I Still Love the MCU – Which Is Why I Want It to Be Better

Captain America: Brave New World‘s arrival in theaters has once again sparked discussion about the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Endgame. It’s been no secret that Marvel Studios has lost a step – a few steps, if we’re all being honest – and it hasn been more than disappointing to see the franchise failing to achieve the same kind of power and resonance it once had. However, despite going on over half a decade without the MCU hitting like it used to, my love of the franchise hasn’t died (yet). I still very much love the MCU – which is why I’m still rooting for it to get better.

Any MCU fan, new or old, has spent countless minutes re-watching that now-classic climactic sequence from Endgame: Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) thinks he’s the last man standing on the battlefield against Thanos and his alien army, only to hear Sam Wilson/Falcon’s (Anthony Mackie) iconic “On your left,” in his earpiece, before Doctor Strange and other mystics open Sling-Ring portals and deliver an army of Marvel heroes to stand alongside Cap.

There was a reason that moment in Endgame is so profound and rousing for so many fans: it was more than just a payoff to Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: Endgame – it was the culmination of the entire MCU Infinity Saga, and over a decade of films. More than that, though: Endgame‘s ‘Last Man Standing’ sequence, and all of those familiar MCU heroes returning to life and to the fight, was an undeniable prompt for a flood of memories and emotions that are invariably tied to the MCU; all the places we were, and the events happening in our lives when we saw each of those preceding movies; for older fans, the years upon years that were waited to see this epic collectionof Marvel characters realized in live-action at all, let alone coming together for one big epic showdown on the big screen. Kevin Feige, The Russo Bros, and the other filmmakers involved with Endgame knew what kind of moment they had earned, and they didn’t waste the chance ot let fans recognize and bask in it, together.

When you hear fans talk about the MCU not being like it used to be, they’re mostly referring to all those rousing emotions that came rushing to the surface dring Endgame‘s ‘Last Man Standing’ sequence. Not only were (most) of the MCU movie releases fun events worth a trip to the theater, the interconnected nature of the films (however loose it was at times) made investment in each of them feel worthwhile in the long run. That larger investment of time and interest also served as a bridge to other like-minded fans who were locked-in for the whole larger saga, creating one of the most robust and passionate fanbases ever. In the post-Endgame era, that sense of necessary viewing for MCU content has been all but lost – and with it has gone any sense of a coheisve larger narrative, and fanbase to discuss and debate it. It hit especially hard during the pandemic and the years trying to bounce back afterward, while a deluge of Marvel content hit the big and small screen: the sense of being one large, unified community gone, replaced by a confusing roadmap of different IPs on various platforms, with differing levels of investment amongst the fans. The sense of community has faded, while the actual MCU products have (overall) delivered less in the way of big, epic, or beloved moments. It’s not wrong to feel like some of the luster is gone.

We all know by now that Marvel Studios and Disney fell under new leadership when Disney CEO Bob Chapek replaced his predeccssor Bob Iger in Feburary of 2020. Chapek was caught up in the rush of the COVID-19 pandemic and like so many other media companies, he leaned into streaming as the new Gold Rush in entertainment. No need to deeply reshash it here (that’s for a future bestseller to do), but the plan didn’t work out: MCU products flipped to a “quantity over quality” mantra (on both the film and TV sides); oversaturation of watered-down product made entire characters and franchises D.O.A.; it was such a misfire that Chapek was shown the door in 2022, and Disney-Marvel Studios has been attempting to right the ship since then – while taking additional hard hits from things like the Hollywood Strikes in 2023.

[RELATED: Captain America: Brave New World Marks the End of Marvel Studios’ Darkest Era]

We’ve already broken down how Captain America: Brave New World is completely stained by the high-water mark of the MCU’s oversaturation era. That film was all but ripped apart by being stretched between the transitions in Disney leadership (Chapek being fired, Iger being brought back), and it shows. However, if you’re a longtime MCU fan who has been keeping up with everything behind the scenes, you know that now is the time and place to shake off the disappointment, and hope again.

Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ in March; that show was completely retooled and re-shot after its initial batch of episodes (offering a very different take on Daredevil) failed to impress Disney and Marvel executives. So far, Born Again looks like a spiritual successor to the Netflix Daredevil series that fans actually want to see; after that, we’ll be back to a classic Marvel Studios summer kickoff with Thunderbolts* in May – a film that is generating overwhelmingly good hype after its trailers. Marvel Studios rolled the dice big time on its Fantastic Four: First Steps teaser trailer launch, but so far the odds are looking very much in that film’s favor. Between them, Daredevil will likely prove the MCU can still use revisit IPs from the larger Marvel Entertainment brand (key to the franchise’s soft-reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars); Thunderbolts* can prove that the larger interconnected history of the MCU can still be mined for smart and impactful crossover stories, and Fantastic Four will prove that there are still viable characters and IPs in Marvel’s stable capable of launching new blockbuster IPs.

If all three of those goals are met, it will be undeniable that the MCU is back, and fan will have all the reasons needed to feel good and celebrate the franchise again. Like Cap on that battlefield, we could disover that, at its lowest point, the MCU has strong calvalry ready to ride in turn the tide. And I (along with you) will be assembled and ready for it.

And yes, there’s no doubt that (unless the Russos have a miracle twist up their sleeves) the “grand finale” of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars wil likely feel like a rushed and disjointed affair. But Doomsday and Secret Wars can still be great event films that get us to the real promised land hardcore fans are looking at: Phase Seven, and a rebooted Marvel Cinematic Universe (no more multiverse) where the Avengers, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men and every other Marvel character and property are all part of one franchise, at last.

Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and TV series are streaming on Disney+. Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters; Thunderbolts* has a release date of May 2nd; Fantastic Four: First Steps has a release date of July 25th, and Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ on March 4th.