it means the separation of characters in their own universe. It also means that when you introduce the multiverse, you’re also speculating that people can cross through it.

This happened somewhat in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Where we saw three Spider-Men, including the two previous men that played the role for the Sony films. Yet this will not be the last crossover as there are many X-Men characters likely to do so. Future Marvel Studios phases are likely to separate characters into different universes even more. Therefore, we’re likely opening up a problem where the MCU will become incredibly confusing after a while. We might not know how each universe operates, why specific people are placed where they are placed, and much more.

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Lack Of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark

We’re not going to lie to anyone and say that we did not want to see Steve Rogers and Tony Stark pass. You need to finish some characters off, at least for a while. If you do not do this, everything will remain centered around them. Which is problematic, and won’t allow the brand to really grow. Therefore, Stark and Rogers passing only set the stage for other characters to take over. Those characters will one day die off or no longer be a big focus for the MCU too. This is why we agree with the decision to have them move on. Plus the actors behind the roles spent nearly a decade committing to their roles.

That only hurts them as actors, so they too need to change things up a bit. The problem is that we’re not left with any real leaders like Rogers and Stark. Captain Marvel isn’t set up enough, nor liked enough, to take this mantle. Sadly, Chadwick’s passing ruined Black Panther’s opportunity to lead the MCU. The Sony problem plagues Spider-Man’s possibility here. Doctor Strange and Thor are the only real remaining “leaders,” and we already referenced Thor’s issue. Thus, future Marvel Studios phases will be hurt by this lack of leadership. On top of the lack of love invested in a character like Rogers and Stark.

Where Do We Find this Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:

Marvel Comics

Marvel Studios

The Walt Disney Company

Netflix

Sony Entertainment

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