Starting in fall 2023, Marvel Studios went through some drastic changes. The studio once known for being bulletproof at the box office had suffered serious problems in both theatrical films and streaming shows. Suddenly, Marvel Disney+ programs were being retooled so that they could have showrunners. The number of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies hitting theaters each year, meanwhile, dwindled tremendously, and previously hyped-up projects like Armor Wars were shelved.
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Now, Phase Six movies like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Secret Wars are being looked at as a launchpad for renewed public interest in the MCU. While it’ll take time to see how those plans work out, it’s clear right now that part of this Marvel Studios overhauling includes letting some franchises quietly go away in favor of other ideas. In fact there are five MCU franchises in particular that set-up more stories that now look like they won’t be returning to the big screen anytime soon with these new mandates in place.
1) Shang-Chi
The greatest victim of the MCU overhauling has to be Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The first MCU title released exclusively in theaters after multiplexes shut down in March 2020, Shang-Chi was an acclaimed hit that became the first American movie to hit $200+ million domestically in 21 months. Sadly, because of ever-shifting priorities in the MCU (not to mention Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton moving on to Spider-Man: Brand New Day), further Shang-Chi solo adventures do not appear to be on the horizon. At least the film’s titular character will return in Avengers: Doomsday.
2) Eternals
In November 2021, Eternals hit theaters with a buzzy cast and a massive promotional campaign. What was supposedly the start of a new MCU era instead did only okay at the worldwide box office (and outright underwhelmed domestically) while inspiring divisive reactions from audiences. Despite a multitude of teases in its ending and credit scenes on where Eternals 2 would go, no sequel is imminent, and these characters aren’t coming back to the MCU anytime soon.
3) Doctor Strange
It took nearly six years for Doctor Strange to get a sequel (though he appeared in four other MCU movies in the meantime). Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness inspired some divisive responses from audiences, but it was an indisputable box office smash with over $950 million worldwide. However, the project didn’t leave moviegoers hankering for more, and there’s been no movement on a third Doctor Strange since, despite a clear Secret Wars-centric tease. With the MCU becoming more selective about which movies it does and doesn’t make sequels to, don’t expect a Multiverse of Madness follow-up to hit theaters soon.
4) Captain Marvel
The original Captain Marvel made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office in 2019. Such a gargantuan gross made it clear that a new major MCU franchise was born and that Carol Danvers would be headlining countless movies for Marvel Studios in the 2020s and beyond. Who could’ve imagined then that 2023’s follow-up, The Marvels, would outright bomb in its worldwide box office performance? This dismal financial showing made The Marvels one of the biggest flops in history. Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and other characters connected to the Captain Marvel mythos will certainly return in future MCU productions. However, more solo Captain Marvel movies appear out of the question at this juncture.
5) Thor
Every few months online, rumors pop up about Marvel Studios supposedly being eager to get Thor 5 with Chris Hemsworth off the ground. It’s not impossible that such a production eventually happens, but right now, it just doesn’t make any logical sense. Thor: Love and Thunder was lucrative in its global box office run in 2022, but it’s become a bit of a punchline in the years since its release. Even Chris Hemsworth has openly talked about feeling the final product was too goofy for its own good.
Since Thor: Ragnarok mastermind Taika Waititi has said he won’t return to helm any Thor adventures and the MCU’s future is shifting more towards new characters like the Fantastic Four and X-Men, exploring a fifth solo Thor film doesn’t look likely. The God of Thunder will be back in Avengers: Doomsday, but anyone hoping to see Brett Goldstein’s Hercules contend with the character in Thor 5 needs to adjust their expectations accordingly.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now streaming on Disney+
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