The MCU's latest offering, Deadpool & Wolverine, has arrived as a resounding hit with fans and critics (and at the box office), leaving some to ponder if this was the win Marvel Studios needed to reinvigorate interest in a fatiguing franchise.
There's no denying that interest in the MCU, while still higher than most major franchises, is far lower than it was during the Infinity Saga. Gone are the days when most general moviegoers were following the ongoing storyline, catching every new release, and speculating where it was all heading.
Marvel's Post-Endgame Losing Streak
There are plenty of reasons for this decline in interest, perhaps chief in which is Marvel Studios' massive increase in content output thanks to Disney+. While fans once just had to catch two or three movies across the year to keep up with everything, there are now also multiple shows yearly closely tied to the story.
Many have argued this abundance in content has created an abundance in content which many aren't dedicated enough to follow, but there are undoubtedly more reasons behind the recent MCU fatigue.
While the Infinity Saga stayed fairly focussed on building its Avengers and drip-feeding the mystery of the Infinity Stones, the Multiverse Saga has instead set up many different ongoing storylines, teams, and characters.
This less-focused approach to the MCU's ongoing storytelling has created a barrier between audiences and the heroes on screen, making it tougher for them to become as invested in the characters and growing mystery.
One also can't ignore the concerns regarding quality after many projects have received poor to mixed reactions, with only a few standouts. The likes of She-Hulk, Thor: Love and Thunder, Eternals, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, and Secret Invasion were all widely panned, having all come with high expectations.
Meanwhile, Echo, The Marvels, Black Widow, and Ms. Marvel all accrued at best mediocre reactions across the fan base. In fact, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Loki, WandaVision, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and X-Men '97 have been the only ones over the last three years to be almost universally loved.
The combination of inconsistent quality, an abundance of content, unfocussed storytelling, and the absence of the heroes who made the MCU popular has led to some franchise fatigue, which Deadpool & Wolverine may have solved.
Deadpool & Wolverine: The Win Marvel Needed
There's no denying Deadpool & Wolverine was one of the MCU's most anticipated projects of all time before its release. This came due to it following up on two beloved movies, promises of major implications for the MCU, the return of Wolverine, teases for surprising cameos, and a rare R-rating for the genre.
All this came together when Deadpool 3 came to theaters on Friday, July 26 to kickstart a wave of rave reviews. The MCU threequel currently holds a strong Rotten Tomatoes score of 78% from critics and 95% from audiences along with an impressive "A" CinemaScore.
In the weeks since its release, Marvel Studios has proven quality will translate over to the box office as Deadpool & Wolverine has already grossed over $1.2 billion - the highest the MCU has seen since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Deadpool & Wolverine is only the 13th MCU movie to enter the 10-figure club and the franchise's first since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
After a sea of critical disappointments, box office flops, and Disney+ disasters, Deadpool 3 truly delivered on expectations, and it paid off.
So what made Deadpool & Wolverine such a hit with fans around the world?
Well, firstly, after fears that Disney and Marvel Studios would dial down the raunchy humor and graphic violence, Deadpool & Wolverine holds onto everything fans loved about the previous movies, proving their dedication to their audiences.
While other recent MCU movies and shows have explored new heroes or those who may not be the most beloved, the Multiversal threequel paired up two familiar leads that fans have been begging to see together for years.
Not only did the studio stick the landing with their interesting dynamic, it dug deep into its arsenal of Marvel icons from the last two decades. But these cameos and surprise characters didn't just make for jaw-dropping reactions in the theaters, they all served a meaningful purpose in the story to become iconic in their own right.
Arguably, the appearances of Happy Hogan, Human Torch, Blade, Elektra, Gambit, X-23, and more may be the MCU's best use of the Multiverse yet. Having properly utilized these heroes for both excitement and meaningful reasons, fans may be more intrigued in the Multiverse, piquing their interest in the rest of this saga.
In managing to deliver on unfathomable expectations, Marvel Studios has likely regained the trust of many fans after recent fatigue. Perhaps this will even reinvigorate their interest in the MCU going forward, encouraging them to revisit other recent releases and find out what comes next in 2024 and 2025.
Marvel Studios even acknowledged its recent missteps as Deadpool told Wolverine he was joining the MCU at "a bit of a low point" before the Merc with the Mouth proposed how the Multiverse may be a tired idea.
The MCU's Winning Streak to Come
So, now that Deadpool & Wolverine has reinvigorated a franchise in fatigue, does Marvel Studios have the cards in its playbook to start a winning streak?
2024's Last Live-Action MCU Project
Well, next up for the MCU is Disney+'s Agatha All Along, a sequel to WandaVision starring Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness. While some are certainly pondering why Marvel Studios granted a spin-off to an obscure villain, WandaVision remains one of the MCU's best received shows and this will hail from the same creative team.
There's every chance the confusion behind this magical project may cause struggles to pick up viewership early on. But perhaps positive reactions and this being the first MCU series since January's Echo may spark some interest.
That will be it for the MCU in 2024, at least on the live-action front, but Marvel Studios will be coming back to theaters in 2025 with some heavy hitters.
Marvel Studios' Massive 2025 Plans
Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps will all feature iconic characters, major actors, and exciting concepts.
Whether it be an all-new Captain America taking on the Red Hulk (played by Harrison Ford) at the White House, a group of anti heroes meeting the Superman-esque Sentry, or exploring an alternate universe with Marvel's First Family, the studio will deliver a varied roster of projects in 2025.
Notably, all three 2025 MCU movies have gone through plenty of rewrites, reshoots, or creative evolutions across development, demonstrating a true dedication to quality and perfect the coming releases.
On the Disney+ front in 2025, Daredevil: Born Again will finally satisfying fans' cravings for more R-rated content in Hell's Kitchen in March, before Ironheart comes along later in the year as a spin-off to the Iron Man franchise.
Both of these projects certainly have the means to find success, especially with such positive buzz surrounding the Daredevil revival. Fans can only hope they will deliver on expectations just as well as Deadpool 3 did just recently.
The elephant in the room of Marvel Studios' slate for next year comes with Blade, which is still dated for November but is still undergoing rewrites and is unlikely to begin production soon. While this has, naturally, concerned some, it once again shows a commitment to ensuring quality control over rushing releases.
And that's not even including all the animated content on the way, with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda, and Marvel Zombies all on the way, on top of new seasons of What If...? and X-Men '97.
One can only hope these animated projects will manage to exceed expectations just as well as X-Men '97 did earlier this year. While animated projects set in other universes often won't stir up interest to the same extent as live-action, continually dropping quality content will only help restore faith in the studio's output.
2026 Sticks the Multiverse Saga's Landing
Moving into 2026, there is plenty more excitement to come with Wonder Man and Vision likely coming to Disney+, Spider-Man 4 being rumored to release, and the Avengers coming back to theaters after seven years with Doomsday.
Marvel Studios' upcoming slate demonstrates a renewed dedication to exploring the most beloved characters, maintaining quality, and ensuring more connected storytelling as the Multiverse Saga builds towards its climax.
Between Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, the Avengers coming back after so long, and a Secret Wars endpoint being placed on the Multiverse Saga, fans now have a greater sense of where the MCU is heading.
As the next Avengers movies get ever closer to releasing in the next two years, interest in the MCU is only bound to rise, especially if the 2024 and 2025 projects can maintain consistent quality.
With fans around the world finally talking about the MCU in a positive light again after Deadpool & Wolverine, the Merc with the Mouth may have bought the franchise the fresh chance it needed from general audiences.
Deadpool & Wolverine is playing now in theaters.
