John Tones
WriterI've been writing about culture for twenty-something years and, at Xataka, I cover everything related to movies, video games, TV shows, comics, and pop culture.
Until this weekend, when the audience’s verdict—the one that ultimately matters to Disney—floods the internet, we won’t know if Captain America: Brave New World is a failure or a triumph. The critical and public consensus generated by Infinity War and Endgame is unlikely to be repeated. However, we can analyze when exactly things started to go wrong for the MCU.
The popular opinion. Most can agree that there was a strong period in the MCU, ranging from acceptable to glorious depending on a fan’s enthusiasm, that began with Iron Man and lasted through Endgame. After that, things started to unravel, with the mostly disastrous Phases 4 and 5 leading to Marvel’s first box office failures, possible “superhero fatigue,” and the current period of uncertainty. But there are nuances.
First: It’s not all smooth sailing. The MCU’s first 23 films—from Iron Man to Endgame (or Spider-Man: Far From Home)—were never going to be universally praised. Statistically, it’s impossible to satisfy everyone, and individual rankings will vary. For me, Iron Man 3 is one of the MCU’s peaks. Many would disagree, but Marvel’s failure to continue exploring that direction was, in my view, a mistake. Meanwhile, many forgettable films (Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron) are only celebrated because they exist within a string of blockbuster hits.
Second: Not everything has been terrible since Phase 4. On the contrary, there have been plenty of films (and series) worth celebrating since Endgame. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is wildly entertaining, and even widely criticized films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania or The Marvels have bold, distinctive personalities. Likewise, WandaVision, Moon Knight, and even Agatha All Along feature standout moments.
The real problem. The downfall of Phases 4 and 5 is that they lack the cohesive, long-term storytelling of the first three phases. The journey toward Endgame was evident from the first Avengers film, but that clear direction is missing now. While some overarching themes, like the multiverse, exist, many films (Shang-Chi, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) feel like aimless attempts to introduce new charismatic heroes rather than integral pieces of a larger story. As with Brave New World, there’s a growing sense that this effort is futile.
The turning point: Marvel’s first flop. Marvel had weak films before, and some underperformed at the box office, but Eternals was the first true failure that forced the MCU to reconsider its direction. Perhaps Marvel intended for the group to become a major force—not another Avengers, but a team capable of anchoring multiple films. The movie introduced subplots meant to expand into other projects and hinted at new characters like Starfox—who has since disappeared.
Marvel pulled back from that plan, and the real issue was that the studio learned it could backtrack, and audiences would accept it. This led to a wave of experimental, self-contained films that never connected, a departure from the once tightly woven MCU. What was once a cohesive, immersive world has become fragmented and uncertain.
Image | Marvel
Related | How to Watch the Marvel Movies and TV Shows in Chronological Order
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