Summary
If it was not clear enough already, Marvel Studios' plan to fix theMarvel Cinematic Universecame into clear view in July 2024. 2024 has been a somewhat strange year for the franchise. Of thelist of Marvel movies releasing in 2024, only one was connected to the MCU. While theupcoming Marvel TV showAgatha All Alongwill continue the Disney+ installments of the franchise in the latter half of the year, 2024 marked a big change from the usual formula of releasing two to four theatrical movies a year.
Granted, thelist of upcoming Marvel moviesis expansive and is only expected to get bigger as more announcements about Phase 6 are delivered in the future. Regardless,this does not change the fact that 2024 can be seen as a turning point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one which will transition the franchise from the divisive stretch afterAvengers: Endgameto a clearer creative plan. More so than any other month in the year, July 2024 laid bare this plan for all to see.
Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Ranked Worst To Best
Over 17 years and 35 movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have redefined blockbuster cinema. But how do all the films stack up?
Marvel’s Formula Recently Switched Towards Familiar Franchises
An Update Into Marvel’s Future Proved Lesser-Known Franchises Will Be Dropped
As alluded to, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a difficult stretch between 2021 and 2023. While some movies in this period were undoubtedly a success - such asSpider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, andBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever-the MCU failed to recapture the consistent box office dominance it showcased between 2013 and 2019. Some of the lesser-received movies includedBlack Widow,Eternals,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,andThe Marvels,proving how the MCU was finding it difficult to drive flocks of audiences back to theaters.
The Marvels became the MCU’s lowest-grossing movie in history, earning only $206 million worldwide.
After this string of disappointing box office returns, Bob Iger outlined his plan to reshape the MCU’s future at the beginning of 2024. This came after the Disney CEO reclaimed his title in late 2022, when he began attempting to recapture the success of all Disney’s franchises from the MCU andStar Warsto Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Where Marvel Studios is concerned, Iger planned to shift the focus of theMCU back toward stronger franchiseson both the theatrical and TV side of things.
July 2024 Proved That Marvel’s Future Lies In Familiarity
Popular Franchises & Characters Became Marvel’s Future
With Marvel’s plan of returning to stronger franchises in full view, July 2024 solidified that the MCU’s future lies in familiarity. In July 2024,two major events happened within days of each other;Deadpool & Wolverinewas released worldwide and San Diego Comic-Consaw Marvel Studios host a Hall H panel that outlined the future of the franchise. The former became an instant box office hit, earning $444 million in worldwide markets on its opening weekend. The MCU has not had a smash success like this sinceSpider-Man: No Way Home, and even then, the profits went to Sony Pictures.
The following paragraph contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
As such,Deadpool & Wolverineis on track to be Marvel Studios' first $1 billion hit sinceAvengers: Endgamein 2019, discounting Sony’s twoSpider-Manmovies. Concerning why this film performed so well, it relates to Marvel’s plan to use stronger franchises and characters. By the time ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s climactic ending, familiarity proved to be a driving point of the film. The titular heroes are remnants of older franchises in superhero cinema from beforeEndgame, and the supporting cast was made up of heroes like Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Wesley Snipes' Blade, Channing Tatum’s Gambit, Dafne Keen’s X-23, and even Chris Evans' Johnny Storm.
Every Cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine Explained
Deadpool & Wolverine is packed to the brim with cameos from across the entire run of Marvel films, combining the numerous timelines together.
As evident,Marvel clearly banked on familiar faces to tellDeadpool & Wolverine’s story, as opposed to newer, unseen charactersfrom across the Marvel multiverse. While this familiarity was handled well, it does not change the fact that Marvel is relying on stronger franchises propped up by nostalgia to carry the MCU to future success. This was also proven byMarvel’s movie reveals at San Diego Comic-Conin July 2024. The panel saw Kevin Feige and co. promoting upcoming movies and making some major announcements, all of which are linked to Marvel’s stronger franchises and better-known characters, actors, and filmmakers.
The three movies focused on in the Hall H panel wereCaptain America: Brave New World,Thunderbolts*,andThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. Captain America is one of the MCU’s most popular characters and is part of the best-received MCU movies critically. The film is led by Anthony Mackie and sees the return of MCU characters like The Leader and Thunderbolt Ross fromThe Incredible Hulk.Thunderbolts*is similar in that it focuses on the titular team that consists of pre-existing MCU characters, led by two fan favorites in Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belove and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes.
Finally,The Fantastic Fouris Marvel’s First Family and one of the most popular teams in the history of the franchise. While all four of the characters are new to the MCU, Reed Richards' cameo inDoctor Strange 2and Johnny Storm inDeadpool 3notwithstanding, they are played by incredibly popular actors. Finally, the bombshell announcement at SDCC 2024 was that theRusso Brothers will directAvengers 5and6and that both movies will feature Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Above all else,the familiarity of the Russos and RDJ proves where Marvel’s future lies.
Is Disney’s MCU Overhaul A Good Thing?
Familiarity Has Its Upsides, But It Depends How It Is Handled
With Marvel evidently pivoting towards movies, characters, actors, and filmmakers that are synonymous with the studio’s most successful period, the question is raised whether this is a good thing. As movies likeDeadpool & WolverineandSpider-Man: No Way Homehave proven, familiarity and nostalgia equate to success. However, it is worth noting that it depends entirely on how nostalgia is handled. For the most part,Deadpool & WolverineandSpider-Man: No Way Homehandled it well, giving every cameo, supporting role, and returning plotline a reason for existing that benefitted the story being told.
Hopefully, the failures of the last few years have not led Marvel to make these decisions out of desperation, but as a more mutually beneficial move…
If Marvel continues this in the future, there is no denying that the plan will be a good thing. It remains to be seen how RDJ’s casting as Doctor Doom works out, as well as how heavily into nostalgia the two upcomingAvengersmovies lean. Hopefully, the failures of the last few years have not led Marvel to make these decisions out of desperation, but as a more mutually beneficial move for the studio, the fans, the stories, and the filmmakers involved. Ideally,a marriage of both familiar and new, exciting concepts would work best, but Marvel’s 2021-2023 run proved this unfeasible.
Avengers: Doomsday - Release Date, Cast, & Story Details
Avengers: Doomsday promises to bring an unprecedented kind of story to the forefront of the MCU, complete with one very important villain.
Marvel’s Smaller Franchises Have One Last Hope
An Upcoming Disney Event Will Bolster Or Condemn Marvel’s Smaller Franchise
As far as Marvel’s smaller franchises are confirmed, they have one last lifeline that could either confirm their future or doom them for good. The weekend of August 9-11 2024 will see Disney host D23, the biggest fan event for all things under the House of Mouse’s sprawling umbrella. SDCC provided an opportunity for Marvel Studios to focus on individual movies, yet D23 will likely see the studio confirm more projects for Phase 6. This will prove to be vital to the future of Marvel;if any smaller MCU franchises are set to continue, it will be confirmed at D23.
D23 will likely be Marvel’s final opportunity to greenlight smaller franchise projects, from a continuation of the lesser-received TV shows or sequels to movies likeEternals. Given that only four movies are confirmed for Phase 6, there will undoubtedly be announcements coming. What exactly those announcements will be is unclear as yet, though they will either confirm that July 2024 has reshaped theMarvel Cinematic Universeto center on familiarity, or offer one last hope for franchises that might previously have been deemed unworthy of a place in the multiverse.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
