Phase 4, Courtesy of Marvel.

Marvel’s Phase 4 is Going to Flop

The writing is already on the wall

So we’re 2 TV series and a couple of trailers into phase 4 of the MCU and it’s pretty clear to me already that we could be on a sinking ship. Even after hearing initially what Marvel had in store for us shortly after Avengers: Endgame, I got a bad feeling. That feeling could be summed up in one word, which is still at the top of my mind:

Meh.

There was very little “meh” when it came to phases 1 through 3 of the MCU. You were invested in the characters, the storylines all melded together and it was exciting. Every movie that came out had a lot of anticipation behind it. Phase 4 is the exact opposite: none of the characters are compelling, and a lot of the stories are, well, meh. We’re getting the sidekicks and supporting cast from phases 1–3, you know, the ones that weren’t charismatic enough to have their own movies in the first place, and the new characters I feel as though they’re trying to make happen.

Kinda like Gretchen Weiners with “fetch.”

Thing is, I don’t care about Wanda or Vision. I don’t care about Jane Foster or the Eternals. I don’t care about Captain Marvel. Loki is interesting because it’s Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson. Black Widow? Where the fuck was this movie in phase 2 or 3 when it should have been? She’s been dead for 2 years now, it’s lost its entire purpose for existing.

I did watch Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it was ok. I didn’t love it, but it was something to look forward to while I ate my breakfast on a Saturday morning. Speaking to other people I know — all of whom are Marvel fans, the prevailing sentiment could be summed up thusly:

“Yeah…it’s pretty good.”

There’s just no real enthusiasm from anyone, even the most die hard Marvel fans. The leads were ok, the story was ok, the villain kinda sucked. The best part of it was Zemo.

On top of that, there is just some dick brained stuff in phase 4 which makes me wonder what they were thinking:

• Hawkeye, which will be about his daughter assuming the mantle. I’ve got news for you Marvel, no one gave a shit about Hawkeye in the first place. He’s the only one of the big 6 who didn’t get a movie. Why do we…