I’ve been a loyal MCU fan since the start. I’ve seen every film in theaters, haven’t missed a single TV Show - including AoS Eps, the week of airing. This has been my thing.

…I also can’t ignore the hollow feeling that’s been growing inside me, watching MCU content, since Endgame. I got blips of hope with WandaVision & Loki; SM:NWH and D&W were milestone event moments we all enjoyed… but even the stufff we crown “the best” (SC:AtLotTR) doesn’t feel like it matters or is in my rewatch lineup years later.

The Multiverse Saga never came together as a shared story; at this point I don’t see how Doomsday & Secret Wars can provide actual “payoff” in the truest sense of the word. Even Marvel can’t settle on a script yet. My expectations have lowered exponentially.

so let’s say the worst happens: Doomsday & Secret Wars are trash. Are we all secretly waiting for that fresh start in Phase 7, and the rest of the Multiverse Saga doesn’t really matter? Or are these final films the last chance you’re giving this franchise? Does Spider-Man: Brand New Day change the equation at all?

I need a support group to help me talk through these deep worries 😅

Edited August 25, 2025Aug 25 by KOutlaw

I've been following the MCU from the beginning, and I used to be excited to go to theaters on day one. Honestly, nowadays I take some time to watch a few things if I don't intend to write about them. I still haven't started What IF...? Season 3. Regardless of the Avengers doing well, I want those solid solo stories Ben wished for. Given Thunderbolts*, they do have the ability to make those, if they just get out of their own way.

Honestly, my focus is less on Doomsday and Secret Wars, which I fully expect to be a string of stunt-casted cameos and scenes deliberately built to go viral like the "On Your Left" moment from Endgame as Marvel tries to cling to relevancy. And really, why should I care about the big finales to a series of movies that haven't been all that impressive and failed to build a coherent meta-plot?

I'm more interested in what they do after the next Avengers movies. That's where they fumbled the ball last time: they made "Marvel movies" for so long they forgot how to make real movies. As Ben kind of alluded, there's something special about those Phase 1 solo movies: they came out before the Disney purchase (mostly), and before Marvel Studios developed their cinematic house style. They're movies first and part of the MCU secondarily.

That's what I want out of Marvel again, and Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four both had that vibe, especially FF, so I have hope. I just need to get through another Patrick Stewart Professor X death scene to see if they still have the goods in there somewhere.

Yes, sadly, as an old comic book fan, I think the MCU is the future of Marvel ... more and more people in my circles see it as canon. Comics will have no choice but to feed it "source code" and follow whatever it generates. So even if they suck ... there's no way they'll give up on it. And to be honest ... with the tons of IP they have just waiting for adaptation ... will they ever fail in the long term? I mean, give me 80+ years of stories and I'll make a hit every few years, even if in between I make a total dud.

Good points all around.

I think animation is always an option. If live-action ROI falls too low, own that animation lane and be what DC once was in that space. With adult animation also popping, anime flips an option; and more deep lore commitment possible... it's definitely a solid "Plan B."

I will probably continue to watch whatever the MCU puts out, but I have to be honest and say that my heart isn't in it anymore and if they fumble these next big ones, it might turn into a "we'll watch this on home release" thing for me if they don't take the biggest of pauses and try to figure out a clean, better way forward.

Yeah I feel this. I was in the theater for opening day or close to it since Endgame. I had hope for the D+ series moving the story along, and getting us closer to the next level of villainy. But there has been a stark (no pun) lack of momentum since before the Majors crash out.

Lets be real, Kang getting whooped by ants was a BAD call and ripped the rug out from that story. The council of Kangs, as a result, lacked the menace of Thanos reaching for the empty gauntlet.

They need compelling stories that aren't half-chapters spread out over multiple movies. Thunderbolts was a GOOD story, Shang Chi was a GOOD story, the Marvels was FUN, there is enough there to make a compelling phase or two. But they gotta figure this ish out, and it can't be on the day they shoot the thing.

That's how they're keeping manga alive ... using it to power anime. If Marvel takes that route ... kid animation shows, teen/young adult animation, and adult animation ... Disney might just run the table.

A lot of what's been put out in the MCU in recent years has started to feel like homework to me sadly. I used to get really excited for new movies and rush to theaters to see them, but these days everything is so interconnected, you have to watch the things you don't care about as much in order to follow everything else.

I'm still holding out hope that Secret Wars and Doomsday can be good, but I think Marvel has struggled to find the right formula and right characters to keep fans excited since Infinity War. My approach these days is to lean into the things I'm personally interested in (Agatha All Along, Spider-Man, etc) and not feel caught up on having to necessarily see everything right away. I'm hoping that'll help me bring the passion back, but I also need the MCU to figure out what it's trying to do.

On 9/4/2025 at 6:38 AM, Amanda Kay Oaks said:

My approach these days is to lean into the things I'm personally interested in (Agatha All Along, Spider-Man, etc) and not feel caught up on having to necessarily see everything right away. I'm hoping that'll help me bring the passion back, but I also need the MCU to figure out what it's trying to do.

This is 100% how I feel these days. I see everything but find that I’m much much more connected to a great solo story than a cameo packed crossover.

That's when I'd have to call it quits. I grew up with it as a kid and that's how I ended up here but that would be the time to move on

3 minutes ago, Ben Kendrick said:

This is 100% how I feel these days. I see everything but find that I’m much much more connected to a great solo story than a cameo packed crossover.

I would love if they did more solid solo stories, honestly. I feel like most of the movies and things are just too crowded now.

I wll 100% not give up on the MCU. I love the movies that even others seemed to hate, and feel people are expecting too much from what were solid films.

I hate the fact that so many people dismiss the films that don't have crossover appeal as well. Shang-Chi was great and was set in its own little pocket of the universe (other than the Travory Slattery appearance and the post-credit scene).

I feel that too many people complain that they want something different, and then when they get it, they complain that it wasn't connected enough to the other movies.

Also, I love the Disney+ shows, I don't care what anyone else says. LOL

3 hours ago, Shawn Lealos said:

I hate the fact that so many people dismiss the films that don't have crossover appeal as well. Shang-Chi was great and was set in its own little pocket of the universe (other than the Travory Slattery appearance and the post-credit scene).

I actually have a different complaint. I love Shang-Chi, and I love that it works as a standalone story! However, that ending with the Avengers crossover and the Rings nature tease creates a storytelling obligation that Marvel Studios simply didn't follow through on. That taints the movie, IMO, because it sets the expectation that Shang-CHi must be a piece on a larger puzzle, instead of just a good movie in itself. I think that's the biggest issue with the current MCU. It doesn't commit to interconnectivity, but also doesn't allow each story to stand on its own.

Imagine if Thunderbolts* ended with THAT post-credits scene, but there was no FF movie on the way? That would send the wrong message about what that movie is. Marvel Studios' pathological need to keep teasing the next project, without a solid plan, is harming the universe.

I think Marvel still has enough goodwill to carry it for many more years. It still has a string of huge successes, with Deadpool and Wolverine literally making a billion last year, and I think it can weather the storm.

Also, unless something goes terribly wrong, I can't imagine the next Avengers movies doing so badly that the studio has to reconsider everything.

On that note, I hope the MCU takes more risks in its upcoming movies. I think Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four were amazing and the right direction for the studio.

I think that the introduction of the X-Men will provide the spark that the franchise needs to feel unique again. There are just so many mutants with great stories that there's no way the MCU can continue down the messy road it's on. I have a strong feeling that it will start to feel like the early days again once Cyclops, Jean Grey, and the rest are running around.

I’m going to give them a chance, but I’ve mostly been a person who sees the MCU as inferior to the comics and I don’t really have a lot of faith in it being great.

Personally, I’m waiting for the diehard Marvel fans the MCU supposedly made to come into comic stores and actually buy some stuff. I’ve had bad experiences with the MCU fandom, so I’m not as keen on them as some.

After Thinking about it for a bit, I think honestly, for me, the make or break for the MCU will be X-Men. If X-Men cannot get off the ground properly it’s a wrap. I’ve seen it happening with comics recently; don’t think my heart could take seeing it on the big screen.

For me at this point it just comes down to if I'm interested the individual movies. I've been over the MCU for a while now and just held out for FF (I was always interested in seeing what they would do). Thunderbolts* was unexpected and looked fun and exciting; now it's one of my favorite MCU movies. After all the previous plants with little to no payoffs I have gotten tired of waiting to see how the movies connect. While the ending of Thunderbolts* had me excited for what's next it will be up to the trailer to get me in to see Doomsday. Spider-Man: Brand New Day just is not an interest of mine.

Ever since Endgame, for me, Marvel has not been able to capture the lightning with their more recent productions. The original MCU leading up to Endgame was a massive collaboration of movies that took place over an extensive amount of time and built up a significant number of characters to the point of them becoming beloved. Endgame felt like a culmination of everything prior, and everything after has sort of felt 'filler' to me.

To answer the original question, though, 'meh'. If Secret Wars doesn't capture a spark in me, I think I'm fine writing off the MCU for the foreseeable future. It has had an insane run, and the storyline already had a strong conclusion that I feel they are just trying to continue because of the brand (which does make sense, by the way). The people writing these modern MCU scripts really need to understand the 'why' people adore the original.

That's my take on this.

Edited September 12, 2025Sep 12 by Darrus Myles Jr.
Typo

25 minutes ago, Darrus Myles Jr. said:

Ever since Endgame, for me, Marvel has not been able to capture the lightning with their more recent productions. The original MCU leading up to Endgame was a massive collaboration of movies that took place over an extensive amount of time and built up a significant number of characters to the point of them becoming beloved. Endgame felt like a culmination of everything prior, and everything after has sort of felt 'filler' to me.

Endgame is actually where Marvel started to lose me. That isn't to say I didn't like it -- I did. I just felt like that movie made it very obvious that they had sort of put things together in a way where they were painting themselves into a corner and I haven't really seen any reason yet to think I'm wrong.

I'm a lot more casual on the MCU post-Endgame and really post-No Way Home (which ended up becoming my personal MCU and Spidey number 1 in one fell swoop), so I basically treat it less like an interconnected franchise and more of a "here are the character I'm following now" one. The thing I really dug about Endgame was the feeling of finality of it all, like the MCU could legitimately have ended with it. I'm personally glad it didn't at least in as much as Shang-Chi, No Way Home, Doctor Strange 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine came out since, which have been the only post-Endgame MCU movies I would classify as "great" or say that I "loved", although in each case, I've primarily dug them on a level independent of their MCU basis (Shang-Chi - Hong Kong-style martial arts flick, No Way Home - the ultimate live-action Spidey movie, Doctor Strange 2 - Raimi going as Raimi as PG-13 allow, D&W - Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine.)

Cinematically, it's basically Spider-Man and anything sprung out of Deadpool & Wolverine for me (I've personally all but written off the idea of Blade ever happening), and my sights on Disney+ are almost exclusively on Daredevil now, partly out of awaiting the return of the rest of the Marvel-Netflix characters, which I was really invested in during their run (Disney +, just give us one more season of Iron Fist on the level of season 2, and Danny's back on track!)

I'd be lying if I said I was going into Doomsday and Secret Wars with the same degree of anticipation as was the case for Infinity War and Endgame. It's more a curiosity of how they're gonna make the who's who of pre-MCU Marvel stars meeting the MCU roster work for me, but I'm open to having my mind changed. In any case, Brand New Day is definitely the highest on my list of the MCU in theaters.

Edited September 15, 2025Sep 15 by Brad Curran

On 9/11/2025 at 10:17 AM, KOutlaw said:

After Thinking about it for a bit, I think honestly, for me, the make or break for the MCU will be X-Men. If X-Men cannot get off the ground properly it’s a wrap. I’ve seen it happening with comics recently; don’t think my heart could take seeing it on the big screen.

I really hope they can do the X-Men justice. They were always my favorite team growing up and I always felt like I was one of them. There are so many things they can do with the them, I just hope they get it right this time.

Yes, I've been here since the beginning and will always have hope, even if they have a few disasters. My grandfather and uncle owned a comic book store when I was a kid and I've grown up with these characters and understand that not every movie will be a winner.

On 8/26/2025 at 2:11 PM, KOutlaw said:

Good points all around.

I think animation is always an option. If live-action ROI falls too low, own that animation lane and be what DC once was in that space. With adult animation also popping, anime flips an option; and more deep lore commitment possible... it's definitely a solid "Plan B."

Agreed. There are so many options for the IP that they would almost never run out of content.