It's no secret that the MCU is in a bit of trouble in terms of overall interest, and Avengers: Doomsday seems like the hail mary effort to try and get that interest back. But given the rut that the films have been in, and changing appetites, is this actually going to work? Are all the cameos, green screens and RDJ Dooms going to be enough to get people not only back into theaters for the next Avengers, but the next phase too?

I think the problem with the MCU as of late has been all the forced cameos and multiversal jumps - which, unfortunately, is a massive part of the movie's plot. So, while I think it'll make a lot of money and get people back in theaters, I'm really skeptical it solves the fundamental issue with the franchise right now (it might actually be making it worse).

I was thinking about this today. I’m not sure if Avengers: Doomsday will save the MCU or if it’s going to end up being too complex with too many new characters at once. The stories have gotten so big and crowded that it feels harder to stay invested.

I think Marvel needs to get back to what made the early phases work. Focus on smaller stories that build toward something instead of trying to throw every idea and cameo into one film. If they can slow down, build characters we care about again, and let the stakes grow naturally, the excitement will come back.

Cameos and nostalgia might bring people in for a weekend, but they need strong storytelling to keep them for the long run.

I'm hoping they are able to refocus and get everything back on track because I want more : )

I think both Doomsday and Secret Wars will do their job and stop the bleeding as it were, but just like we saw with Deadpool & Wolverine, which delivered a big pop and then settled, that's only a temporary fix unless you actually get the story and your character development back on track. The advantage here is that the Russos can literally cherry-pick which parts of the world are working and which ones aren't for a nice reset and set up for the X-Men, but if they don't execute that and then follow it up with meaningful stories that actually utilize the characters they have, they will be right back in the same position soon enough.

I've reached the point where I don't know if anything can save the MCU. I'm tired. I'm ready for them to do something new.

I think they're going to struggle getting everything together again, because now more people are only watching the films or series they want to watch that may not make them follow through

6 hours ago, Nicole Drum said:

I've reached the point where I don't know if anything can save the MCU. I'm tired. I'm ready for them to do something new.

In addition to this, they are making one of the most expensive movies ever, again, one that will only be a success if hauls over 1.2 or 1.5 BILLION dollars... That's the receipt for failure.

Tbh... I think Doomsday will succeed, but is high risk. If they don't get it right, it will serve as another jumping-off point, just as Endgame did.

I think it's going to work in terms of box office success, but I feel like the chances of it having any kind of emotional resonance like Infinity War or Endgame are nonexistent.

Sure some of these characters have been around for decades, or even the MCU for ten years, but the crux of this is a new Doom and an FF with one movie under their belt.

I honestly think the Multiverse Saga is beyond saving. The biggest fail post-Endgame was not choosing a core group of characters to follow. They just gave everyone a movie or a TV show and hoped it worked.

The Infinity Saga was anchored by the Original Six Avengers. All of those characters made multiple appearances before we got to Infinity War. Now, it's like who cares. I think Shang-Chi is cool, but whatever "moment" he has in Doomsday is going to fall flat.

Phase 4 should have been about assembling the new Avengers, and then you give those characters follow-up movies in subsequent phases. The roster of character is just a jumble now. There's a reason why they're soft resetting this thing after Secret Wars. Hopefully then a more streamlined approach works well.

13 minutes ago, ChrisA90 said:

I honestly think the Multiverse Saga is beyond saving. The biggest fail post-Endgame was not choosing a core group of characters to follow. They just gave everyone a movie or a TV show and hoped it worked.

The Infinity Saga was anchored by the Original Six Avengers. All of those characters made multiple appearances before we got to Infinity War. Now, it's like who cares. I think Shang-Chi is cool, but whatever "moment" he has in Doomsday is going to fall flat.

Phase 4 should have been about assembling the new Avengers, and then you give those characters follow-up movies in subsequent phases. The roster of character is just a jumble now. There's a reason why they're soft resetting this thing after Secret Wars. Hopefully then a more streamlined approach works well.

And all of this is half of the reason I think that Doomsday might work. They're pulling out all the stops to make people think the movie will feel like Endgame again (Russo, Downey Jr.), so I guess that could help from a reception perspective. It's certainly not a good look for the franchise for it to go backwards, but it doesn't really have another option at this point.

I'm one of those fans that thinks the MCU doesn't actually need saving. I've enjoyed pretty much all of what's come out in the Multiverse Saga, although I'm not ignorant enough to think there haven't been a few issues. I think Doomsday and Secret Wars will reignite some the mass audience's passion for Marvel, which has certainly waned in recent years — bringing RDJ back was the right call. But with the X-Men coming and Fantastic Four set to have a more central role, I think the future is looking bright anyway.

8 hours ago, Tom Bacon said:

Tbh... I think Doomsday will succeed, but is high risk. If they don't get it right, it Agrwill serve as another jumping-off point, just as Endgame did.

Agreed. They have a ton of pressure on them to get it right. I think they will pull it off and will surprise us. At least I hope they do.

4 hours ago, Kai Young said:

I'm one of those fans that thinks the MCU doesn't actually need saving. I've enjoyed pretty much all of what's come out in the Multiverse Saga, although I'm not ignorant enough to think there haven't been a few issues. I think Doomsday and Secret Wars will reignite some the mass audience's passion for Marvel, which has certainly waned in recent years — bringing RDJ back was the right call. But with the X-Men coming and Fantastic Four set to have a more central role, I think the future is looking bright anyway.

I'm the same way, I like most of what they've released so far. I think the there is a ton of potential with the X-Men and F4 and I can't wait for them to start setting up those teams.

On 12/2/2025 at 6:49 PM, rain falling down said:

I think they're going to struggle getting everything together again, because now more people are only watching the films or series they want to watch that may not make them follow through

That's a very important point too. If the MCU continues to be selective with projects, it does have a better shot. But ultimately people are just going to watch the ones they want to. Maybe the route forward is to just connect them so closely together so that those you do watch still make sense?