THE Marvel Cinematic Universe and its related properties have had a rough year in 2024, with repeat viewings of last year's franchise releases revealing many unfortunate problems. It's been a truly mixed year for the media giant, with Marvel's 2024 releases running the gamut of quality and relevance. No matter how good or bad they were, every release brings at least one problem or another that only becomes truly obvious on repeated viewings.
Compared to previous years, 2024 was quite light on Marvel releases. Next to Deadpool and Wolverine, The only live-action films that were released waving the Marvel red flag were the last three films in Sony's Spider-Man spin-off universe. Additionally, it was primarily TV releases that kept the franchise going, from live-action Disney+ series like Agatha all the time for animated projects like X-Men '97.
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And if you ignore what always should have been
The series has consistently failed to live up to audience expectations
In 2024, And if...? made history as the first Marvel series directly affiliated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe to reach a third season. Unfortunately, in all this time, the animated anthology has failed to please many viewers, hoping that the series' hypothetical format could be used to expand the MCU in more directions, perhaps even introducing new characters. At the very least, And if...? had the potential to answer some long-standing fan questions about the deeper corners of MCU lore.
However, after three seasons, And if...? continued to regulate itself in rather mechanical installationslike the idea of the Avengers suiting up in mechs to fight a giant Hulk or adding Red Guardian to events for which he wasn't present in the main MCU timeline. Most of these ideas simply swap existing characters or throw them into new time periods, not doing much to build on the pre-established world-building that makes the MCU so special. It's a shame the third season wasn't able to hold up And if...? to any dramatically new heights.
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2024 was the MCU's lightest year in terms of content in a long time
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has certainly stagnated this year
Since then Avengers: Endgame, the question of Marvel's dwindling relevance has been floating around the cinematic landscape. Serious failures in 2023 like The wonders and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania made the MCU reevaluate its creative strategy, partially contributing to the drought that was 2024. Thus, just a single feature film, Deadpool and Wolverine, was added to the franchise's cast this year, something that hasn't happened since The Avengers launched in 2012.
It's true that many of the delays that left 2024 so barren for MCU films weren't the company's fault. The lingering effects of the COVID pandemic and the recent SAG-AFTRA strikes that delayed production have had echoing effects that will certainly be felt well into 2024, pushing many films into the future or into complete development limbo. Regardless, looking back at Marvel's 2024 slate, the fact that only a single film was released certainly hurts the year.
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X-Men '97 requires a lot of prior knowledge
The new series picks up right where the 90s cartoon left off
One of Marvel's most successful projects in 2024 was the animated series X-Men '97. A continuation of the beloved 90s show X-Men: The Animated Series, the show revived the iconic Marvel TV animated universe to update fans on where the story is headed. Although it was widely advertised as not necessarily requiring knowledge of X-Men: The Animated Series In practice, taking advantage of this was not a universal experience.
In truth, X-Men '97 makes numerous references and callbacks to previous events in the series, primarily catering to returning fans. While most of these earlier episodes are briefly explained before becoming relevant, for a new viewer, it can still be intimidating to delve into the soap opera's dense narrative that X-Men '97 returns after literal decades. As good as the series is, that lack of accessibility is very useful.
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Deadpool and Wolverine lose something after their cameo clash
Funny Movie Relies Much on Initial Shock Value
Returning to Marvel's 2024 release schedule, Deadpool and Wolverine the obvious standout hit still remains. Quickly becoming the most financially successful R-rated film of all time, Deadpool and Wolverine officially brought Fox's mutants into the MCU while making some deep references to Marvel's pre-MCU film past. These cameos are a brilliant coup the first time they happen, but on rewatch much of the film loses its luster.
In truth, Deadpool and Wolverine It's a film made to be seen only once, ideally in a theater surrounded by other fans who can share audible gasps at seeing Wesley Snipes' Blade on film for the first time in years. However, the film loses something when the shock of these cameos wears off, and all that's left is an awkward shot of Snipes walking through a room that goes on a little too long. This complaint was made to similar revelations in Spider-Man: No way home, but in Deadpool and Wolverine, It's ten times worse.
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Kraven the Hunter was a disappointing end to Sony's universe
Sony has never been able to capture fans' minds and wallets
2024 saw the unfortunate end of Sony's Spider-Man spin-off universe, with the media mogul confirming that Sony's franchise would end with Kraven the Hunter. The series had a number of rough patches, going well at first with the Poison films, only to fight the failure that was 2022 Morbius. 2024 was Sony's last chance to capture the superhero market it sought, releasing three films that ended with Kraven the Hunter.
In truth, Kraven the Hunter is far from the worst film Sony has released under its Spider-Man-less Peter Parker projects. That said, it was still far from the great success that the franchise needed to return to lifefailing at the box office and critically along with most of its siblings. It's a shame that the final film in Sony's failed experiment was so mediocre, not even achieving the tongue-in-cheek hilarity of its more egregious missteps.
5
Echo's relationship with her powers was rushed
Not to mention it changed a lot from the comics
One sneaky release that the MCU managed to release at the beginning of the year was the Echo miniseries. Centered on deaf assassin Maya Lopez, Echo chronicled the character's growth from a simple, revenge-focused criminal to a powerful hero worthy of joining the ranks of Marvel's best street-level characters. Unfortunately, the franchise struggled to really develop Maya's new superhero persona.
In the comics, Echo has powers similar to Taskmaster, able to infallibly copy his opponents' movements. The series dropped that angle to focus on Maya's Native American heritage, which suddenly gave her vague healing powers. Not only are these new abilities poorly defined, but they also don't have much time to shine until the show's literal final moments, the rest of the series. Echo being a gritty, grounded crime drama full of martial arts and weapons. If the series' goal was to turn Echo into a true hero, it needed to get there much faster.
4
Agatha All Along is a classic case of MCU padding
As good as it is, Agatha's solo piece may be too long
Compared to Echo, Agatha all the time was a much more exceptional addition to Disney+'s catalog of MCU streaming series. Expanding on the franchise's lore while developing the titular witch, Agatha all the time ended up as a quite rewarding complement to the previous one WandaVision, which kicked off the adventures of the MCU TV show. However, Agatha all the time it arguably suffers from the same pacing issues that plague most of these shows.
Much of the action in Agatha all the time centers on a journey down the magical Witches' Road, which presents Agatha and her new coven with a handful of custom challenges that result in half of them dying completely. These challenges can't help but feel like filler meant to complete the series before the true essence of Agatha's plans and story can be addressed, a problem that has been prevalent in many of the MCU's TV shows. Perhaps Agatha all the time could have been stronger as a special performance, à la Werewolf at night.
3
Madame Web is a real low point for Marvel films
An absolute failure
Most of Marvel's 2024 releases are generally of phenomenal quality, barring a few minor quibbles that become more obvious on a second viewing. Lady Teia, however, it's an unfortunate stain on the Marvel flag that will forever continue to tarnish the franchise's history. The film breaks history as the first superhero film centered on a character who never had his own solo comic, and the end result seemingly makes this record an ominous omen for the film's viability.
Lady Teia is a tangled mess of narratives full of nonsensical decisions and groan-worthy references to the broader Spider-Man mythos. Dakota Johnson's bizarre performance, coupled with her hilariously awkward press tour leading up to the film's release, gives the impression of a Marvel star who doesn't really want to be in the film she's headlining. Lady Teia it will be a lesson that Marvel must learn in 2024 going forward.
2
Deadpool and Wolverine Feature Truly Terrible CGI
Hugh Jackman has never looked so rubbery
The CGI of MCU films has always been a difficult topic to tackle. For the most part, the series does very well at weaving believable fantasy worlds and uses of superpowers through impressive sound effects, though examples in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and even Black Panther represent an occasional obstacle. Coming back Deadpool and Wolverine, it seems like the MCU hasn't been fully able to improve on that front in 2024.
Rewatching the film without the benefit of the release hype, it's pretty obvious how two when certain scenes from Deadpool and Wolverine are fully digitized. One particularly jarring example is the rubbery-looking CGI Wolverine who emerges from the back of a bus in the Deadpool movie's climactic battle, with the camera lingering long enough to pan around the strange model in a freeze frame. As if that weren't enough, the abomination remains panting on the screen for a few more painful moments while Deadpool plays, even running his sword through the intangible model.
1
Venom: The Last Lost Dance with Knull
Sony missed incredible potential
The initial trailers for Venom: The Last Dance were able to generate a surprising amount of excitement, thanks in large part to the appearance of Knull as the supposed antagonist. An alien god and creator of the symbiotes, Knull is one of Marvel's most menacing villains in comics, rivaling the importance of Thanos, a valuable addition for Sony's universe to showcase. It helped that the few glimpses of Knull the trailer gave revealed that his appearance was quite faithful to the source material.
Sadly, this promise was something of a bait and switch, as the actual film ended up featuring very little of Knull. In fact, Knull has very little screen time during the Venom: The Last Dance, mainly acting as a background threat who unleashes his monstrous creations on Eddie and his symbiote friend while remaining on his home world of Klyntar. It's a shame that Sony missed its only chance to surpass the UCM in terms of significant antagonists.
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- Release date
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February 14, 2025
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- Release date
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July 25, 2025
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- Release date
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July 24, 2026