How I Would Evaluate Phase Four So Far…
During San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Kevin Feige displayed an updated timeline for the MCU. With Phase Four in the rearview, we evaluate what we’ve seen so far.
Thanks to this information, we know the road map for the MCU through the end of 2025. It’ll all end with Avengers: Secret Wars. Also, we just confirmed that we’re most of the way through Phase Four of the MCU, which isn’t surprising.
When Marvel initially announced the Phase Four titles, the splash screen showed 10 titles, all of which are currently available on Disney+ save for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Source: Marvel Studios
You must watch that one in a movie theater for another month. Recent Disney+ trending on Disney theatrical releases would place it on Disney+ on August 24th. After that, we’ve only got two titles left — She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Overall, we’ve checked off 12 out of the 14 boxes in the MCU’s Phase Four. So, how would I evaluate this phase so far?
The Serviceable
Source: Marvel Studios
I’d quantify the titles in this category as ambitious but ultimately not up to the usual standards of the MCU. One title’s presence here won’t surprise you, while the other choice could prove controversial. Before I begin, I should stress that my opinions evolve over time.
For example, when I first watched The Martian in theaters, I would have given it an A. However, as a superfan of the book, I left the screening that night vaguely disappointed.
Since then, I don’t think I’ve watched another film as much as The Martian. I’m kind of in awe of it, and it’d make my top 10 for the decade.
Source: Marvel Studios
Conversely, I remembered very much enjoying both Borat and its sequel when each one came out. Now, whenever I hear someone speak in Borat’s voice, I kinda want to shove a spork in their eye.
In short, some of the past comments I’ve made about these MCU titles may not line up entirely with how I perceive them now. Thanks to Disney+, I can and often do watch these titles in the background while I work. So, that influences my thoughts.
Having said that, I really want to love Eternals. I never owned a massive comic book collection, but I possess some Eternals from the 1970s and 1980s. Similarly, I keep the Neil Gaiman graphic novel on a bookshelf.
Source: Marvel Studios
Friends, I wanted to love Eternals. But, sadly, it’s Casey at the Bat. All the expectations made the strikeout all the more heartbreaking. As for Moon Knight, I only recently recapped that. My final summation came down to this:
“Overall, I’d still give Moon Knight a B+ due to Hawke and Isaac’s work, but I think it’s my least favorite of the live-action MCU shows thus far.” That sounds about right.
The Solid
Source: Marvel Studios
Out of all the titles I’d list in this category, only one doesn’t come with an asterisk. Black Widow had already finished filming and was mere weeks away from release when the pandemic struck.
This unexpected turn left the movie in limbo for a year and caused a (temporary?) rift with the star, Scarlett Johansson.
Those concerns qualify as trivial compared to the impact COVID-19 had on Thor: Love & Thunder, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and especially The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Source: Marvel Studios
So, I struggle in evaluating Black Widow against the rest. It’s a perfectly entertaining film I’ve watched four or five times. I’m happy enough when it’s on, primarily because of the charming Florence Pugh. Of course, since she’s the new Avenger (or Thunderbolt?), that’s mission accomplished.
However, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is probably the least consistent title in this group…but it’s also the one where I’m most sympathetic.
Marvel will never admit how much it reworked the scripts for this series, but it’s reportedly a LOT. This one didn’t get a fair shake, but it’s still fun and socially significant.
Source: Marvel Studios
As for the Dr. Strange and Thor sequels, I’ve only fully watched them once each. I’ve seen bits and pieces of Multiverse of Madness a LOT, though. I -think- I prefer Thor: Love and Thunder, but they’re pretty much the same in that they’re the usual products that come out of the Marvel factory.
I mean that in a good way.
The Spectacular
Source: Marvel Studios
Here’s the unofficial Disney+ category. Thus far, I’ve only discussed two MCU series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Moon Knight. Everything else from the MCU thus far definitely qualifies as spectacular, at least to me.
The titles here include Hawkeye, Loki, and Ms. Marvel. I previously ranked the various 2021 Disney+ MCU shows here. Obviously, not much has changed in a month, save for the introduction of Ms. Marvel.
I thought five out of six episodes of that series ranged from entertaining to exceptional. The premiere and final two episodes were especially strong.
Source: Marvel Studios
As for Loki, I cannot wait for season two…and not just because we recently learned about Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. With Hawkeye, the kindest compliment I can pay is that whenever YouTube recommends a “Best of Yelena/Kate Bishop” clip, I watch it.
Both actresses are magic, and they’re that much better together. In a matter of maybe six scenes, Marvel created a new Hawkeye/Black Widow dynamic for another generation. That’s a stunning feat. One of my movie choices may seem antagonistic. So, let’s start with the other one.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is pretty much exactly what I want from a standalone MCU offering. It’s fun, quippy, and features a stellar cast. Simu Liu can take himself too seriously, which makes Awkwafina the perfect playmate.
Source: Marvel Studios
This film also deserves bonus points for casting Michelle Yeoh at the ideal time, right before Everything, Everywhere All at Once reminded people she’s always been better than Jackie Chan.
My final entry here is Spider-Man: No Way Home. Yes, I know it’s flawless storytelling, but it’s also not a Disney movie as much as a Sony one. So, no matter what that graphic says, I question whether it even belongs on this list.
The Best of the Best
Photo: Marvel Studios
I’m placing WandaVision in its own category because nothing else here actually made by Disney even approaches it. With WandaVision, the MCU took a heartbreaking storyline from Avengers: Infinity War and somehow made it all the more agonizing.
Thanos’ actions and Vision’s noble sacrifice broke Wanda Maximoff to the point that she kidnapped an entire town and forced them to live out sitcom stereotypes. As ridiculous and ambitious as that premise sounds, the end product proved even more…everything.
We met Agatha Harkness, who appeared as a friend but was, in reality, a puppet master. Also, we watched as a new Vision arose, an unfeeling machine who couldn’t care less about any Avengers, even the mother of his children.
Photo: Marvel Studios
That last part might have an explanation, as they were apparently imaginary anyway. Impressively, Wanda gained new abilities, the likes of which possibly helped her create the most powerful Avenger since, well, her. A lot happened here, folks.
In truth, I strongly suspect that the decidedly mixed buzz surrounding Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness circles back to WandaVision. Creator Jac Schaeffer built Wanda into such a sympathetic character that people disliked the next phase of her story arc, plausible though it may have been.
That’s the ultimate in MCU storytelling. Marvel has done its job when we love a character so much that we wish them to avoid any pain. For what it’s worth, I also like WandaVision slightly more than Spider-Man: No Way Home, the best movie of Phase Four.
Source: Marvel Studios/ Sony Pictures
That’s a much closer comparison, though. As a result, Disney execs should feel frustrated that the best MCU movie of Phase Four probably comes from Sony. I’d love for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to turn that statement into a cold take, though.
