THE Marvel Cinematic UniversePhase 4 had the challenging task of continuing the franchise after the end of the Infinity Saga, and watching it again makes a series of harsh realities clear. The MCU films and TV shows make up one of the most popular and successful franchises of all time, with an interconnected narrative adapted from the pages of Marvel Comics. After the MCU’s Infinity Saga, Phase 4 of the franchise had the complex task of ushering in a new era.
Phase 4’s place in the MCU’s film timeline is undoubtedly difficult, as it had to simultaneously deal with the fallout from Avengers: Endgame while also establishing the MCU’s next narrative arc. However, looking back at Phase 4 highlights several problems with the chapter in the MCU’s history, raising concerns for the franchise. With that in mind, here are 10 harsh realities of rewatching Phase 4 of the MCU two years after it ended.
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Phase 4’s best stories weren’t blockbusters
MCU TV Shows Redefined the Franchise
For all its problems, Phase 4 of the MCU has had a number of strong entries. It told some unique and moving stories that helped keep the franchise alive after the devastating events of Avengers: Endgameand its quality remains evident upon rewatch. Interestingly, most of the best and most innovative stories from Phase 4 weren’t huge blockbusters, but MCU series written in an episodic format.
The tastes of Loki season 1 and WandaVision established important events in the MCU that helped introduce important elements of the Multiverse Saga. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier it concerned the legacy of one of the MCU’s greatest heroes. The fact that the most important stories of Phase 4 were told in this way had major financial implicationsand seemingly hinted at a worrying trend for the franchise’s box office numbers – a trend that seems somewhat prescient in hindsight.
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Phase 4 quality was painfully inconsistent
The beginning of the Multiverse saga was hit and miss
When looking back at the MCU TV shows and movies released as part of Phase 4, inconsistency is by far the most glaring problem. Some stories stood out much better than others, with specific releases sparking great enthusiasm and general success and others failing to inspire any considerable interest. This also marked a shift in the public’s perception of the MCU, as the differences in quality were markedly noticeable.
For example, likes WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home They were hugely successful with critics and fans. However, programs like Secret Invasion and films like Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder were not as well received, marking a significant drop in the franchise’s form. Rewatching Phase 4 only makes this even more apparent, as experiencing stories of such varying quality in succession only makes the inconsistency of Phase 4 more obvious.
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The MCU felt directionless after the game’s ending
The franchise’s new narrative felt ill-defined to begin with
Another problem with Phase 4 that becomes clear on rewatch appears to have been entirely unavoidable. After the events of Avengers: Endgamewhich were huge for the MCU as a whole and in terms of the franchise’s narrative arc, the challenges moving forward seemed ill-defined. Following such a big and well-crafted story in the Infinity Saga, the beginning of the next phase of the MCU didn’t seem so well planned.
Throughout Phase 4, the MCU films and TV shows introduced unrelated or disjointed stories, making little attempt to connect them along the way. The singular narrative purpose that was clear throughout the Infinity Saga was absent, leaving the MCU somewhat adrift. It wasn’t until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ ending that the complete picture began to form, and then Phase 4 had already explored several unrelated plotlines, leaving the MCU feeling directionless post-End of the game.
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Phase 4 Still Seems to Be the Epitome of Superhero Fatigue
The MCU faced unique tests in phase 4
One of the most important issues facing superhero movies in modern cinema is the notion of superhero fatigue. The idea that audiences are increasingly bored with big-budget comic book adaptations continues to gain credence, despite the fact that there have been many recent releases that seemingly disprove the theory. Still, rewatching Phase 4 indicates that not only is superhero fatigue real, but that the studio itself had been struggling with it for a while.
Phase 4 of the MCU had its problems, but a lack of ideas seemed to be one of the biggest. Many of Phase 4’s stories ventured into tired tropes or overused fan serviceplaying directly into the qualities that have defined superhero fatigue. The franchise seemed to have run out of ideas for a while and tried several different approaches to less than ideal results.
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Behind-the-scenes issues saw the quality of the MCU suffer
Real-world events affected the MCU
One of Phase 4’s biggest obstacles didn’t appear on screen, but in the real world. The pandemic has massively affected the box office and Marvel’s approach to its releases, which in turn has had a huge impact on Phase 4. What’s more, this has also provided more hurdles for Phase 4 that can still be felt upon rewatching its movies and TV shows.
For example, the box office of Black Widow was considered disappointing due to the pandemic and issues surrounding its release, and the subsequent lawsuit certainly didn’t help Marvel. Those Real-world events had an effect on Phase 4 of the MCU that is still felt after a rewatchhighlighting how much they impacted the franchise.
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The loss of important heroes changed the structure of the MCU
The Departure of Prominent Avengers Didn’t Help in Phase 4
Avengers: Endgame had a lasting impact on the MCU, not only as the end of the Infinity Saga, but also because it marked the end of several of the franchise’s founding Avengers. The film saw the deaths of Iron Man and Black Widow, and the retirement of Steve Rogers, with three of the six founding Avengers finding their franchise ending in Phase 3. Phase 4 then had the difficult task of filling the void left by their absence.
Black Widow’s instant return in her solo prequel film softened the blow a bit, but the loss of the Avengers’ two greatest leaders, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, was still huge for the MCU. The loss of such key figures has forced the MCU to examine its new power hierarchy and establish potential leaders for the Avengers in the future.. This made Phase 4 feel less like a fresh start and more like a franchise picking up the pieces, which in turn hurts its overall quality.
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Phase 4 of the MCU was totally overpopulated
Phase 4 tried to do too much
Perhaps in reaction to the loss of important characters, Phase 4 of the MCU introduced a large number of new heroes and villains to the franchise. Compared to the Infinity Saga, Phase 4 introduced an impressive number of characters, such as the Eternals, Shang-Chi, Kang the Conqueror, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Yelena Belova, Namor, Kate Bishop and Mrs. its debut. Phase 4 also saw the return of many characters from the Infinity Saga, reuniting its cast in a rather overwhelming way.
The beginning of the Multiverse Saga gave shape to the franchise in a worrying way. With so many powerful characters introduced in such a short space of time, the nature of the MCU has been repeatedly redefined. However, the lack of specific focus on any one character or team made Phase 4 feel overwhelmed in the worst possible wayand this fact is inevitable on further observation.
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Too many independent narrative threads made Phase 4 feel disjointed
Lack of connectivity was a big problem
When considering Phase 4 as the beginning of the MCU’s new narrative arc, the only frame of reference is Phase 1 of the franchise. The start of the Multiverse Saga was very different from the start of the Infinity Saga, with many considering it to be far inferior to the early MCU entries. One of the key components of this was not only the greater number of launches in Phase 4, but the lack of connectivity between them.
Phase 1 introduced the founding Avengers and then had them team up in a clear, concise start to a shared cinematic universe. Phase 4, by comparison, introduced several plot points and elements into the MCU, but made very little effort to actually connect them together. Phase 4 seemed more focused on teasing future developments than actively drawing connections between its storiesmaking it feel like an ill-defined and unnecessarily disjointed entry in the franchise.
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Phase 4 continued changing the rules of the multiverse
The boundaries of the multiverse saga have changed several times
With any new narrative within an existing franchise, there are likely to be growing pains. This is especially true in a franchise as sprawling as the MCU, introducing an idea as complex as the Multiverse, and this becomes very clear upon rewatching Phase 4. The rules for travel to the Multiversal have been established across multiple films, though they appeared to change significantly. with each new release.
Spider-Man: No Way Home caused the reality-shattering effects of uncontrolled interuniversal travel. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness more robustly explained the dangers of multiversal travel, outlining the nature of the incursions. However, subsequent releases such as And if…?downplayed the idea, with the MCU having reconfigured the Phase 4 rules. Rewatching Phase 4 makes it seem like Marvel was revising the rules of the Multiverse as they went alongreducing its global impact.
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The start of the Multiverse saga is not encouraging for the future of the MCU
Painful transition periods don’t bode well for the MCU
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of Phase 4 isn’t related to the releases themselves, but to the picture they paint for the future of the MCU. Phase 4 was the first transitional period in the MCU, and the franchise struggled considerably to get things right. Having undergone a major change with the end of Avengers: EndgamePhase 4 was a difficult task to achieve, but the way it was approached raises concerns.
Having clearly found it difficult to establish a new tone and identity after the Infinity Saga, the MCU has set a worrying precedent. Following the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, the franchise may face similar difficulties and now has a history of struggling to shift focus to a new narrative arc. As such, rewatching Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe explains some notable complications for the franchise.