Disney is looking for a reset with its upcoming Marvel movies. The latest flick Thunderbolts* came out this weekend, and while the MCU ensemble film is getting positive reviews, its projected opening still falls beneath many of Marvel’s most beloved projects. The company once felt untouchable, churning out multiple films a year that garnered crowds and built off of each other. After the major success of Avengers: Endgame however, the storytelling style grew more confusing. Adding mediocre Disney+ shows into the mix made everything feel even more bogged down. Apparently, corporate strategy is to blame, and three words can be credited for Marvel running in one direction.
Many people have wondered why Kevin Feige and co. made so many Disney+ shows mistakes in the wake of Endgame, and now we seemingly have an answer. The man who has been the creative force behind the MCU for over 15 years was reportedly directed by Disney CEO Bob Iger to prioritize expanding the MCU once streaming content made for audiences with a Disney+ subscription became a priority. "Expansion, expansion, expansion” became the motto that Iger bandied about in this era. The three words that then guided the more recent MCU?
Per the Wall Street Journal, Feige, wanting to be a “good corporate citizen,” obliged.
What The Disney+ Expansion Meant For Marvel Audiences
The streaming landscape grew convoluted as a result of this back-and-forth between Iger and Feige. Secret Invasion was absolutely panned by critics. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law did better in reviews, but still was heavily criticized for feeling unfinished. Even shows that garnered good reviews like Ms. Marvel, had poor viewership because there was simply "too much Marvel content" leading up to its release.
As a result, some people who were previously fans weren’t tuning in, and the mass amount of material and “expansion” of the universe felt like homework for many in order to understand the next film. The Ms. Marvel example is a great example of this. Few people saw the Disney+ series, so when Iman Vellani was re-introduced in The Marvels, there was a lot of backstory left to impart. The movie lost money.
While this seems like a simple explanation for dwindling audiences and sometimes poor quality -- and something easy for Marvel to point to that can be fixed with a different approach -- I’d argue there's more at play here. Marvel may be pulling back on their output, but they don’t really seem to be adjusting the tone.
The “joke, joke, action scene, plot information scene, joke, joke,” script structure and format that worked for years just isn’t working anymore. Every movie sounds exactly the same, and the characters all talk similarly. How much of that ties into Feige's input remains to be seen.
There was something refreshing and charming about the Robert Downey Jr. sarcasm and charm infused in the early Marvel films, but Marvel seems to be taking this and applying it to every movie and character. I think this is becoming tired, and leading to a “seen one, seen them all” mentality.
What's Next For Marvel?
Nevertheless, Marvel is at least scaling back. The studio is still releasing several projects in 2025, with three being films on the 2025 movie release calendar. However, going forward there's not as much planned, with the focus being mainly Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
As for a tonal shift, I doubt this is on the horizon, especially with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise as Doctor Doom in the slated new Avengers films. I guess we'll just have to see if limiting expansion will be enough to win back Marvel’s once loyal audience.
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