The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever growing place, and Phase Four has been a wild ride thus far. There were some high expectations to meet following the record-breaking success of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame with all the upcoming Marvel movies. The Russo Brothers were the filmmakers behind those massive crossover events, and recently addressed fans complaining about the quality of MCU Phase Four.
Phase Four of the MCU shows how the beloved shared universe has managed to move on after the blip brought everyone back to life. This includes projects on both the big and small screen, thanks to shows on Disney+ like WandaVision. But some fans have criticized the current slate of programming, especially regarding what the overall franchise is working toward. Anthony Russo spoke to NBC about this sentiment, getting honest with:
Here’s the thing. The entire life of the MCU has seen ups and downs, there’s going to naturally be an ebb and flow to how people are feeling about it based on the latest offering. But I think — look, at the end of the day, they’re still being very ambitious in terms of how they approach the storytelling. They’re being experimental. They’re looking for new forms of expression to keep audiences excited and surprised. It still seems like they have a vital creative code and process that they’re pursuing, so I do believe there’s still a lot of hope for what’s possible in the MCU. We haven’t lost faith in it, that’s for sure.
That’s a solid perspective on the shared universe as a whole. The Russo Brothers joined the MCU back in Phase Two with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is widely considered one of the franchise's strongest entries. They’d collaborate on all the biggest crossover movies including Civil War and the last two Avengers movies. As such, they likely have a great understanding of what makes the behemoth of a property work. Even with those ebbs and flows.
Anthony Russo’s comments about the MCU’s current time of experimentation came as they were promoting The Gray Man on Netflix starring Chris Evans. Eventually the conversation turned to the shared universe that the filmmakers are only recently getting some space away from. For Phase Four the Russo Brothers were able to be audience members again, rather than helping to shape the overall shared universe or returning for another gig.
WandaVision kicked off Phase Four and definitely proved that the studio was going to start experimenting and taking bold narrative swings. Projects like Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange 2 ripped open the multiverse, which definitely opened new narrative possibilities. Although through that some fans have criticized that there isn’t yet an overarching narrative.
Luckily for fans, more of the MCU’s direction was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, with the Multiverse Saga coming to an end with Avengers: Secret Wars, spanning both Phases Four and Five. The Russo Brothers are trusting the process of the storytelling, we’ll just have to see if fans do the same.
The next installment in the MCU is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
