Marvel Studios did the unprecedented with the Marvel Cinematic Universe of shared movies and television shows. So far, the MCU consists of a total of 55 movies and series, including two specials. But despite a resounding success when it comes to universe building that every major studio since has tried to emulate, interest is seemingly waning. Marvel Studios’ content has in recent times not been the best received. Neither critically, nor commercially. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantummania even has nominations for multiple categories at the Razzies, a new undesirable record for the studio. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel to prevent MCU fatigue, something that could reinvigorate the shared universe.
Marvel Studios’ MCU Fatigue Is Debatable
While dwindling box office results and critical reception are not all doom and gloom for Marvel Studios, it’s not great. Since Phase 4, the MCU has been suffering a lack of clear direction like the first 3 phases. The lack of a clear villain, or storylines not lining up and all of the crazy multiverse shenanigans has seemingly turned fans off. With some rays of sunshine in WandaVision, Loki, and the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies, there’s been a distinct lack of excitement for Marvel Studios’ projects. Which is what many have dubbed as ‘MCU fatigue’.
Although, in many ways, this was something that was a long time coming. The MCU is suffering the same thing as the comic industry has been going through for decades; losing its consumers through the sheer weight of the amount of story involved. The shared universe concept means every new movie or show requires some previous knowledge of what came before.
And not every casual audience member is watching every single movie and show. The Marvels, for example, saw the continuation of characters established in 1 movie and 2 separate shows released years apart. So of course, some audiences may be lost during those story beats. But that is just one example of why the MCU fatigue feels very real.
How Marvel Can Beat MCU Fatigue By Focusing On Standalone Stories
However, there’s a very easy and adjustable way to prevent MCU fatigue. Marvel Studios just needs to focus on their Special Presentations and Marvel Spotlight brands. Similar to how the comic book industry publishers create separate brands that cater to different audiences from their main line, Special Presentations, and Spotlights can be a new brand that doesn’t rely on the weight of the main MCU stories. Not counting the Guardians Of The Galaxy Special Presentation, which was a mini-movie or in-between sequel, Werewolf By Night is the perfect example of this.
The feature film introduced a new character, world, and brand new concepts to the already burgeoning MCU, but kept it entirely separate from the rest. The nature of a clandestine monster-hunting community was perfectly built to fly under the radar of every canon MCU event. So they didn’t need to do what every new Marvel Studios superhero movie does now, which is to explain where the character was for the events in previous movies. The story was completely separate from the rest of the MCU and had a lot of history, heart, and spectacle to satisfy any casual audience. There is no MCU knowledge required to enjoy the Werewolf By Night Special Presentation.
Marvel Spotlight Deserves Another Chance
Another way to beat MCU fatigue is to do more stories like Echo, which was under the Spotlight banner. Spotlight seems to focus on more mature stories like Echo, with more violence and more mature content than the MCU is used to. And while Echo itself wasn’t what we were expecting, the concept still works. Creating a standalone series for ground-level characters that are not adjacent to the larger MCU events, means that Marvel can do character drama and heartfelt stories that aren’t restricted or weighed down by the decade of MCU stories before it.
It’s also another way to highlight characters who may not entirely fit in the super-powered, special weapons-wielding, God-like characters that occupy the rest of the MCU. And the best part is that the risk of doing these standalone stories is minimal. This means that if the story or character doesn’t work, Marvel Studios doesn’t have to adjust their entire years-long story plan.
Like they are having to potentially do now after Jonathan Majors ‘guilty verdict for abuse. But, if the shows and features are a success, they can easily work their stories into the larger MCU universe, and find a way to have those characters join the main storyline. This would be the best chance that Marvel Studios has to prevent MCU fatigue. Otherwise, even if not now, at some point in the future, the universe is going to end up becoming too big for its audience to follow.
Do you think the MCU fatigue is real? Let me know in the comments below. Or follow me on X (Twitter) at @theshahshahid for more MCU discussions.
#MCU #Fatigue #Marvel #Studios #Special #Presentations #Spotlights
