Recently, The Russo Brothers, directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, stated that they believed that the declined interest in the MCU has to do with changes in viewer habits and attention spans of the younger generation. While I wouldn’t disagree that the way media has been viewed and consumed has impacted what gets attention, saying this is the case for Marvel is not the right answer to their current problems. While a lot of the conversation has been about the decline in interest in Marvel, I think there is an unspoken issue here for Marvel and the industry. The thing with Marvel is that the idea of a continuous cinematic universe in the fashion they want isn’t fully sustainable.
Studios have always expected either a certain type of film genre or ongoing series to help them maintain a continual and healthy profit. However, the issue always was that either a genre they relied on went out of fashion or one of their successful film series came to a close. As such, there is a period where executives scramble to find the next cash cow. The cinematic universe offered something enticing with how it could theoretically produce films in a singular series, but they didn’t have to be tied down with the same characters or aesthetics. They could create a model for multiple types of movies under one roof. Not to mention that a continuous structure for releases meant that it could create financial stability and less hassle having to make a profit year in and year out. As such, it’s no wonder that almost every studio tried to start a shared universe with nearly every property they had. However, this desire ignores the reality of audiences: what they want changes over time.
Now more than ever, audiences are picky with what they want to go out to see. Being bombarded with not just superhero films, but franchise reboots and sequels has left many wanting something different. Given how last year, Oppenheimer was more successful than any superhero movie, there’s a feeling that the genre needs to change course and alter its approach. But the Russo Brothers’ recent comments as well as Bob Iger stating that they will release two to three movies and two TV shows for the MCU a year (which is still a lot for one film series) as the planned downsized release schedule shows me that the people at Marvel don’t realize the position they are in.
From my perspective, I fell out of Marvel, not because of the number of projects being released since I already knew that I wouldn’t watch everything they make. Rather, it was a feeling of stale been-there-done that permeated their lineup. By this point, I would think to myself, why would I watch their newest movie if another movie they made almost a decade ago did similar things better? I feel that I got my fill already with what Marvel offers currently both in style and humor and that their desire to offer similar experiences continuously isn’t appealing anymore. I would ask the studio to take a hue and distinctive risk, but the goal with a cinematic universe is to create something to avoid risks and guarantee profit and stability without too much long-term change. Disney plastered its release lineup for years and years with sequels, reboots, and cinematic universe installments over the last decade without thinking if putting out too much of it would backfire. Trends and interests don’t last forever and if Marvel wanted general audiences to stick around, they need to take more gambles. Stuff like Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther proved that audiences would flock to films that presented a different identity, but it feels like Marvel never really learned from what made them work. If anything, they tend to put these types of new ideas into the basic Marvel mold since it would be easier on their part. No Way Home made a lot of money, then doubled down on the multiverse. No wonder I don’t feel interested in the next Deadpool, it just feels redundant with the nostalgia angle it’s taking.
I am also going to argue that with the rise of Disney+ shows and movies focused on multiple characters that weren’t big crossovers, the franchise leaning into the interconnectivity has become its biggest weakness in terms of storytelling. Before, you didn’t need to watch all the movies to get caught up, but the buzz around the Avengers movies made people think you did. Even if you didn’t, both the individual films and the crossover ones still felt isolated and stood on their own. However, now we have movies like Multiverse of Madness or The Marvels which have major characters whose origins and ongoing stories come directly from multiple streaming shows. Loki introduced the main new threat of the phase, and it followed it up in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, a movie focusing on a completely different side and tone of the MCU. It makes Marvel feel more complicated and like homework than it ever did before.
So, with the projects growing in number but feeling more simultaneously complicated and simplified, is there much left to keep people invested? The first part of the MCU, The Infinity Saga, roped in people with the Infinity Stones storyline and Thanos. Now, it feels like Marvel is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. It just feels like they never really thought out how to follow up their first storyline and fumbled out of the gate by just throwing so much out at once. I mean, the fact they released a Black Widow movie as the first post-Endgame project, a character who died in the later film, as the first Phase 4 project is a sign of disorganization or misplaced priorities at some level. They should have either slowed down or even taken a break after Endgame, but Disney wouldn’t allow that since they rely on the studio’s output for a huge chunk of their business.
Despite this, another series has shown that interconnective universes do have potential still and that taking a slower and disconnected approach can pay off. This universe is the Monsterverse with Godzilla and King Kong. The movies and the recent TV shows from this universe have been successful but more importantly, they are more isolated in their execution. Sure, the stories build off of each other, but the more casual execution means that the focus is less on the story than on giving excuses to see monsters fight. They are both less frequent in release and far simpler in their approach compared to Marvel. Audiences aren’t expected to see multiple movies or shows from this universe yearly, but at least one or two in the span of every few years. But again, Disney’s business model wouldn’t allow that. This causes a problem though when the desires of the studio both create worse products due to rushed productions and a disinterest from audiences who either got their fill already or want to stick around but don’t want to sink their time into so many projects they feel are below average. The studio has painted itself into a corner relying so long on these films that it never considered if putting all its eggs into the cinematic universe basket was wise in the long term.
At some level, the expectation of something lasting forever is silly. I mean, Marvel titled the last Avengers film Endgame, so I don’t blame general audiences for leaving after that. I’m not saying that Marvel or superheroes as a whole are dead or dying, but that there needs to be a softer approach towards fewer releases and more high-quality projects. If you try to provide more and more to audiences, they will either get sick of it or the creative teams will be forced to make work that doesn’t live up to quality standards. In reality, the cinematic universe as a sustainable model was always a boardroom pipedream when you think about it. It says something that most attempts at cinematic universes crashed and burned due to rushed expectations and a focus more on catching up to Marvel. Now, Marvel feels a bit behind because they are stuck where they are and I honestly don’t know where they can go from here to right the ship.
