In the three years since Avengers 4: Endgame, Phase 4 of the MCU is bursting at the seams. It feels like a new film comes to the cinema every week or the next episode of the current series is waiting for Disney+. Much fresh air was promised after defeating Thanos, yes the flood of content is making the MCU seem more and more lost.
Thor 4 has just burst into the MCU, which feels even more irrelevant to the overall picture of Phase 4 due to the anarchic Taika Waititi humor. Rather, the film shouts out in a good mood and proudly that hardly anything here should be taken seriously or is of any importance. In a row with the many other titles from the current Marvel universe, the chaos is slowly becoming unmanageable.
The MCU has never been so diverse – and terribly overloaded as a result
Right now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe feels more chaotic than chasing down all the Infinity Stones. Phase 4 presses beloved characters like Black Widow, Loki or Hawkeye into solo films or series, some of which are easily 10 years too late. In addition, 6 episodes of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are used to Captain America successor to be appointed by Steve Rogers.
Check out Yves’ video ranking of all Black Widow appearances in the MCU here:
From trash to masterpiece – we rank all Black Widow appearances in the MCU
There are also numerous brand new characters in their own films and series such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Moon Knight and most recently Ms. Marvel. A connection is no longer recognizable.
There are new stars and their characters for second-long performances pushed into post-credit scenes that probably no one will remember two movies or series later. Or do you still know Harry Styles as Starfox? Whether characters like Hercules from the end credits scene of Thor ever appear in other MCU films and series is absolutely unclear right now.
The MCU is currently missing a Tony Stark, Nick Fury and Thanos
Even in the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the future was by no means as planned as it appears in hindsight. Or should work. Nevertheless, there were always clear ones here fixed pointswhich held all the films, characters and storylines together.
While Nick Fury reliably rounded up the Avengers team in the credits scenes, Tony Stark was quickly recognized as charismatic leader of the group and emotional center of the cinematic universe. And then, of course, there was villain Thanos, who, as an overpowering threat, was (slowly) heading towards the Avengers from movie to movie.
Check out Yves’ video review of Thor 4 here:
Thor 4: Funny Marvel Fun | Love and Thunder Review
In phase 4, a red thread is completely missing. Due to the mass of MCU titles (12 films and series seasons since Endgame), watching feels more and more like a mandatory task. You just don’t want to miss anything. For years, those responsible for the MCU have built up the principle that everything is connected and that it is easy to lose track.
In the meantime, however, the question arises as to whether there is still anything to be missed. Because all MCU titles are so different from each other and no longer follow a common thread, the franchise seems more random and interchangeable than ever.
The deluge of MCU content has only a few highlights spawned. This includes, for example, the first Disney+ series WandaVision, which has given Scarlet Witch a completely new look in a creative and emotional way.
Also the nostalgia continuous fire from Spider-Man: No Way Home, the comparatively bulky art-house style by Eternals and the Asian martial arts paint by Shang-Chi certainly made an impression in this MCU phase.
Packed tightly together and lined up almost breathlessly, the different approaches, styles and moods have so far resulted no coherent picture at all.
The death of Tony Stark should propel Marvel into a future filled with change and new opportunities. So far, despite fresh impulses, the MCU seems as if it is going to become one to cope with the loss of Iron Man Workaholic mode with no breaks overthrow. Maybe a longer break to take a deep breath would do everyone good. But of course that won’t happen.
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What do you think of Phase 4 in the MCU so far?