The Infinity Saga wrapped up with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, and as Marvel Studios geared up to begin Phase 4, a certain global pandemic brought the world to a halt.
When things finally kicked off in 2021, COVID was still raging but the MCU could not be beaten and the expansion of this shared world began in earnest. However, that was the same year Marvel Studios released their first "Rotten" movie and, from there, we embarked on something of a rocky ride. While far from a failure, Kevin Feige and company clearly struggled to balance so many spinning plates across film and television.
As a result, Phase 4 is generally perceived as a hit-and-miss few years for Marvel Studios and a period that saw them face more claims of "superhero fatigue" than ever before. Critics have certainly been harsher than ever, something that's been reflected in those all-important Rotten Tomatoes scores.
In this feature, we take a look back at the Phase 4 projects which failed to obtain "Certified Fresh" status (a movie or TV show needs 75% and above to do so), why that happened, and what it means for the MCU moving forward...
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (74%)
Missing out on that "Certified Fresh" label by a single percentage point, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was somewhat hampered by expectations that were perhaps a little too high heading into the sequel.
After the events of Loki and trailers which teased Sir Patrick Stewart's return as Professor X, we expected big things from Sam Raimi's Marvel return. He did an admirable job, but the Multiverse didn't feel all that mad, even with some major cameos from characters like Mister Fantastic and Black Bolt. Scarlet Witch's villainous turn was also a little divisive, so we can see why this busy (and occasionally messy) follow-up didn't soar higher on the review aggregator.
Another MCU put through the wringer with reshoots, a lengthier runtime would have benefited this sequel as would a post-credits scene which didn't totally contradict the movie's ending.
Thor: Love and Thunder (63%)
Thor: Ragnarok is widely considered one of Marvel Studios' best movies, if not its most unique. Needless to say, with Taika Waititi returning to helm a follow-up that introduced the Mighty Thor alongside Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, all signs pointed to this being an instant classic. It wasn't.
Perhaps putting a little too much faith in Waititi's abilities, Marvel Studios allowed the filmmaker to run wild and deliver a movie that wasted its impressive cast and was far too silly to be taken seriously. Clocking in at under 2 hours, we're not sure whether Thor: Love and Thunder would have benefited from an extra 30 minutes but, had that been as bad as the rest of what we saw, it's probably for the best so many scenes were cut.
With that in mind, we can't even pretend to be surprised that this is the lowest-rated Thor movie and think it's probably best the God of Thunder gets another reboot should he return for a fifth solo outing.
Eternals (47%)
The first "Rotten" MCU movie we mentioned at the start of this feature, Eternals had an Oscar-winning filmmaker at the helm and a cast that was arguably among Marvel Studios' best.
For whatever reason, the movie never quite clicked and received what we'd describe as an overly harsh negative critical reception, as a result. With too many characters and one of the franchise's worst villains, Eternals wasn't the exploration of the MCU's timeline we hoped for and was far from the game-changer it was billed as. A couple of years later, there's still been no mention of the fact a giant marble Celestial is sticking out of the Indian Ocean!
Some sort of follow-up to address that big cliffhanger would be welcomed, but there's still no news on that front. Again, calling this a "Rotten" movie seems unfair but it's definitely one that wasn't quite good enough to earn that coveted "Certified Fresh" status.
What About The MCU's TV Shows?
Despite some underwhelming episodes and poor creative decisions, none of Marvel Studios' TV shows failed to earn a "Certifed Fresh" badge. Here's how each of them fared according to the site:
- Ms. Marvel (98%)
- Loki (92%)
- Hawkeye (92%)
- What If...? (91%)
- WandaVision (91%)
- Moon Knight (86%)
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (84%)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (80%)
Looking at these scores, it's hard to understand why there appears to be such a high level of negativity surrounding Marvel Studios' Phase 4 efforts. It's not as if every single MCU movie has scored 90% and above in the past, so everything we see here is a fantastic result. Perhaps there is a certain level of fatigue given how many projects we've seen on our screens since 2021, though it's not like critics have completely turned on this franchise!
One thing we can surely all agree on, however, is that the Multiverse Saga has not been as compelling as the Infinity Saga.
How Many Other Movies Haven't Been "Certified Fresh"?
We've established that only a few Phase 4 movies failed to earn "Certified Fresh" status on Rotten Tomatoes, but which previous titles are keeping Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Eternals company?
It's not a long list! There's only Thor: The Dark World (66%), The Incredible Hulk (67%), and this year's Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (47%). The former two are considered among the MCU's worst movies, so perhaps that explains why there's been such a panic about Phase 4. Phase 5 obviously isn't off to the best of starts, but we'd argue that it's far too soon to begin panicking about this franchise's future.
Marvel Studios does need to course correct a little, something that seems to be the plan now Bob Iger has replaced the ousted Bob Chapek as Disney CEO. Hopefully, the next few years will better explain where the Multiverse Saga is actually taking us...