
Marvel Studios just finished Phase 5 with Ironheart, but fixing six major issues could have turned the MCU's latest chapter into something special. After the middling releases of Phase 4, excitement was high going into Phase 5 and the second act of the Multiverse Saga. The MCU finally had its course set toward the next Avengers movies and a cosmic face-off with Jonathan Majors' Council of Kangs in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. Of course, as most will be well aware, real-world issues got in the way and Avengers 5 evolved into Doomsday starring Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
Throughout this latest chapter, fans have been treated to some of the MCU's all-time greats across Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Thunderbolts*, Daredevil: Born Again, and Loki Season 2. But Phase 5 has still been another rocky road for the red brand, fumbling the likes of Secret Invasion, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, and Captain America: Brave New World along the way. Others, such as Echo, Ironheart, and The Marvels, were met with almost radio silence, failing to gain much traction and memorability either way.
6 Ways Marvel Studios Could Have Made Phase 5 Something Special
Building Towards a Climax

During the Infinity Saga, each phase was building toward a mini-climax that came in its own Avengers blockbuster. But with only two Avengers movies coming in the Multiverse Saga to close off the whole chapter, Phases 4 and 5 are devoid of any meaningful endpoint and instead feel like an arbitrary separation of projects.
While there is no Avengers movie to conclude Phase 5, the final movie is still an ensemble as Thunderbolts* unites characters from numerous projects. Some may argue this came several years too late, but regardless, Marvel Studios could have spent more time with these characters across Phase 5.
If characters such as Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Taskmaster, and Ghost were sprinkled across Phase 5, Thunderbolts* could have been a more meaningful union to conclude this chapter in Avengers-esque fashion.
In general, Phase 5 lacks much in the way of connectivity and cohesion, with only two project pairings really linking together. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki Season 2 clung together by the Kang thread, while Echo led directly into Kingpin's mayoral run that made up Daredevil: Born Again.
Following Up on Phase 4

A major problem with Phase 5 comes in how it doesn't truly follow up on Phase 4, with minimal direct sequels or second-season renewals, while new heroes who were touted as major pieces of the MCU going forward were left behind.
That's not to say there are no Phase 4 sequels in Phase 5, but most take more of a pseudo-sequel route, serving as more of a successor than a direct follow-up:
- Loki Season 1 - Loki Season 2
- Ms. Marvel - The Marvels
- WandaVision - Agatha All Along
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Captain America: Brave New World
- Black Widow - Thunderbolts*
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ironheart
But that doesn't mean there weren't some major omissions, and freshly introduced characters such as Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Hercules, and Clea all debuted in 2022 and are showing no signs of returning anytime soon.
Eternals is perhaps the most egregious example, having ended on a huge cliffhanger with heroes abducted, Arishem coming to judge Earth, and Harry Styles' Starfox joining the MCU, only for the sequel to seemingly be canceled.
Ending the Kang Saga

Marvel Studios was placed in an impossible position when actor Jonathan Majors, who was set to front the Multiverse Saga and Avengers 5 as Kang the Conqueror, was found guilty of assault and harassment, prompting his firing from the MCU.
As a Multiversal threat who is renowned for his many Variants, Kang could have been easy to recast, had Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania not revealed a full Council of Kangs, all of whom bear the face of Majors.
Of course, the studio still could have replaced Majors with no in-universe explanation, but the already-mixed reactions to the Kang storyline led him to be abandoned, with Avengers 5 pivoting to explore Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
After Ant-Man 3 and Loki Season 2, the Council of Kangs were still preparing to unleash chaos on the Multiverse while the TVA continued monitoring the endless Variants of Majors' He Who Remains.
As the MCU storyline pivots to center around Doctor Doom, the Kang saga looks doomed to go unresolved after Phase 5. That said, Phase 6 may have the perfect opportunity to give some closure, albeit possibly unsatisfyingly, as Doom lays waste to the Council of Kangs, highlighting his power and villainy.
Setting Up the Next Avengers

In the early days of the MCU, almost every project felt as if it was laying the groundwork for something bigger that would bring all these pieces together. But, unfortunately, Phases 4 and 5 have generally failed to do so, bringing plenty of cogs to the table with no clear signs of how they form one machine.
While the MCU has plenty of heroes on the table, there hasn't been much interaction between these characters ahead of Avengers 5. Captain America 4 finally confirmed that Sam Wilson is reassembling Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but just one year out from Doomsday and it's hard to tell who would join the team.
Recent reports have revealed the five heroes who will join Captain America's new Avengers team in Doomsday, which only raises more confusion, given the minimal interaction between these characters in the Multiverse Saga.
Improving Quality Control

More recently, Marvel Studios has faced criticism for rushing its latest productions, leading to quality control issues across the VFX and other issues.
Out of Phase 5's six movies, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Thunderbolts* were the only ones well received. Meanwhile, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Captain America: Brave New World all released with major issues and faced backlash.
Even on the Disney+ project, reactions were wildly varied from the highs of Loki Season 2, Daredevil: Born Again, and Agatha All Along to the mids of Echo and Ironheart to the low, low, lows of Secret Invasion.
In its heyday, the MCU was renowned for its fairly consistent quality, but the recent overkill of movie and TV releases has allowed the quality to slip.
Marvel Studios began changes to its script strategy after the Phase 4 backlash, but these improvements are only just being felt now, going into Phase 6, while recent projects were still feeling the issues of the past.
Actually Making Blade Happen

Marvel Studios has rarely announced movies in the past, and they have not seen the light of day - Inhumans, Armor Wars, and Blade being the most famous cases.
The vampire flick was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 to star Green Book actor Mahershala Ali and was later scheduled for a Phase 5 release, with its date shifted several times before leaving the schedule altogether.
While Marvel Studios, Mahershala Ali, and fans are eager to see Blade happen, the movie's many writers have had a tough time cracking the script. These delays have sparked fears as to whether Blade will ever happen, with some suggesting it could be replaced with Midnight Sons.
Meanwhile, at 51 years old, the Oscar-winning star isn't getting any younger, and many have expressed fears he may depart the project. Regardless, fans briefly heard his Blade in the Eternals post-credit scene and will meet a Variant of him who becomes Moon Knight in Marvel Zombies later this year.
Wesley Snipes' Deadpool & Wolverine joke that there is "only ever gonna be one Blade" is starting to sound more real as the reboot fails to get off the ground.
A vampiric horror set in the MCU has great potential to be among the franchise's most unique movies ever, especially with a two-time Oscar-winner in the lead.
As such, failing to make Blade happen is undeniably one of Phase 5's top failures, but hopefully it doesn't continue to be one of Marvel Studios' biggest fumbles yet and Ali gets the chance to lead his MCU blockbuster eventually.