It can be said that Marvel movies have become the standard for superhero films. Throughout the years, people have found themselves always looking forward to the next Marvel movies for the year. Avengers: Endgame was a blast, and it did make history becoming the second highest-grossing film of all time, next to Avatar.
However, many fans were left wondering what’s next after Avengers: Endgame. And voilà, Marvel revealed a lot of upcoming films and even television series post-Endgame.
But recently, fans have noticed a change in the quality of the films for quite some time now. Let’s take a look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films post-Endgame and see why some argue that Marvel movies are indeed getting worse.
Post-Endgame: MCU Phase 4
Negative feedback for Marvel films peaked in Phase 4. While Phase 4 had its successful movies – Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, this was also the first time Marvel had a very low rating for its films. Let’s take a look at the Phase 4 films.
Black Widow (2021)
Black Widow focuses on Natasha Romanoff’s past before she became an Avenger. We meet her family: super soldier Alexei Shostakov, Black Widow Melina Vostokoff, and sister Yelena Belova. We also see more of Natasha’s history as a spy and the broken relationships she left.
While there may have been controversies surrounding this film, like the lawsuit filed by actress Scarlett Johansson against The Walt Disney Company for a breach of a stipulation in her contract, the film did receive good reception. It gained an approval rating of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and gained “generally favorable reviews” on Metacritic. However, it was criticized for having a boring and predictable plot, an instantly-forgettable villain, and an overly long runtime.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi is the first Asian-led film of Marvel Studios. The film is an origin story for Xu Shang-Chi/Shaun, and we get to know more about the Ten Rings. In the mid-credits scene, Wong, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel discover that the rings are acting as a beacon to something.
The film became the ninth highest-grossing film of 2021. On Rotten Tomatoes, it gained an approval rating of 91%. It even gained a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards. With its success, a sequel is in development. However, while many may have enjoyed the film, others say that it lacks character development and has a lot of plot holes.
Eternals (2021)
Now this film is the lowest-rated MCU film despite its power cast. Eternals was filled with really bad reviews and is the MCU’s first “Rotten” film, with the film gaining only an approval rating of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Eternals focuses on the after-effects of Thanos’ snap. In the film, the return of half the population ignites “the emergence”. Thus, the Eternals (an immortal alien race who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years) have to protect humanity from the Deviants.
Many have regarded the film as useless, with a plot that leads to nowhere. Many considered the movie dull and boring, with structural flaws that beat the stunning visuals. Some say that it was too rushed, and there are too many characters that just couldn’t fit in the entire film.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
This movie definitely is the best one in the MCU’s Phase 4. The third Spider-Man film follows Peter Parker dealing with his life turned upside down after Mysterio exposed his identity. He seeks help from Doctor Strange, but things become messy when the multiverse breaks open.
Of course, everyone loved that we got to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield once again as Spider-Man, along with their notable villains: Green Goblin, Otto Octavius, Sandman, Electro, and Lizard. And Daredevil fans were very pleased with Matthew Murdock’s cameo as well.
The film received favorable reviews and an approval rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. It became the highest-grossing film of 2021, the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the highest-grossing Spider-Man film.
However, some say that the movie was a fan service and that if it weren’t for Peter-Two and Peter-Three, the plot would have been boring. Fans also questioned Doctor Strange with his decision to help Peter by casting a spell that would make everyone forget that he’s Spider-Man, even though Strange knew of the grave consequences.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
In this film, Dr. Strange finds himself protecting America Chavez (a teenager capable of traveling between universes in the multiverse) from Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. As it turns out, Wanda is the villain in the movie. She wanted to use America Chavez’s powers so that she could be with her children Billy and Tommy.
The film gained an approval rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes and “mixed or average reviews” on Metacritic. Many criticized the film for ruining Wanda’s character development in WandaVision. Many also think that the film did not meet multiverse expectations despite its title and that No Way Home did a better job with the multiverse aspect in the MCU.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
In the fourth Thor film, Thor attempts to find inner peace but instead finds himself stopping the Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.
The movie gained an approval rating of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and “mixed or average reviews” on Metacritic. Many think that the comedy in the film was forced and that it could have been a better film if they didn’t try to make jokes in every scene.
And while Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr the God Butcher was praised, we don’t see him for a long time in the film despite being the main villain. Furthermore, the forced comedy makes the film unengaging and instantly forgettable.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
In the second Black Panther film, Wakanda fights to protect their nation after the death of King T’Challa. In this film, we see more of the hidden undersea nation Talokan and Shuri as the new Black Panther.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was nominated for five Academy Awards (winning Costume Design). The film gained an approval rating of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and “generally favorable reviews” on Metacritic. However, it was criticized for being too lengthy and not as good as the first Black Panther film.
Post-Endgame: MCU Phase 5
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
The third Ant-Man film opens Phase 5 of the MCU. However, many regarded it as a weak start for Phase 5. The film has an approval rating of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, the same as Eternals.
The film sets up Marvel’s next big villain, Kang the Conqueror, but other than that, critics say that the movie just lacks everything else. Owen Gleiberman from Variety even said, "...if this is what Phase 5 looks like, God save us from Phases 6, 7 and 8.”
The Future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
A common reason that many fans see why the quality of Marvel Movies has been declining is because Marvel Studios now focuses more on quantity rather than quality. Marvel has too many projects now, both on films and television series, so maybe that’s why it has been lacking in quality control, leading to Marvel movies getting worse.
However, it’s still too early to judge Phase 5 with just Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania released. Many films and series are on the way, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Secret Invasion, Loki Season 2, Captain America: New World Order, and Daredevil: Born Again.
The next big Marvel movie is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will be the last movie for the Guardians franchise. It’s scheduled to be released in theaters on May 5, 2023.
Guess we’ll have to see the rest of the Phase 5 films in order to fully judge whether Marvel movies are indeed getting worse.
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