Can the Marvel Cinematic Universe Return to its Former Glory?

Since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been in a state of decline. The post-Endgame MCU has been plagued by box office flops and critical misfires that have left the franchise struggling to recapture its glory.

Shifting away from character-driven stories to CGI-heavy multiversal plots seems to be the prominent cause.

For a bit of background, the MCU is divided into phases. Phases One, Two, and Three — spanning 2008 to 2019 — made up the Infinity Saga. Phases Four, Five, and Six — from 2021 to 2027 — make up the Multiverse Saga. Phase Five was announced at Comic-Con in 2022. In 2023, Phase Five started off on the wrong foot with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which was critically panned and, unexpectedly, barely broke even at the box office.

However, “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024) grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the 20th biggest movie of all time and the best-performing R-rated movie in history. The film is now also the fifth highest grossing MCU movie, standing among impressive projects like “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Black Panther,” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” The film’s success suggests that the MCU still has a path to redemption.

The arrival of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in May 2023 — a glimmer of hope amid a string of disasters — brought the focus back to beloved characters and the concept of family. Yet next was “The Marvels,” the lowest grossing film in the MCU, so it’s clear that the MCU’s struggles are far from over.

Today, we are nearing the end of Phase Five, a tumultuous and generally disappointing era for the MCU. The last two films of the phase are “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts*.”

The fourth “Captain America” installment, starring Anthony Mackie in the titular role, has been embroiled in controversy since its first teaser trailer premiered in July last year. Upon release, it has been subject to mixed reviews — garnering praise for its action scenes but criticism for its writing.

However, perhaps more faith can be placed in “Thunderbolts*,” which features a motley crew of ex-cons and reformed villains like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). From the trailer, it appears that Marvel is using their most successful formula: putting together a bunch of characters and keeping things funny.

For a while now, it’s been apparent that MCU movies do best when they are grounded in some form of reality. Many times, this means being set on Earth with human characters. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a good example of a film rooted in friendship but also politics, and is commonly recognized as one of the best films in the franchise. However, even films like “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” that take place in outer space are grounded in their focus on relationships and togetherness.

With “Captain America: Brave New World,” it looks like Marvel wants to recreate a lot of what made the original Captain America trilogy great. “Thunderbolts*” holds more promise because it offers something different. This superhero team has never seen the screen and the antihero premise is fresh — to the MCU, at least.

Films like “Endgame” and “Infinity War” had huge emotional stakes that recent films like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” lack. In order to succeed, Marvel must once again prioritize its characters and create character-driven films. They now know that most fans don’t particularly value the constitution of the Multiverse and are self-aware enough about their recent downfall. For example, in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Deadpool quips: “Welcome to the MCU. You’re joining at a bit of a low point.”

While “Deadpool & Wolverine” was an entertaining romp, Marvel won’t survive by only producing movies making fun of themselves, so they must pivot. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” proved that heroes new to the screen could be introduced in successful ways. Its focus on family ties and Asian culture was its biggest strength. The characters were relatable and more three-dimensional. This wasn’t exactly the case with “The Marvels” or “Eternals,” which focused more on lofty alien conflicts rather than the heroes themselves.

Another pitfall of the MCU is the oversaturation that has resulted from the addition of Disney+ streaming shows, exacerbating the sentiment of “superhero fatigue.” These shows offer important context and set up future films, but the actual quality and pacing of the content is usually subpar.

Phase Six is all the more worrying. The first film of this phase, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” will be at least the third cinematic iteration of the “Fantastic Four” team. While this could be a good chance to win back fans, Marvel must approach its storylines carefully, ensuring they don’t rehash the previous, rather unsuccessful adaptations of this comic book family.

Despite a few years of box office flops and mixed reviews, Marvel hasn’t completely lost its ability to tell meaningful stories. By focusing on characters, especially newer additions like those in “Thunderbolts*,” Marvel will be building the foundation for their imminent phases. It is imperative that audiences care about the next generation of characters, especially now that the original Avengers team is gone.

—Staff writer Capri S. Wayne can be reached at capri.wayne@thecrimson.com.