A new report allegedly from Marvel insiders points out the obvious that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is suffering from bad writers, directors, and a focus on unpopular characters.
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
This new report comes from The Economist and details, “Disney insiders suggest several causes for the slump. One is to do with personnel. Several trusted writers and directors have moved on. Many of the actors playing the most popular superheroes left the MCU after Avengers: Endgame in 2019, and Chadwick Boseman, the star of Black Panther, died in 2020.”
Anyone who has been paying attention to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has likely made these same observations, but it is interesting that people within Disney are finally starting to recognize it.
(L-R): Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
As an example, the company hired Jac Schaeffer to write the Black Widow film and then doubled down on her with WandaVision and Agatha All Along. Schaeffer made her disdain for staying accurate to comic book canon while promoting Black Widow in an interview with Inverse in 2019.
She said, “I’m not interested in adhering to comic canon that is discriminatory in any way or that violates my values system.”
Jac Schaeffer via American Film Institute YouTube
In the same interview she admitted she wanted to use the Marvel Cinematic Universe to “make, big positive statements.”
She said, “I wasn’t a huge superhero movie fan before starting to work [at Marvel], but now that I’m doing it, there’s just so much opportunity to make big, positive statements.”
“Especially something like Captain Marvel and Black Widow, to have these female-centered stories — I just can’t not be involved in that,” Schaeffer added.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Schaeffer also indicated she hired the writers room for WandaVision based on gender quotas informing Inverse that the makeup of the room was “incredibly intentional, and it was very much supported by Marvel.”
The writers room featured eight staff writers with four of them being women.
To this point she also stated, “I choose to be a part of projects that are about positive representation. We need to see women, we need to see people of color, we need to see nuanced experiences, and we need to see different perspectives on screen.”
Schaeffer continued, “I choose to work with people who are interested in changing perspectives for the better, and putting a world on screen that is something we can aspire to and have conversations about, and moving in a direction that will create a world I hope will be better for my children.”
Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness in Marvel Studios’ WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Not only did they bring in writers like Jac Schaeffer, but they company has attempted to replace all of its main heroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Panther. It introduced Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It replaced Steve Rogers as Captain America with the Falcon, Sam Wilson. After Boseman’s death, Shuri replaced T’Challa as Black Panther.
Their upcoming projects are also doubling down on this. Sam Wilson will be cosplaying as Captain America in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World film. The upcoming Thunderbolts film will not even feature the Thunderbolts. Instead it will feature Yelena Belova, Sentry, Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, female Taskmaster, female Ghost, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
The original Thunderbolts team from the comics was in reality the Masters of Evil and consisted of Baron Zemo, Fixer, Beetle, Screaming Mimi, Goliath, and Moonstone.
Baron Zemo reveals the Thunderbolts are the Masters of Evil in disguise in Thunderbolts #1 (1997), Marvel Comics
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Along with these Marvel insiders noting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s downward trend is due to poor writing, bad directing, and a focus on unpopular heroes, The Economist also claims that China not allowing Marvel films into the country has also hampered the studio’s grosses at the box office.
The Economist details, “Another reason is to do with geopolitics. The first 23 films were all released in China, the world’s largest theatrical market, but between 2020 and 2022, none was.”
However, recent films have been released in China. The Marvels, which did not even gross $200 million worldwide, only brought in $15.4 million in China. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also grossed $86.9 million in China according to The-Numbers.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Finally, The Economist claims that Marvel Studios was simply releasing too much content. The outlet claims, “Since 2021 the MCU has released an average of 3.3 films and 3.7 television series every year—a rate that seems to strain audiences, internal creative teams and special-effects departments. For prospective viewers hoping to watch a new title, 33 films and 11 seasons of television is simply too much homework. The focus on the ‘multiverse’, which draws on films predating the existing cinematic universe, aggravates this issue.”
This portion of this inside information feels like something straight from a Marvel press release. In fact, it’s something Bob Iger recently claimed. Earlier this month, Iger told Variety, “We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three,” the Disney CEO said during the company’s quarterly earnings call Tuesday. “And we’re working hard on what that path is.”
The Walt Disney Company attempted something similar in the past when its Star Wars films began suffering massive declines at the box office. It made no sense then given Marvel films were doing very well and were being released at about 3 per year.
As far as the multiverse idea, this is also something that anyone who has been paying attention has realized and it goes back to the poor writing. Marvel has relied on the Multiverse idea in order to get out its poor writing.
Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams in Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2022 MARVEL.
What do you make of this alleged inside information from The Economist claiming what ails the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
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This reminded me about how I love the new mcds commercial for the brave new world toys. The boys lines are practically wikipedia entry information to remind you THIS is Captain America now, THIS is what he can do and HE has the shield and wings.
They did this because nobody knows, nobody cares about the show, and the movie isn’t even coming out for months.