It has been fairly clear to the majority of fans that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a pretty bumpy ride lately, both critically and commercially. Many have complained about Phase 4 in particular, and how the films and Disney+ series therein haven't put forth the best quality since the start of this new phase. According to Cinemascore, Thor: Love and Thunder and Eternals received the lowest scores in the franchise, with one getting a B+ and the other getting a B (via The Direct). Even on Rotten Tomatoes, we have had our first rotten MCU film in Eternals, while Love and Thunder only managed a 66% in critical reviews. It is clear, looking at these numbers, that the MCU is not in a great place. On top of that, the MCU's competition at DC has had a much better track record with the release of the Snyder cut of Justice League and The Batman being a much better film than many people were initially expecting it to be. Stronger competition put the MCU at a much higher disadvantage during this phase.
Financially, the MCU films throughout Phase 4 were still mainly doing well, and with the COVID-19 pandemic closing down theaters at its height, it's understandable why some films weren't necessarily reaching the billion-dollar numbers others previously had. That said, even with these factors, Eternals still is one of the lowest box office totals for the MCU, making only about $164 million domestically. It is quite obvious right now that the MCU is having to lean on its past praise to get people out to theaters. But what happened to the MCU to make this a reality? Here are five things that hurt MCU's Phase 4.
Quantity Over Quality
One of the more obvious issues that can come up when creating multiple films in a franchise within a short amount of time is overexertion, and that is certainly the case for Phase 4 of the MCU. Between the new series on Disney+ and the movies premiering in theaters, there was just too much content coming out at one time for there to be any real quality control at the Disney offices. And it really shows with their overall output.
We have gone from about 11 movies within a phase to multiple movies a year in addition to TV shows and, now, a special presentation film for a streaming giant. With such high quantities, something is going to turn out not as good as the rest. Indeed, much of MCU Phase 4's scrutiny was directed at the lackluster visuals (via The Ringer), a sign of the franchise's VFX teams being overworked and faced with impossible deadlines, just to match the planned output. What's more, quantity over quality ultimately lessens each release feeling like an event, or something to look forward to, as it was during The Infinity Saga.
The Effects of COVID-19
COVID-19 undoubtedly played a big part in why MCU's Phase 4 was so poorly received. Unexpected changes had to be made throughout production in order to meet safety guidelines and protocols. Shows and movies had to be delayed, and others pushed forward, causing some mess-ups in the overall feeling of the phase. The Falcon and Winter Solder was especially affected, delaying production in Prague in 2020, with an entire story point with the villains having to be changed in order to fit with the new post-COVID world. WandaVision, too, reportedly had to pivot from an initially-planned 10-episode arc, resulting in a finale that felt rushed and open-ended.
The Loss of Steve and Tony
This was always going to be an issue for the MCU, particularly immediately after Avengers: Endgame. With the loss of such iconic characters, you are basically having to start from the bottom and introduce brand-new characters that people can connect to. The issue with this is that new characters will always be compared to the previous ones, and if they can't live up to expectations, they will fail. Many have been critical of characters like America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In an article by AV Club, America is criticized for being "surprisingly passive for long stretches of the film" in which the character is given very little to do, and very little is achieved overall with her character beyond her being a plot device for the film to get the Avengers we know from place to place. This is a very poor use of a character that many fans have been excited to see brought to life.
Not Experimental Enough
Eternals was the first time that Marvel really started to experiment with their formula and do something truly unique and different, but there were other projects that the MCU produced that seemed the same way. Such as WandaVision or Moon Knight. But neither of those stories went far enough. Moon Knight and WandaVision both gave up on their initially-different concepts for big action set pieces in the end in order to fit with the overall franchise. In fact, this is something that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law criticized itself, which may signal a change going forward. Nonetheless, the MCU formula has ultimately made a lot of Phase 4 movies and TV series feel cookie-cutter.
Kevin Feige Being Spread Too Thin
This is the biggest factor, and goes back to the issue of quantity over quality. It was already revealed that Feige had little oversight on Doctor Strange 2, who felt that the marketing of the film was too spoiler-y. While Feige as President of Marvel Studios, of course, has full creative control of the franchise, the reality is there is just too much content even for him. At the end of the day, some of it just isn't going to get the time it needs to work and be an excellent product. This was the cast with Mahershala Ali's Blade reboot, which halted pre-production in October as a result of creative differences and Feige not being fully present in its development. The question, now, is will P 5 be enough to help boost the MCU, or will they also continue the downward trajectory? It may at the moment feel like such questions are hard to tell right now.