Once upon a time, Marvel was a major force in entertainment as most of their releases were successful critically and financially. However, in the year 2023, that is no longer the case as the franchise experienced a lot of highs and lows that showed that it is now in a fractured state.
During this year, they released a film that became its first major box office flop, a finale to a beloved trilogy, and a TV series that was panned by critics and fans. Arguably, the most successful Marvel release this year came from a non-MCU film that is currently getting awards buzz.
Here's our recap on the Marvel releases in 2023.
Table of Contents
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Underperformed at the Box Office
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Deemed as a Satisfying Finale of the Trilogy
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Considered One of the Best Films of 2023
- Secret Invasion Panned by Critics and Fans
- Loki Season 2 Hailed as an Achievement of MCU Television
- The Marvels Became the First Major MCU Box Office Flop
- What If...? Season 2 Arrives During the Holiday Season
Also Read: Marvel's Echo Unveils New Trailer, Announces New Release Date
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Underperformed at the Box Office
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marked the beginning of Phase Five and the introduction of Kang the Conqueror, the big baddie of the Multiverse Saga. It was supposedly an important entry into the MCU due to its set-ups on the future of the franchise.
However, it ended up underperforming at the box office as it only grossed $476.1 million worldwide and failed to break even. It also has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 46%, one of the very few MCU entries that received a "rotten" rating.
It wasn't a strong beginning of 2023 and Phase Five for the MCU and it was a sign that the cracks are beginning to open.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Deemed as a Satisfying Finale of the Trilogy
The MCU temporarily rebounded again when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released at the beginning of summer to favorable reviews and a successful box office run.
The film was praised for being a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and its emotional exploration of Rocket's backstory, which was the highlight for many fans. It was also the highest-grossing film this year for both the MCU and Disney.
However, it also marked the final MCU work for James Gunn (who is now the co-chairman of DC Studios) and actors such as Zoe Saldaña and Dave Bautista, who both confirmed that it was their last hurrah on their respective roles.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Considered One of the Best Films of 2023
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was one of the biggest hits last summer. Not only did it surpass the first film's box office numbers, it was also widely critically acclaimed and named one of the best films this year.
The film, which is the only Sony Marvel release in 2023, was praised for its dazzling visuals and animation, voice performances, Daniel Pemberton's score, heartfelt story, character development, and thrilling cliffhanger that made fans excited for the third movie.
It is currently considered to be the frontrunner to win Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards just like the first film and is expected to nab more accolades through the awards season.
Secret Invasion Panned by Critics and Fans
Most MCU TV releases have received mixed reactions amongst critics and fans, but none of them were as polarizing as Secret Invasion, which is considered to be a major disappointment.
While the performances of the cast and its grounded tone were praised, the creative decisions such as killing off Maria Hill and Talos and turning Rhodey into a Skrull were widely criticized by fans and critics.
The final episode has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 7%, making it the lowest-rated MCU output to date. The decision to turn Gi'ah into a superhero (with the powers of all Avengers in the universe no less) was also slammed by fans due to its potential contradictions to the rest of the MCU.
This is considered to be the biggest misfire in the MCU to date and fans were disappointed that it failed to live up to its potential, especially since it is based on a beloved storyline in the comics.
Loki Season 2 Hailed as an Achievement of MCU Television
The MCU experienced another quick rebound during the fall season with the release of the second season of Loki, which was hailed by fans and critics as one of the best Marvel releases on television to date.
The show's sophomore run was praised for its satisfying conclusion of Loki's arc, impressive direction and visuals, writing, musical score, the performances of the cast including new cast member Ke Huy Quan, and its high-stakes story.
It also helps that the season stuck the landing, which is considered to be uncommon in MCU TV standards since some of the finales of their shows were deemed disappointing for some fans.
The Marvels Became the First Major MCU Box Office Flop
The Marvels, unfortunately, nabbed an undesirable box office record as it became the lowest-grossing MCU film to date and failed to recoup its budget, making it a major flop.
The film received mixed reviews amongst the critics with praises towards the chemistry of the three leads, shorter runtime, action sequences, and humor, but criticisms were also made for its weak villain and plot structure.
Its promotional campaign was also largely affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike (which only ended days before the film's release) as the actors were not able to participate during the majority of the press tour.
On the bright side, the film brought back Kelsey Grammer's Beast from the Fox X-Men movies, hinting at an exciting future in the rest of the Multiverse Saga.
What If...? Season 2 Arrives During the Holiday Season
The second season of What If...? is set to arrive on Disney+ this coming December 22 just in time for the holiday season. New episodes will drop every day until December 30. Just like the first season, it will consist of nine episodes.
One of the episodes during the new season will feature an original MCU character named Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman who became superpowered after discovering a Tesseract that crash-landed in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in pre-colonial America.
The early social media reactions so far have been mostly positive, suggesting that fans may likely enjoy the new season.
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