The MCU’s Phase Four is its Most Emotionally Charged Yet

by Josh Ramos · May 1, 2022

For a film universe defined by superheroes, and comic book adaptations, the latest era for Marvel Studios has seen it mature into something brand new, as the MCU’s Phase Four is its most emotionally charged yet.

There are few endeavors in the world of filmmaking that could imagine the level of success that has been achieved by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

In a world that is seemingly hyper-focused on franchise films, Hollywood will never be short on films hoping to spawn sequels and sagas.

The MCU is different, however, it isn’t simply a successful franchise that has spawned a sequel or a trilogy, it is an interconnected and self-sustaining film universe with several franchises and a nearly endless well of content in its derived source material.

Source: Marvel Studios

Developing and releasing in phases, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone through its fair share of metamorphosis in its time as the most successful film studio on the planet.

2008 to 2012 saw the studio just begin to find its footing, and realize the very start of its potential, with several origin story films that crescendoed into one massive crossover film in the form of the Avengers; with heroes having been built in their own stories, to then interact and engage with one another.

Photo: Marvel

This only continued, and over a decade later, fans would have the completion of the Infinity Saga; over 20 films that concluded in a gigantic two-part epic that saw Earth’s mightiest heroes- each developed through their own solo franchises- take on the genocidal alien threat in the form of Thanos.

In a post-Thanos world, Marvel stood at a crossroads, with their greatest building block now defeated, and what has birthed from that is an era committed to creativity and risk.

Source: Marvel Studios

It hasn’t always hit the mark- although Marvel is far from perfect in its vast pantheon of films- one thing is absolutely certain as the studio hits its stride amidst its current incarnation; the MCU’s Phase Four is its most emotionally charged yet.

The studio has stood amidst the superhero genre and granted fans stories that are centered on true human emotions; stories that confront pain, grief, and self-love in ways that you rarely see in massive big-budget storytelling.

Source: Marvel Studios/ Sony Pictures

WandaVision and the horrible pain of losing a loved one. Loki and the tragedy of lonesome and self-hatred. Spider-Man: No Way Home and the pain of sacrifice for the greater good.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Bucky Barnes tragedy of reconciling a painful past. All building to Moon Knight and what is probably the MCU’s most mature and emotional project to date.

Source: Marvel Studios

Oscar Isaac, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, and all of these Phase Four actors have brilliantly and relentlessly tapped into the unfortunate connective reality that brings us all together; knowing what it feels like to hurt.

Phase Four may not be the biggest Marvel project we’ve ever seen, and it may struggle to find its footing once in a while, but one fact is indisputable; the MCU’s Phase Four is its most emotional yet.