Marvel Cinematic Universe Rumored to Undergo Soft Reboot in Near Future
There’s no denying the impact that Marvel Cinematic Universe has had on the world of entertainment. Thanks to the financial backing of their new bosses at Disney, Marvel managed to take their vast library of heroes, villains, and cosmic beings from comic books and bring them onto the big screen. Characters that were once unknown have become household names thanks to the MCU’s success. There’s one problem, though. The MCU has grown so big, it’s starting to lose control of itself. The films and shows aren’t doing as well as they used to. At this rate, the MCU will collapse under the weight of its own success. Thankfully, the solution to this is simple and something that comic books have relied on for decades: reset button.
In an interview with The Watch podcast to promote the new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, Co-author Joanna Robinson dropped a bombshell. She had a quote from Kevin Feige that implied that the upcoming film, Avengers: Secret Wars, will act as a soft reboot for the franchise.
In other words, Kevin Feige and Marvel are ready to hit the soft reset button on the MCU. What would this mean, though?
Hard Reboot vs. Soft Reboot
In the world of entertainment and storytelling, there are two kinds of reboots, or resets: the soft reboot and the hard reboot. In a hard reboot, the property is started over from scratch. In contrast to this, a soft reboot is one that retains all the original continuity and story. It simply gets rid of the stuff that wound up proving to be a bad idea. In other words, a soft reboot is about getting back to basics, which is likely what the MCU will end up experiencing.
While the concept of a soft reboot might seem a bit excessive to some in such a popular franchise, it wouldn’t be without precedent. Something like this happens a lot in comic books.
Over the years, the two big names on the comic book campus, Marvel and DC, have undergone their fair share of reboots, both hard and soft. DC, in particular, has reset itself numerous times over the years in order to stay relevant and get rid of the extra baggage. The first time was back in the 80s with “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” which saw the end to the DC Comics multiverse in favor of a more streamlined universe. Another time they did it was in 2011, with the “Flashpoint” story (which served as the basis for the recent Flash movie) leading to The New 52. When the readers proved to hate that, though, they reset everything back to what it once was.
Marvel is no stranger to reboots, either, though not to the extent of DC. In 2015, Marvel reset its extensive multiverse with the massive crossover, Secret Wars, seeing the end and rebirth of the Marvel Universe. Given its growing focus on the multiverse at large and the title of the upcoming Avengers film, it’s likely the MCU might be headed in a similar direction.
And this might be the best that the MCU could ever hope to go through.
The MCU Needs to Step Back and Adjust
I’ve been a loyal follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than twelve years now. I still consider the franchise one of the greatest of all time. However, it’s gotten to the point where even I, someone who loved Marvel Comics before the MCU was cool, think it’s becoming a problem. Too many shows and movies in such a short amount of time is bringing down the franchise’s quality as a whole. It’s time to hit the soft reset button. They can get rid of all but the most important elements of the MCU so that it won’t feel as much of a slog.
In addition to the long-term stability of the franchise, the prospect of a reboot could also bring deceased characters back from the dead. More importantly, said deceased characters could be played by entirely new actors. Any issues fans would have with the change in actors could be chalked up to the rewriting of reality. Regardless of what happens, it feels like this is the best solution for everyone. The MCU can start fresh for a new generation of fans.
