The Marvel Cinematic Universe as been working as a machine since 2008 but it isn’t without its hiccups. Their more recent entries have been met with ire from fans and a change has been needed. So that is exactly what the studio is planning to do.
With movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels underperforming and the lack of excitement over shows like Secret Invasion, the franchise has needed a bit of a refresh. I have had fun with it but even I can admit that the excitement is not there as much as it once was. But now Disney has plans to change how they approach our favorite heroes and hopefully it will be for the betterment of the MCU.
According to Variety, Bob Iger (CEO of Disney) has said that Disney’s goal is now to focus on quality over quantity, limiting Marvel to two shows a year on Disney+, with no more than 3 movies releasing in one year. “We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three,” he said at the company’s quarterly earnings call. “And we’re working hard on what that path is.”
Iger went on to say that there are a couple of good films coming out in 2025, and then they are heading to more Avengers-centric films: “Overall, I feel great about the slate. It’s something that I’ve committed to spending more and more time on. The team is one that I have tremendous confidence in and the IP that we’re mining, including all the sequels that we’re doing, is second to none.”
I would rather have a Marvel Cinematic Universe that is great all around vs. one that is larger and harder to watch. The first three phases of the MCU had maybe a movie or two that you might have skipped on rewatches, and while I do love a lot of projects within Phase 4 and Phase 5, it is less of a “must rewatch this all” vibe. (Unless you are WandaVision or Loki; you two are innocent.)
That’s not to say that there are not gems or that the criticisms against all the films and shows in Phase 4 and Phase 5 were warranted. Some people wanted to hate on them for one reason or another, and so they did. But what reducing the output does is make us want Marvel properties again. It’s why the lineup of Star Wars movies has been exciting to see, because we haven’t had a Star Wars movie since 2019.
You cannot say that for Marvel. They are constantly producing movies (which has always been their MO), and limiting the amount we get will help fans return to wanting these stories and will (hopefully) work out better in the long term for the franchise.
(featured image: Disney+)
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