Let’s be honest: Phases 1, 2 & 3 of the MCU had their warts. Yes, you had Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Avengers series, and Doctor Strange. You also had Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Ant-Man & the Wasp. So, before we all get misty-eyed at the previous films, let’s level set here – there was way more good than bad, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t bad.
When we get to Phase 4, though, that’s a whole new level of shit than what we saw before. Eventually, the paying audience caught on, and the MCU movies suddenly weren’t doing so well – or at least, as well as they did before. Sure, they still had their fans and defenders, but all of a sudden, the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed to lose its lustre. Don’t believe me? Phase One’s worldwide profits were collectively 3.8 times above their production budget; Phase Two’s profits were four times above, and Phase Three’s profits were a whopping 5.5 times above the production budget. Phase 4? Collective profits were 3.7 times above production budget (and thanks to Wikipedia for all the numbers). Still good, but the least profitable Phase in the MCU to date (I’m sure Phase 5 will beat it, though).
So, why has this happened? A vocal contingent of fans online says it’s because the MCU became the M-She-U. Okay, but is that really enough to cause everyone to stay away, especially those not particularly savvy or interested in today’s cultural wars? Was it because of the pandemic? Yeah, that probably hurt Black Widow, which streamed and was in theatres simultaneously. But by the second film in Phase Four, Shang Chi, people were coming back to the theatres and Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the most profitable films in MCU history, global crisis be damned.
So, why exactly did a juggernaut that could print cash on demand start being less profitable? Pull up a seat, my friend, and settle in; I have a tale of strange choices and greedy executives to impart on thee.
The First Film was a Prequel
Iron Man led off Phase One and set the tone for the franchise. Iron Man 3 kicked off Phase Two, Iron Man dealing with PTSD from the battle of New York and getting cured of his injuries from Iron Man 1. Phase Three started with the Avengers engaged in a civil war and disbanding.
Phase Four? Phase Four started off with a character already dead in a storyline that had already passed.
Yeah.
I ask, what tone does that set for the future movies in the Phase? That we aren’t going to give you any new characters to support; instead, we’re going to reminisce about characters who are gone? Or we’re going to give you a bunch of new characters as replacements who you aren’t going to care about? I love Florence Pugh, and she was one of the few good things about Black Widow, but what has she been seen in since? The television show Hawkeye? Who cares?
The first film is supposed to set you up for the rest of the phase. There were no tablestakes in Black Widow. The outcome had already been determined (as Black Widow was seen in Avengers Infinity War and Endgame), so what exactly was I watching Black Widow for? To see them gender-swap Taskmaster? To get an idea of how Black Widow became the way she was? It certainly wasn’t to give Yelena Belova anything important to do after the movie.
As far as lead-offs go, Black Widow did a faceplant. It should have been a Phase Three movie, but some genius decided it should kick off Phase Four. And kick it off, it did…not.
Homework
Quick, raise your hand if you liked doing homework when you were in school (or if you’re still in school, if you like doing homework). Yeah, me neither. As a kid, you’re already supposed to endure six hours of forced socialization learning information on subjects that a) you don’t care about and b) you’re probably not going to use again. For every subject I liked in school, there were 2-3 I didn’t.
Some folks were already turned off from the first three phases of the MCU because they had to watch every movie to appreciate the entire thing. That’s twenty-three movies you have to view. Now, the movies were released over an eleven-year span, which comes out to roughly a little over two a year. Not too onerous, right?
Now imagine you’re told that you not only have to watch the movies but also the television shows. Not only that, but you also have to pay for a streaming service. So, you have to devote time not only to movies but also to television shows, as well as to the expense of subscribing to the television series and seeing the movies in the theatre.
Now, I know, I know – this is 2024 – people don’t pay for anything anymore. And for most, that’s true. However, let’s say you’re one of those who does do everything above the board. Extra expense, extra time. For what purpose? Did watching WandaVision really enhance Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness? Well, if you didn’t watch the show, you wouldn’t have seen Wanda had kids, lost them, and subsequently lost her mind. Also, that she became more powerful with the Darkhold. So, those points would have been lost.
So, you have to watch the show. For some people, this was a breaking point. Not only that, the shows had no bearing on the rest of Phase Four. There was no Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home or Thor: Love and Thunder connection. You watched the rest of the shows, and they had no bearing on any of the movies…and to top it all off, the vast majority of shows sucked.
Where’s the Vision?
No, not the character. I mean the overarching vision. You know, like the Infinity Saga had. Throughout those first twenty-three movies, Thanos was established, his motives, the infinity stones and it all led to a hell of a conclusion in Endgame.
Where was the vision in Phase Four? Let me run down the movies:
- Black Widow – dead character, storyline already passed.
- Shang-Chi – new character, no follow-up
- Eternals – new characters, no follow-up
- Spider-Man: No Way Home – wrap up to the Tom Holland Spider-Man series
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – sequel to Doctor Strange, establishes the Multiverse
- Thor: Love and Thunder – establishes that Jane Foster now rocks and Thor sucks
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – says goodbye to T’Challa and hello to Shuri as Black Panther
Okay. So, in the movies, what was established? The Multiverse. Who’s the big bad? Kang? Well, I would have had to watch Loki to even get a hint of that (and remember, not everyone got Disney Plus or watched Loki). What does Kang want? Ummm…a ham sandwich? What’s his plan? To…find the perfect ham sandwich?
In Phases One to Three, I felt like we were going somewhere. Phase Four sounds like a bunch of disparate stories with no connection and no reason to care. Most of them scream “Money Grab!” in the sense they are bringing back characters of yesteryear for one final hurrah or introducing new ones in a (fingers-crossed!) attempt to make you care. Because, let’s be honest, who had heard of Iron Man, Captain America, or the Guardians of the Galaxy before their movies came out? The difference? Those movies were good (or great, depending on your preference) and wove a story incorporating all those characters into one shared mythos. Phase Four stuck its hand into your pocket, took out a wad of cash and laughed in your face.
In Conclusion
While the pandemic and the internet culture war that has included a vocal group decrying the M-She-U had their hands on Phase Four being a flop, there was more to it than just those factors. Phase Four was a jumbled mess, with no clear vision of where we were going, poorly created cash grabs that did disservice to previous characters and new characters that, frankly, didn’t inspire. Add in an additional requirement to watch television shows on a streaming service that no one asked for, and it’s not a surprise that Phase Four was the least financially successful of any of the phases.
Of course, Phase Five might be even worse – to date, with the collective films only making back 1.8 times their production budget (and thus, probably in the red when you factor in marketing). I’m sure I’ll be back to say why Phase Five failed as well – and maybe do a post-mortem of the MCU as well? Probably not, as Disney won’t let their cash cow expire without several more reboots, delays, re-shoots and “re-imaginings” of their content – I’ve even heard whispers they’ll try to bring back the original Avengers. Is it too late? Time will tell, and the clock is ticking…