The 5 best and 4 worst decisions in Marvel Phase 4

Marvel has the MCU phase 4 the last two years with countless Series, cinema films, storms of enthusiasm, but also criticism and scandals filled. The entirety of the Disney + series from WandaVision to She-Hulk: The lawyer has kept the fans busy as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home or Thor 4: Love and Thunder in the cinema.

The fourth MCU phase was given the extremely difficult task of taking the Marvel screen colossus to new shores after the end of the Infinity saga in Avengers 4: Endgame. Was that successful? Yes and no. High time to take a closer look at the best and worst decisions of the past era at the end of the year.

Good: Three generations of Marvel heroes in Spider-Man: No Way Home

By far the most successful film of all of Phase 4 was Spider-Man: No Way Home. The story of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was not just told to the end here. Three generations of Spidey fans could cry their eyes out in the cinema, when Holland joined forces with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the grand multiverse battle. Marvel brought the past and the present together here and delivered a climax that was as emotional as it was funny. Well done!

Stream Spider-Man: No Way Home at WOW*

Bad: Black Widow was a disgraceful MCU departure for Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson has become one of the most popular Marvel actresses – and one of the few – over the years since her first MCU appearance in Iron Man 2. Black Widow should memorialize her again after Avengers 4’s demise. Instead, the film only functioned to position her successor for further franchise development. Even if Florence Pugh is a lot of fun as Yelena Belova: After more than a decade of great work Scarlett Johansson and her Natasha Romanoff deserved better.

Stream Black Widow on Disney+*

Good: Sam Raimi makes Doctor Strange 2 a horror film

The MCU in phase 4 stood and fell with the ideas of its directors. In the case of Sam Raimis and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, that was very fortunate. The Marvel veteran (Spider-Man) and horror master (Dance of the Dead) missed the dark story about a mad Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and an undead Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) just the right sharpness to give the film character.

Stream Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on Disney+*

Bad: Doctor Strange 2 reduces Wanda to a sexist cliché

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to change much about the story of the film itself, which was edited by the big Marvel mills. After Olsen’s complex character in WandaVision suffers a momentous emotional breakdown only to be redeemed in the finale, Doctor Strange 2 simply rewinds the same tale of her loss-induced insanity.

Worse, the multi-layered witch will through one-sided figure drawing to a sexist caricature, who, as a hysterical would-be mother, is determined by nothing other than her desire to have children.

Good: No Avengers 5 as a grand Marvel finale

What initially sounds like a bug is actually an advantage. If the previous phases were all concluded with a big Avengers team film, there was no defined, joint final effort here. Rather, Marvel left the individual films and series such as Eternals, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever or She-Hulk enough space for personal development and individuality. It goes without saying that in the end it wasn’t for everyone.

Bad: At the end of phase 4, nobody knows the new Avengers

The downside of the coin, however, is that at the end of phase 4, the MCU is noticeably lacking in direction. Yes, the multiverse is a problem. Yes, formidable opponents like Kang (Jonathan Majors) are already knocking on the cinema door. But who will stop her? Instead of a bundled superhero power, there are a lot of individual fates. The Eternals or Moon Knight keep to themselves, the fate of Spider-Man or Wanda is uncertain. Doctor Strange is a misanthrope at heart. So who will bring everyone together and save the world?

Good: She-Hulk brings Daredevil back to the MCU

For a long time, fans complained that adventures formerly known as “Netflix Marvel series” such as Marvel’s Daredevil or Marvel’s The Punisher were not officially linked to the MCU. That all changed with the appearance of Daredevil (Charlie Cox) in the Disney+ series She-Hulk.

It wasn’t just a short guest appearance: Matt Murdock was treated to several (very funny) action scenes and had the perfect one-night stand with Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany). Welcome back!

Stream She-Hulk: The Lawyer on Disney+*

Bad: Taika Waititi and Thor 4

Comedy specialist Taika Waititi has done a great job with 5 Zimmer Küche Sarg oder Thor 3: Day of Decision. With Thor 4, however, Marvel gave him so much free rein that an absurd crossover was missing Marvel story, cancer tragedy, sitcom humor and cheap CGI came about. How could that happen? Many MCU fans are still searching for the answer.

In addition, Taika Waititi made fun of the (much criticized) effects in Thor 4 – as if he himself had nothing to do with the film. The comments sparked a wave of outrage among the industry’s notoriously underpaid special effects artists. They wanted each other with countless hours of overtime and alleged poor communication from Marvel Don’t be offended by a smug-looking director. At least it’s positive that Waititi’s thoughtless jokes started a long overdue discussion.

Stream Thor 4: Love and Thunder on Disney+

Good: Oscar Isaac’s performance in Moon Knight

While many of the disconnected stories in Phase 4 may lack direction, some of them were unmistakably brilliant. These include Oscar Isaac’s Marvel hero Moon Knight/Marc Spector/Steven Grant, who is plagued by an identity disorder.

The star’s acting performance created one of the most colorful characters in the entire MCU and proved: superhero stories can portray trauma as harrowingly as a drama series – they just have to want it.

Stream Moon Knight on Disney+*

Podcast: All 9 MCU series ranked on Disney+

Within less than 2 years, 9 Marvel series have started on Disney+. WandaVision started in 2021 and established the new generation of MCU series. They are more closely tied to the films and often feature well-known MCU characters and stars. We critically look back on this phase and rank the series from unnecessary to indispensable.

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What is your best and worst phase 4 development?