Despite what Deadpool says, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga has not been “miss after miss after miss.” The series has had multiple box office smash hits, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and, of course, Deadpool & Wolverine. However, the franchise no longer seems as bulletproof as it was in the 2010s, following The Avengers, when even a critical disappointment like Thor: The Dark World could still make $664 million worldwide.
The Multiverse Saga has had its ups and downs. Some of these were outside the MCU’s control, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, leading to shifting plans and release delays that altered the schedule. Coupled with the real-world tragic passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman and the domestic assault charges against star Jonathan Majors, leading to his firing, it’s been a rough few years.
Yet there were other creative choices, some relatively small, that the MCU could have made that likely would have smoothed over some of the Multiverse Saga’s rougher edges. These won’t be non-helpful ones like “don’t do the multiverse” or “have a plan”, but more practical ones that, in hindsight, seem so obvious.
5
Marvel Never Should Have Adapted ‘Secret Invasion’
Secret Invasion is the worst thing the MCU has ever made. Some fans insist the issue was the execution of Secret Invasion as a Disney+ series; the problem was adapting the comic in the first place. Even though Secret Invasion is one of the most iconic event stories in Marvel Comics over the past 20 years, it was a story very much rooted in the politics of post-9/11 America.
The concept of the world’s superhuman community being infiltrated and replaced by shape-shifters feels like an alt-right conspiracy. While the Skrulls were created as a project of Cold War paranoia, Secret Invasion writer Brian Michael Bendis even acknowledged the influence of 9/11 on the 2008 event comic in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, “The subtext of this story is not knowing if you can trust your friends or family. Years after 9/11, we go on a plane and start scanning the crowd…we can’t help it.”
This idea, particularly within both the comic and the series, of the Skrulls being framed as religious extremists, can’t help but feel like it is coded with hints of xenophobia, particularly 2000s American Islamophobia. The MCU actually attempted to examine the inherent prejudice in classic Skrull stories in Captain Marvel by having the comic ultimately reveal them to be refugees from the Kree imperial powers. That particular version of the Skrulls was refreshing, and sadly has become more topical in recent years. In the end, Marvel Studios traded that rich new status quo for name recognition for a story that didn’t fit the MCU. It was a real jamming a square peg into a round hole situation. Secret Invasion wouldn’t have been better if it were made as an Avengers movie, and Marvel Studios never should have adapted it at all.
4
Not Having The Fantastic Four Ready for Phase Four
This one seems obvious, but The Fantastic Four being introduced (preferably ending) Phase Four of the Multiverse Saga seems like a no-brainer. While the MCU couldn’t have begun development on The Fantastic Four until at least early 2019, after the sale of 20th Century Fox, given that Phase 4 didn’t end until 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, there was certainly time. Had they introduced The Fantastic Four early on, that also means they could have teased Doctor Doom much earlier, providing for a slightly smoother transition for him to take over as the Multiverse Saga’s big bad.
It is hard to argue, though, that things ultimately didn’t turn out for the best. Fantastic Four: First Steps is not only the best film adaptation of the iconic team but one of the MCU’s best titles in a while. Had it arrived early, there is a good chance Joseph Quinn or Ebon Moss-Bacharach would have been cast as The Human Torch or The Thing, respectively, since their breakout performances didn’t hit until 2022. A good example of how maybe a good story and cast are more important than an obvious marketing hook like “Marvel’s Phase (Fantastic) Four.”
3
Putting She-Hulk in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Would Have Corrected a Recurring Issue
Captain America: Brave New World is frustrating in how it fails to connect obvious corners of the MCU. Given that the film is essentially an Incredible Hulk sequel with characters like Thaddeus Ross/ The Red Hulk, Samuel Sterns / The Leader, and Betty Ross all appearing, the lack of Bruce Banner / Hulk is baffling. Yet even aside from that, why did the film not include Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk? The movie has the perfect avenue to bring her in, given she is a lawyer who specializes in superhero cases, and Isiaah Bradley is arrested and is set to be sentenced to death for attempted assassination. This is a cameo that is not fan-service, but story-motivated.
Jennifer Walters could show up as Isiah’s representative and allow She-Hulk and the new Captain America to meet. Not only is that fun, but it builds a foundation that can be carried into future movies. Jennifer Walters didn’t need to transform into She-Hulk if the filmmakers wanted to save money. It likely would have only required Tatiana Maslany to be on set for a few days for reshoots (which the movie underwent plenty of) in one or two locations. Including She-Hulk wasn’t just a natural way to connect two different sections of the MCU, but it could also have addressed a criticism that many of the new characters introduced in the Multiverse Saga have not had recurring appearances or cameos like many characters in the Infinity Saga. Just a few scenes could have gone a long way.
2
Not Moving Forward With ‘Shang-Chi’ Sequels Soon Enough
On May 5, 2008, just three days after Iron Man opened in theaters and later went on to open to $98 million in its opening weekend, Marvel Studios quickly announced not only Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers, but also fast-tracked Iron Man 2 to be released in just two years. Given Iron Man 2‘s quality, we aren’t saying Marvel Studios should have rushed out a Shang-Chi sequel, but it also shouldn’t have taken this long. It has been over four years since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings came out, and despite being a hit with critics and fans, as well as a box office hit in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, no progress on a sequel has been made. The character won’t appear again in live-action until Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, five years after his debut.
During the Infinity Saga, Marvel sequels typically took between two and three years. While there was a four-year gap between Thor: The Dark World in 2013 and Ragnarok in 2017, audiences saw the God of Thunder in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015, leaving only a two-year gap for the character. Marvel Studios should have prioritized a Shang-Chi sequel. Even if the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes might have delayed its release, it should still have been a priority and could likely have been released in 2024 alongside Deadpool & Wolverine. Now a Shang-Chi sequel won’t come until after Avengers: Secret Wars.
Phase 4 began with the promise of new characters like Shang-Chi becoming the face of the franchise after established heroes like Iron Man and Captain America took a bow. It was never a matter of audiences not liking Shang-Chi; they clearly did, judging by the box office. It was just that Marvel Studios failed to back him up with a sequel and cameo appearances in other projects, the way they had with their original Avengers line-up.
1
Not Releasing an Avengers Movie Was a Huge Mistake
On paper, it made sense that Marvel Studios would opt to make Avengers movies as Saga ending films instead of concluding Phases. After the record-breaking box office of Avengers: Endgame, a regular Avengers movie was always going to underperform by comparison, so Marvel decided to use the brand name only for massive, sprawling-universe uniting epics. However, in the end, that decision ultimately hurt the MCU, as the Avengers movies were fundamental to establishing the relationships that built the franchise and kept audiences invested. Just think, despite having appeared together in Avengers: Endgame, what is the dynamic between Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, two MCU leads?
Marvel could have made an Avengers movie that united six or seven MCU heroes, which would have ultimately fleshed out character dynamics and carried the franchise forward. Even the Young Avengers film that Marvel Studios was seemingly building in the background of Phases Four and Five would have gone a long way. It says something that one of the best-reviewed titles in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga is Thunderbolts*, which gets a lot of mileage out of having the characters’ unique personalities bounce off one another. Marvel Zombies also generated a lot of praise from fans for feeling like the Avengers movie the Multiverse Saga had been missing.
Marvel Studios and Disney seemingly got worried about the potential headlines of an Avengers movie “underperforming” compared to the biggest movie of all time, but that decision ultimately came back to haunt them, as now they are receiving even worse headlines about the franchise’s relevance. Now, more expectations are put on Avengers: Doomsday than if they had just made a regular Avengers movie.