Why Does Phase 4 Of The MCU Feel So Fragmented?

The phase-4 movies and series haven’t been very well received by the fans. Recently we have got some of the worst rated marvel movies and

By Umer Javed
September 12,2022
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The phase-4 movies and series haven’t been very well received by the fans. Recently we have got some of the worst rated marvel movies and Disney+ shows. Does that mean that Marvel has lost its charm? Will phase-4 be the doom of the cinematic verse? And, why does the new Marvel seem so fragmented? Well, here’s my opinion about all these questions:

Nostalgia

Avengers

One of the main problem with phase-4 of the MCU is that we no longer have our favourite heroes or the team ups to look up to anymore. With the end of the infinity saga in End Game, we also lost most of our favourite heroes who had us hooked up to the sci-fi verse. Waiting for the next Avengers movie knowing that we won’t see Cap or Tony in it doesn’t feel the same.

 

Massive Expectations

The final battle in Avengers: Endgame
The final battle in Avengers: Endgame

The Infinity Saga had a 10 year build up to produce the masterpieces Infinity War and End Game. When the phase-I began, no-one had an expectation that it would end up becoming such a huge universe. Thus, with each new movie, people had manageable expectation and marvel mostly delivered. However, the last two Avengers movies set that bar too high, and the ridiculous fan theories as soon as a movie title drops, are not helping either.


Too Many Shows

Moon Knight Post-Credits Scene Surprises Explained
Moon Knight Post-Credits Scene Surprises Explained

 

A year ago, I would have refused to believe that there would ever be something as – too many marvel projects. However, recently Marvel has pushed a lot of shows in a small window, and it has proved to be more problematic than good. Most of these new shows feel rushed and have less than amazing CGI. She-Hulk is rumoured to have a per-episode budget of $20+ million which is at par with the HBO series – House of the Dragon.

The latter has had much better approval ratings and the Dragon are a sight to behold. Hence, it appears that the budget is not the problem. Rather, Marvel has chosen quantity over quality.

A Newer Fanbase.

Ms Marvel
Iman Vallani as Ms Marvel

 

The now disney+ shows such as Ms Marvel and She-Hulk have made it obvious that marvel is now trying to expand its fan-base. With phase-4 and upcoming movies , marvel seems to be trying to a variety of audiences and not only please its traditional viewers. it only makes sense. Marvel has such a rich source material to tap into, and not all of those stories are everyone’s cup of tea.

 

Directionless

End Game released in 2019 and ever since, we’ve all wondered where the Universe is heading hereafter. Though, we know that marvel is headed towards the multiverse saga and Kang is the new Thanos, the MCU still feels fragmented and directionless. Kang was teased a year ago in Loki and hasn’t yet been mentioned in any other movies or series so far. With so many new heroes and characters, it has also become overwhelming to think how all of this is going to connect with each other.

 

Final Verdict

Marvel Studios at D23 2022

With Marvel’s d23 expo, it has become very obvious that the Cinematic Universe is far from dead. With some great titles on the list along with Daredevil’s return, and the Fantastic Four announcement, fans have a lot of things to be excited about. The upcoming movies such as Blade, Secret Invasion and Wakanda Forever could also bring some much needed seriousness to this movieverse.

Expectation from the movie giants have been really high after how they ended the third phase. It is going to be no easy job reaching the same level again, but after looking at the future project line-up we are fairly certain that they will deliver.

With Marvel now trying to expand its fan base, the fans need to realise that not all movies and shows are going to be for everyone. We need to be selective about what we want to watch and what we don’t. We just hope that Disney does not pull another Thor: Love and Thunder and ruin a fan-favourite hero.