The MCU does not deserve the hate it's been getting. In fact, it deserves a little more credit for what's it done so far. I know, I know. Hey, listen, put that pitchfork down. Also, don't throw that rock at me. I am a very sensitive person, and I will cry if a rock touches my face, however light the impact may be. No, for now, just sit down and listen. Once I'm done, you can go back to imagining the many different ways in which you want to see my face behind your fist. Just, again, please don't actually do it. I will sob.
Anyway, the MCU has been mired in controversy the past few years. Its declining critical reception began not long after Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters. Following the film's release, Marvel Studios announced a slew of new movies and, excitingly, live-action Disney+ TV shows that, for the first time, would be firmly set in the MCU.
Now, these shows started out strong. WandaVision was a huge hit that had all of us coming up with a thousand different theories about the origin of a man in a beekeeper suit. Loki was basically the MCU's avant-garde offering for those of more refined taste, and What If...? was an okay-received animated series. But even with that success, trouble started brewing in the distance. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, while popular, divided audiences. Then, came the other shows, and that's when things took a turn for the worse.
The likes of Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law came out, and while most of the shows were critically successful, they began to cement the idea that the MCU was getting too convoluted and low-quality relative to what it had been in its early years. Then came Eternals, Secret Invasion, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and... well, if you're tuned into comic book movie coverage, you're aware of what happened next.
Some (understandably, given the perception around its offerings) began seeing Marvel Studios as a shell of its former self; a company without direction trying to replicate an era that had long passed. That narrative has always bugged me. Not because it's entirely untrue, but because it was, to an extent, blown out of proportion.
Now, Marvel did struggle with quality, that is not in question. It also likely struggled with having to put out so much content for streaming. After all, Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum confirmed the House of Ideas was mandated to create a lot of material for Disney+ during an interview with the Phase Zero podcast:
"I mean, frankly, in all honesty, there was a mandate to kind of create as much as we could for Disney+ as quickly as we could."
So, the idea that the company was spread too thin isn't far off. Yet, that's not what's in question here. There was some declining quality, particularly on the features side, but it wasn't as gloom-and-doom as it was portrayed as.
Yes, some MCU TV series and films were of lesser quality than previous offerings, but you know what? For the most part, they were still just okay to good. And, despite the general consensus that Marvel Studios has been a sinking ship in terms of quality, that is not necessarily accurate.
The TV Shows
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for example, has an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Hawkeye has a 92% score. Moon Knight has an 86%. Ms. Marvel's is 98%. Even She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is, frankly, unfairly maligned, has a 79% RT score. Granted, it is vastly different from its Audience Score of 32%, but given how infamous the show was among certain circles, who can be sure of just how many of those reviews were posted by people simply wanting to make the series look bad.
Now, while overall, the aforementioned shows were not universally praised, (in my best Jon Bernthal voice), let me tell ya somethin': they were all fun.
Hawkeye was a blast; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just felt like a superhero show, and yeah, I'll say it: She-Hulk was good. It was a fun story about what a superhero lawyer would have to deal with in the MCU, and I loved it. There were some wasted characters here and there (mostly looking at you, Mr. Immortal), but it was a pleasant and funny experience.
Now, I am a huge Moon Knight fan. Like, huge. And I'll be the first to admit the show didn't necessarily capture the awesome world of the character, but even with that departure, I loved the heck out of it. It was an interesting and thought-provoking take on Marc Spector's world. Point being, the MCU series, while not perfect, were still compelling adventures that showcased sides of their shared universe that the movies don't always have time for.
The Movies
As mentioned, the MCU films are, admittedly, a slightly different story. There was a significant number of features that just didn't hit with audiences following Avengers: Endgame. Those include Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. But just like with the shows, most of these films weren't offensively bad.
Yes, there are plenty of flaws to find in them, but they are, nonetheless, fun and exciting comic book stories brought to life. For example, I really enjoy Quantumania. It's not as good as the first two Ant-Man films, but it's still okay. And I love Kathryn Newton's take on Cassie Lang. She conveyed the excitement of a kid having Ant-Man's powers effectively, while also accurately showing the weight of a daughter realizing the responsibilities her parent had been bearing all along.
The Marvels is also a cute film. It's funny, it has flashy action sequences, and come on... that cat sequence in the last act. Even if you're angry at the movie, I find it hard to believe none of you enjoyed it. Come on, you in the back. Yeah, I see you nodding along. I know you liked it.
So, yes, Marvel Studios experienced a decline in quality. That is not in question. The company was forced to juggle putting out multiple live-action and animated TV series while still trying to keep up the excitement and quality of its big-screen ventures. But, the fact that, even with all that pressure, its more disliked products still turned out the way they did speaks volumes about the talent from folks at Marvel Studios. That's why the company deserves more recognition for the past few years.
Some of their movies may not have been received well, but even if you count Quantumania, The Marvels, Love and Thunder, Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as "bad," that is still only five movies out of 36 films in total. That's an impressive track record.
And, even with all the turmoil, we've still received generally loved adventures like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Black Widow (don't fight me on this), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. And the streak has continued with Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts on the movie side, and with projects like Werewolf by Night, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Daredevil: Born Again.
All the shows and movies mentioned here are not perfect masterpieces, but they're not offensive trainwrecks either. Their rating scale goes from really good, to pretty good, to okay, with only rare sprinkles of bad.
It's also worth noting that in earlier phases, not all films were well-received. They may be looked at fondly now, but movies like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron were not the most popular when they first came out. Yet, Marvel continued, and eventually finished what is now one of the most revered sagas in movie history.
They hit a slump back then, but they recovered, and they hit a slump recently, which they are also recovering from. But that is to be expected with a nearly 20-year-old franchise. Ultimately, even with the controversy, we got a slew of exciting shows and movies that, while not all well-received, still have things we can look back on and say, "Huh, that was not half bad." Excitement is building back up for the long-running superhero franchise, and part of that is because of all the different MCU chapters we've gotten to experience, both in the small and big screens.
Of course it's good that Marvel had the opportunity to hit the brakes, take a step back and slow down its development machine to deliver more quality products. But we should also take a step back and realize that its offerings in the past few years, while not perfect, have been cool and competent adaptations of the comic book characters we've loved for so many years.
Okay, as promised, now you can imagine punching me now. Just, please, be prepared for a lot of sobbing on my part. Also from my cat. He doesn't like seeing me hurt.
So, do you agree with the idea that not everything has been doom and gloom at Marvel Studios and the MCU? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!