“Fixing the MCU: A Fan’s Love Letter and Call for Purpose”

INTROUCTION

Growing up as a comic book fan-one of the best things about it, was learning that some of the stories that I read about while growing up, were finally going to be brought to life on the big screen. Like most people, my love for comics didn’t start with the comic books themselves, but with the different types of X-Men media that were given to us in the past. So when I learned about the larger universe they had to offer through Marvel Studios’ first Iron Man movie in 2008, I was automatically hooked.

Was it because I was a hyperactive kid who loved to see all of the different type of superhero fights within a movie ? Or was it because I was slowly gaining more and more insight into a world that would eventually come to fuel a life long passion? Honestly, maybe it was a little bit of both.. But what really made it special was seeing that, as I got older, I was able to see many of these stories intertwine and build themselves into a carefully constructed mythology, thag was layered with both meaning and momentum.

But somewhere along the line, something changed. The excitement that people once had in regards to the MCU, dosent seem to be there anymore. Sure, people are still watching some of the projects that are being released and conversations about em’ are still happening, but where people used to rush in order to get their opening night tickets, they now seem content on just waiting for things to be available to them at home. Where people would usually get mad about all of the things that were being spoiled, or where they would join in the conversations about their theories and expectation-there now seems to be little to no conversation at all.

Why? Because what used to feel tight, focused, and carefully crafted now seems to feel like nothing but a scattered, bloated, uncertain mess. .So please understand that no, this isn’t some kind of hate piece, nor is it me throwing in the towel as a fan that seems to only appear jaded.What this is, however, is a love letter—because like any fan watching something they love slowly fall apart, I’m still holding on to the hope that it can be fixed. Because while it may appear to be broken, I still believe there’s a way for the MCU to bounce back

Where It All Started — The Cracks in Phase 3

But in order to fix the problem, we must first identify what the problem is and where it all started on the first place.So while many of the fans have come to the conclusion that the MCU started deterioote after the release of Avengers: Endgame, I personally believe that the cracks started to d as how up as early on as Phase Three—way before the Infinity Saga even ended..

Now don’t get me wrong—Phase Three definitely ended up giving us some great content. Movies like Civil War, Black Panther, Infinity War, Endgame, and Spider-Man: Homecoming all ended up being some very solid bangers.But at the same time, that’s where certain patterns started to show up- patterns that would eventually come to spiral out of control farther down the line.

For example, while some of the current problems in the MCU are tied to how the characters are being handled, the de-escalation of key heroes actually started here—with characters like Thor and Hulk.

Thor, for instance, who was once a god full of trauma, doubt, and inner conflict, slowly became a character who’s been used mostly for the sole purpose of comic relief.

and as for the Hulk—one of Marvel’s most beloved characters—he started to lose the very thing that makes him the Hulk in the first place—which is his rage, power, and unpredictability.

This is also where we started to see the early signs of the poor planning that was being done, because while the people behind the scenes thought it may have been a good idea to have a character that was strong enough to go against Thanos in his final attack against the Earth, there was absolutely no reason why a character like Captain Marvel—who had just been introduced - to appear in a major team-up event the way that she did. Especially when her movie wasn’t that enjoyable to begin with.Just like how there was no reason to give Black Widow her own standalone movie that was set between the events of Civil War and Infinity War, when it should’ve been an origin story- especially since she was already dead by the time her movie had debuted.

So while Marvel was still flying high and many of their fans would count Phase Three as one of the best phases in the MCU, the warning signs of an inevitable collapse were definitely there.

The Core Problems: Oversaturation, Quality Drop, and Creative Confusion

Now that we’re away from the infinity saga, it essentially feels as if Marvel Studios is trying to do everything everywhere all at once—and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Seriously: the MCU started pumping out more content than ever before. Movies, series, specials—you name it. But instead of them building excitement, it only seemed to overwhelm us. How is anyone supposed to keep up with a dozen overlapping projects every year when they also have work, school, family, and everything else life seems to thore at them that they have to deal with? And if the oversaturation wasn’t a problem, the drop in quality surely is.

Even when it seems like some of the projects may have some from of potential, many of the plot threads that are introduced, often go untouched or seem to get left hanging. get left hanging. (That’s right — I’m calling out, every single one of you post -credit scenes that have gone ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE.)

And that right there is one of the MCU’s biggest problems now. The earlier phases of the MCU felt so much like a shared and organic universe, that people didn’t just watch a movie like Iron Man or Captain America because those characters were meant to be our heroes. We watched them because as we grew, each of the characters were growing right along with us. As they went through each and every odyssey we were able to revel in all of their victories and grieve for all they had lost. So while we may have been looking at actors taking on the roles of these fictional characters—it came to a point where we were actually able to care about most, if not all of them.

But now, most of the stories that are being released feel so disconnected that even the ones that do seem to piece together somehow, don’t seem to be fulfilling enough for fans to invest in.So between having to deal with a universe that’s throwing out so much content, on top of feeling disconnected, it essentially feels as if being a fan of the MCU is nothing more than being stuck with never-ending homework.

But why?You shouldn’t have to watch six episodes of a particular show just so you can understand who a character is and why they even matter to begin with. Nor should you have to feel confused because you just so happen to miss a Disney+ series.if each project is supposed to build up to a larger story while still having its own narrative, then why are we being punished for only following the stories that we truly care about?

When the Characters Don’t Click

Speaking of all of the things that the audience chooses to invest in—can we talk about all of the so-called “new characters” that we’ve been seeing recently?

I mean, yes—when you're dealing with any kind of cinematic universe, 9 times out of 10 you’re going to have a multitude of new characters that pop up every once in a while, especially if that universe is supposed to be an interconnected one. But not only should they add something meaningful to the story —but they should also have some type of quality and depth that makes us want to root for them.

Seven years ago during the Infinity Saga, we were always being graced with new characters . However, the difference then—as opposed to now—was that, throughout all of the projects that were being released, we were being given the time to learn about each and every single one of them on a much deeper level. But now? We’re being introduced to characters that not only seem to lack any sense of context, but whose individualized arcs often seem to feel rushed, shallow, inconsistent, and unfinished.

So why get upset when the characters you introduce end up being rejected by the audience? How could we be expected to connect with them, if you’re insistent on reducing them to nothing more than a person with a name?

The Disconnect Between Tease and Payoff

And honestly, the lack of depth and quality doesn’t just stop there—but it extends to the overall telling of the stories themselves.

Throughout the different post-credit scenes, lore, plot beats, and world-building elements—it often feels as if nowadays the audience is always being left hanging on to the edge of their seat due to all of the teases that the studio clearly have no intention of pursuing.

Is it that they forgot about them? Or that they never planned to do anything with them in the first place?Whatever the case may be, it often seems as if Marvel wants us to care about the work they’re doing—when it doesn’t even seem like they care about the work they’re doing themselves.How are the fans supposed to stay excited or theorize about the future when they obviously have no plans for it—or when they keep proving that the future doesn’t matter anyway.

How to Fix the MCU — What Needs to Change

Fixing the MCU, isnt just about scrapping everything and ignoring what made it great to begin with. It’s about returning to the core principles—which were the strong characters, thoughtful storytelling, and meaningful connections.

If Marvel stops rushing all of their projects just so they can reach a particular deadline, then it will be easier for them to get back to giving both; the stories and characters the love that they truly deserve. Each of the characters should feel like real people who have flaws, motivations, and arcs that the audience can invest in—they shouldn’t be reduced down to a vehicle that appears to only be good for action scenes and jokes

.The MCU should feel organic and accessible, not like a maze that fans need to map out in order for them to navigate.

Specific Points & Examples — What Marvel Needs to Do (and Stop Doing)

Let the villains breathe

One of the problems that marve has always had has been been tied into how quickly they have decided to get rid of their villains. Think about it, it’s incredibly rare that we get to see a central antagonist stick around long enough to appear in more than ome project. Most of the time our villains are either killed off (like Wen-Wu and Kilmomger), half assed (like Skurge and M.O.D.O.K), or never seen again like (Scorpion and Justin Hammer)

If marvel continues to get rid of their villains as soon as they’re introduced , not only will they end up running the risk of using up all of their most valuable characters , but they will continue to enforce the illusion that our heroes will always win-which is both unrealistic and boring.

Let the heroes lose

One of the reasons that Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War are so beloved—and often ranked among the top ten films of the MCU—is because we actually got to see our heroes lose.

And not only did they lose—they lost hard

And that lost didn’t just seem to hit them on a physical level, but it also manage to fracture their relationships , morality, spirit and psyche to the point where each of them ended up questioning exactly who they were and what it was they were fighting for. And that-that’s what made each of the movies that came afterwards that much more rewarding- because when our heroes finally got their shot at redemption; not only was it earned. It was powerful.

Show us the gray area

Who’s to say that all of your villains have to be purely evil anyway ? Honestly, the words "villain" and "evil" get thrown around so much that it begs the question—what do those terms truly mean anyway?

Take someone who lost everything due to Tony Stark’s weapons for example. While Tony may not have attacked anyone directly, he was responsible for the manufacturing of each of those weapons that ended up ruining those people’s lives. So for someone on the receiving end of that devastation, he might be seen as the villain. And when you have an organization like HYDRA—who believes that structure and control is the natural order—where a sane person might say that that sounded terrifying, someone who was living in an unchecked anarchy, may think that, that kind of logic seems comforting. So just by looking at those two examples, it should be obvious that the world isn’t always so black and white. .

The term is so ambiguous that many of the characters that are known to be“villains,” seem to have a variety of layers. For instance, characters like Magneto and Doctor Doom are two individuals who are often seen as villains, but, they’ve also been known to be great leaders, protectors, and revolutionaries. Both who have been shaped by trauma, loss, and unwavering ideologies that seem to not only provoke the thoughts of their fans but who also seem to challenge the hearts and minds of our heroes.

If Marvel gave their villains the same type of chances that they seem to give their other characters , many of these stories could evolve into something with real depth and longevity. That’s why characters like Loki and Baron Zemo were so well received—because not only were they given the chance to evolve, but they showed us that our villains don’t always have to be so flat and forgettable. That sometimes they can be even m more compelling than our headless.

Use the universe you own

Now look—this isn’t to say that all of Marvel’s recent work has been bad. Projects like Spider-Man No Way Home, WandaVision, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Shang-Chi, and Loki were all stories that managed to give us characters that were not only. thought out but who all seemed to go through some very emotional stakes.

But the problem is that now…those seem to feel like the exception instead of the standard.

And with the rights to the X-men, Deadpool,. fantastic four, and all of the other fox era properties being back within Marvel’s custody, there’s no reason as to why they should keep holding back.

Yeah it’s true that marvel has been slowly planting the seeds that would help them bring in the larger universe along the way-like mentioning how Ms. Marvel and Namor are both mutants, or giving us our first reveal of adamantium, but where’s the actual structure? Do you know how disappointing it was to find out that Nick Fury lost his eye to a cat, instead of alluding to the fact that I could’ve been Wolverine? Or how it must have felt for us to have seen moments where we saw a younger T’Challa running around with Nakia, but for the name of Ororo Munroe to never pop up?

The point of the matter is- that now that you have the pieces,take the time to actually use the- not as footnotes but as a way to adapt the comics like way they should’ve been all along.

Being “Woke” Isn’t the Problem — Being Lazy Is

Now please understand -that the use of inclusion and progressiveness isn’t what’s causing the downfall of the mcu, laziness is. Representation can only work if it’s rooted in authenticity, so if Marv plans to make a universe that seems inherently diverse, then they need to make sure that all of their characters have depth- no matter what their gender, age, sexuality, or background tends to be.

Stan Lee once said that Marvel should reflect “the world outside our window,” and that means telling stories that make people feel seen, heard, and understood no matter if it’s through a story about love, hope, triump, , tragedy, or resilience.

So no, we’re not asking you to stop any of the political themes that you been touching basis on, nor are we asking you to cease all of your attempts at showing your support for the LGBTQ+ community. We just want the studio to understand that it’s not progression thst we’re tired of, it’s mediocrity. Storytelling shouldn’t be about checking off the boxes on a list-it should be about meaning.

Don’t Be Afraid of Depth

That also means that they shouldn’t be afraid of embracing maturity. Seeing as hos the audience has grown up, the stories should be growing up right along with them. I’m not saying that every single thing that they put out has to be a gritty R-rated bloodbath, but stop pretending as if your audience isn’t able to handle things like sex, loss, and intimacy. If your going to build a world thst revolves around gods, warriors and world building threats- be sure to atleast make it feel as if it matters.

🧡 Conclusion: A Call Not for Perfection, But for Purpose

At the end of the day, this piece isn’t coming from a place of hate, bitterness, or sadistic pessimism. It’s coming from someone who grew up loving this universe—who used to wait for the notification in his phone to go off, alerting him of each new release coming out; who used to sit up all night playing back fight scenes and character moments over and over again just to relive the magic. Someone who used to spend his entire day or winter break rewatching the entire universe in order from start to finish—like it was his first time ever seeing it.

But most importantly, this is coming from someone who fell in love with the source material. Someone who made a very intimate, personal, and important connection to this world—who somehow finds a way to gain strength from the telling of these stories, but who also seems to lose a piece of himself every time one of them gets poorly adapted.

No, I’m not expecting every single project to be a hit, nor am I expecting the MCU to be perfect. Even I can understand that nothing is without flaws.

So while some people may want the current slate of the MCU to outdo the Infinity Saga, I just want Marvel to get back on track and to find their focus again. Instead of trying to crank out another major blockbuster every few years, I want them to get back to understanding the value of patience and planning again.

So to Kevin Feige and everyone at Marvel—if you're reading this, the all-is-lost moment hasn’t happened yet, and your audience hasn’t abandoned you. We’re still here. And there’s still hope.

But faith without work is nothing. So while you're hoping to win back our favor, just be sure that you're doing the work that's necessary to do so.

Written by: Kelvin “3ugene” Lee

Writer | Musician | Psychology, Philosophy & Criminal Justice Student | YouTuber

📌 Follow all my work: https://linktr.ee/Eugene_babbyy

🧠 **Bold words. Sharp thoughts. Real truth.™**