The Redeemable Quality of the Irredeemable Phase Four
From all the ups and downs that have occurred in the last two years of the MCU, the only true constant has been the reliable inconsistency of the product, but there is one facet that has made this era unforgettable, and it is the redeemable quality fo the irredeemable Phase Four.
Any way that you slice up the Phase Four efforts from Marvel, it is the ultimate example of a half-step backward for what has become the biggest film franchise on the planet; a franchise that had built decades worth of interconnected film franchises that worked cohesively as one massive Universe.
Source: Marvel Studios
Although it can be categorized as a step backward, there is also no denying that what Marvel is doing here is unprecedented for the entire film industry; the ambitious massive scale of this endeavor can so easily get lost on viewers, as does the genuine uncharted territory that Marvel has found themselves.
Still, it can not be lost on fans- or on Marvel- that we are in the midst of perhaps a record low for the studio, and a slate of films over the past few years that have seen a monster success like Spider-Man: No Way Home become the exception as opposed to the rule.
Source: Marvel Studios
Films like Black Widow and Eternals were underperformers perhaps more shrouded in controversy than critical acclaim for their subject matter and extenuating circumstances, while projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder simply disappointed fans.
But there is one way that this phase has been an unprecedented success for Marvel, and it has remained the redeemable quality of the irredeemable Phase Four, and that is the number of tremendous characters that we have seen come out of one phase.
Source: Marvel Studios
Whether it is Shang-Chi, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, Jennifer Walters, Moon Knight, or America Chavez, there haven’t just been fantastic characters being introduced, these have been brilliant casting choices that could be focal points for the Marvel Universe for the next decades worth of projects.
That isn’t even factoring in the two debuts set for the upcoming November release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will see Namor and Riri Willaims, and there is no denying that this crop of characters could be crucial for the MCU moving forward.
Source: Marvel Studios
