Marvel phase 5 problem & critique

[Maestro 216]

There is certainly a dip of quality, but it isn't BOTTOM OF THE BARREL MSHEU WOKE CHARACTERS RUINING EVERYTHING levels like youtubers suggest.

[Colossus1980]

My issue with the MCU would be less focus on comedy and quips, have a more serious tone. Personally I enjoyed the She-Hulk but I can see fans turned off by the lack of seriousness with She-Hulk and Love and Thunder.

[hyped78]

My issue with the MCU would be less focus on comedy and quips, have a more serious tone. Personally I enjoyed the She-Hulk but I can see fans turned off by the lack of seriousness with She-Hulk and Love and Thunder.

This. They've turned Thor into a stand-up comedian.

[Brian B]

Exactly. Another aspect people seem to miss is that Marvel Studios makes superhero content, exclusively. They don't have the option of branching out beyond that, so they need increase their output if they want to grow as a company.

Marvel’s got horror properties they’ve barely tapped into, although some have a bit of superhero flavoring. They could also go much more sci-fi than they have. They could also do some rom-com movies or soap opera TV — think of Millie the Model, or Rosario Dawson, Night Nurse, in a setting less like Netflix Defenders’ series. Marvel could even go Brokeback Mountain knock-off dramas with Rawhide Kid.

I really think Marvel is much more unlimited in the kinds of stories they can tell including at the movies or streaming. Marvel has a LOT of great IP. Only DC could really compete with the breadth of it. Star Wars properties and even Disney’s own properties don’t have nearly such a range available to them that Marvel by itself has, if Feige wants to exploit it.

[Brian B]

I agree that the MCU is absolutely incredible, but I don't buy the argument that the MCU should continue expanding at its current rate. That point of view might have worked when Marvel Studios was releasing two or three movies a year (and most of them being around only two hours in length). Sitting through a "mid" Marvel movie is not a big deal. Even sitting through three consecutive Marvel films a year that are not so hot allows people to be "caught up" on things in the MCU. It's palatable to mainstream audiences. And probably at least one of those films will be pretty good (if we're going by past MCU performances at the box office). It's the adding of three or four Disney Plus shows per year (each of which are more than five hours in length) which continue to introduce unrecognizable properties (alongside three movies a year some of which are closer to three hours) that are wearying audiences. There are WAY too many stories going on at the SAME TIME right now. And we have WAY too many characters showing up while older ones are still hanging around (in my view to their detriment). And we have multiple timelines existing in the MCU as well (which include properties from non-Disney Marvel content). NONE of that shit happened between 2008-2020. When we get to Phase 5, the movies/shows are probably gonna bring up events in previous phases that fans won't even remember or care about. Folks are interested in OTHER things (which take up time to engage in), so they'll tell themselves "well, we'll catch up on the Marvel stuff later." But if they miss too much, LOTS of those people are GONNA say "fuck it, we give up" and stop watching. And I don't think Disney/Marvel can allow that to happen. Look at the reaction to the Marvel delays of their movies and shows. There's basically been no outcry over the postponement of future Marvel releases at all. To me, that just shows Marvel is shitting out content too quickly. Do you really want the MCU to turn into the Simpsons (where general audiences are largely indifferent to what that once popular show's creators are making these days)? Because if the MCU continues on its current trajectory, I'm pretty confident people will eventually give up on the franchise. To me, the Marvel delays just made the MCU fanboys who keep telling people "if you don't like the MCU movies/shows, don't watch them" look like absolute CLOWNS. Because Disney obviously sees that general audiences are taking their shitty advice and it's starting to hurt their viewership numbers.

Somebody needs to say it to you directly, so I will.

Dude, if you don't like the MCU movies/shows, then don't watch them.

If you want to compare and contrast the artistic merits of each MCU film or show, so be it. But, they’re not Citizen Kane, you know? Right?

As for MCU’s success in phase 4, Marvel’s making a mint. Disney and us fans don’t need your concern trolling. Disney’s too busy counting the cash to worry about alleged failures of the MCU

They can’t crank out content fast enough for all the consumers.

[Maestro 216]

My issue with the MCU would be less focus on comedy and quips, have a more serious tone. Personally I enjoyed the She-Hulk but I can see fans turned off by the lack of seriousness with She-Hulk and Love and Thunder.

Quantumania looks more serious in tone.

[HollowSage]

Quantumania looks more serious in tone.

Ironic because Ant-Man was supposed to be the funny one.

[kcekada]

This. They've turned Thor into a stand-up comedian.

Comedy in super hero films has become such a cliche. The comedic quips work for Spider-Man, not Thor.

[Brian B]

Comedy in super hero films has become such a cliche. The comedic quips work for Spider-Man, not Thor.

What about Ragnarok. It certainly wasn’t all comedy, but it had many comedic scenes that worked very well, right?

[Sutekh]

What about Ragnarok. It certainly wasn’t all comedy, but it had many comedic scenes that worked very well, right?

It was certainly popular enough, although, as a fan of comic Thor, I kind of wish they'd cast someone other than Hemsworth, who can do 'goofy Thor gets tasered again, ha ha', but not the sort of awe-inspiring millenia-old god of war and thunder Thor that I read about in the (pre-Jason Aaron) comics.

The comedy in Ragnarok would, IMO, have worked better if it was a movie about someone like D-Man. Or maybe Hercules, although I still would have preferred it be toned down for Herc and he not be portrayed quite as much a doofus as Thor was portrayed.

[Brian B]

It was certainly popular enough, although, as a fan of comic Thor, I kind of wish they'd cast someone other than Hemsworth, who can do 'goofy Thor gets tasered again, ha ha', but not the sort of awe-inspiring millenia-old god of war and thunder Thor that I read about in the (pre-Jason Aaron) comics.

The comedy in Ragnarok would, IMO, have worked better if it was a movie about someone like D-Man. Or maybe Hercules, although I still would have preferred it be toned down for Herc and he not be portrayed quite as much a doofus as Thor was portrayed.

I respectfully disagree. Ragnarok’s Thor fits in well with much of what was portrayed in the Simonson run. Remember when Walt turned Thor into a frog?

[HollowSage]

Comedy in super hero films has become such a cliche. The comedic quips work for Spider-Man, not Thor.

Superhero movies are the new Action movies and Action movies had lots of quipping. Arnold built his career on it. Audiences like quipping apparently.

[Scott Taylor]

Marvel rightly redirected the Thor character after the muddled tone he gave off during the first two Thor movies. Plus humor just plays better into Hemsworth's wheelhouse. Who knows what we might have gotten with someone who does serious a lot better in the role?

When you think about it, Thor's change in direction has basically infected all of the god-related stuff in the MCU.

[Frontier]

Marvel rightly redirected the Thor character after the muddled tone he gave off during the first two Thor movies. Plus humor just plays better into Hemsworth's wheelhouse. Who knows what we might have gotten with someone who does serious a lot better in the role?

When you think about it, Thor's change in direction has basically infected all of the god-related stuff in the MCU.

As a comic and cartoon Thor fan, it just turns me off of the whole thing.

But I'm not usually in favor of exchanging gravitas or pathos for jokes.

[CSTowle]

Your first paragraph is demonstrably false. This isn't a "same thing, both sides" situation and you know it. There's not dozens of YouTube channels dogging out people who dislike the MCU. You don't see multiple topics made about how wonderful the MCU is and dismiss anyone who disagrees. There's not the same pushback at all.

"And you know it". The implication being, what? You believe I'm being intentionally misleading because you don't agree with my assessment of the current crop of Disney IP? I've already commented (though I'll repeat myself) that those videos are clickbait, like the main site here, and you get more clicks with outrageous and absurd statements than you do with reasonable ones. You get people who agree with you and people who disagree with you, as opposed to straight agreement with a reasonable and positive review. That's more on humanity in general, see this thread alone for people who can't take a difference of opinion without making personal attacks or projecting false motivations on people. It's not enough to disagree, we have to turn people into "enemies" and think the worst of them. Over Disney movies, FFS.

Dog people aren’t better just because they like dogs and not cats.

Dog people that constantly complain about cats existing are weird.

Dog people that constantly complain about cats they purposely go out and adopt are even weirder.

While I'd say comparing the responsibility of an animal being as interchangeable and negligible as our choice of streaming entertainment is a poor one, to turn it into "lovers of cat videos vs lovers of dog videos" it's more like people who like both arguing with other people who like both that the last year or so's worth of viral cat and dog videos haven't been as entertaining as they were a few years back, and getting their heads bitten off for not being 100% on-board for the current crop and accused of animal abuse for daring to express the opinion, regardless of if they're tired of animal videos in general (as the OP seems to be) or if they'd like to see better videos in general (like most of those criticizing the current thing).

And getting weirdly emotional and lashing out instead of having a conversation about the quality of the current output, and projecting that emotional/fragile state of mind on their opponents (perhaps sensing their own vulnerabilities, and needing to displace it so as not to feel ashamed for what is after all a weird way to handle an internet discussion about what are more-or-less adult cartoons). Most of us here like these movies/shows in general. Some just want a higher level of product. And others think what we have is just fine, great even. Nothing wrong with either opinion. Making personal attacks and doubling/tripling down instead of addressing the differences of opinion is the weird part.