Being able to experience the rise and fall of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as a child, and now as an adult, has been bittersweet. The MCU began its franchise with the release of Iron Man in 2008, which was received with global success, peaking at about $585 million worldwide. While there were a few films out already about superheroes from Marvel comics, these films were not a part of Kevin Feige’s plan. Feige, President of Marvel Studios, wanted to create a cohesive film franchise to portray the beloved comic book characters and intertwined storylines.
Iron Man began Feige’s plan and was followed by The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers to complete Phase One of the franchise. Each of these films joined Iron Man in being a global phenomenon, with the exception of The Incredible Hulk, but even the underperformer made $266 million globally!
Not only were box office sales enormous, but fans were loving the films and they were all receiving high ratings from critics. Social media was filled with fan accounts posting all about different characters, plotlines, anticipated films, and all things having to do with Marvel. My family and I were all fans and would routinely go to the theatre whenever a new movie came out. Films from this phase were also nominated for four Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, one Grammy Award, and many more awards. At this point, the MCU was dominating the film industry and the superhero genre, on its way to becoming a powerhouse in Hollywood.
Phase Two of the franchise saw even more growth and success with the release of six new films. Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man made up the second phase. Each film made at least upwards of $500 million, with Avengers: Age of Ultron making $1.6 billion globally! The MCU was still well received by critics and gained even more of its fans’ continuous support as the storylines and characters became more complex and connected. This is around the time I remember everyone at school starting to talk about the new Marvel movies. They were garnering more success than anyone had anticipated, and that only continued into Phase Three. Prior to the start of Phase Three, Feige said to Variety, “I’ve always believed in expanding the definition of what a Marvel Studios movie could be. We try to keep audiences coming back in greater numbers by doing the unexpected and not simply following a pattern or a mold or a formula.”
Phase Three of the franchise brought 11 new movies and even more global success at the box office. It was during this phase. However, people began accusing the producers of the MCU of being unable to keep up and even of creating films that follow the basic formula that Feige criticized. People began complaining about the quality of CGI and dialogue while simultaneously making Avengers: Endgame, which ended this phase as the most anticipated film of all time. The fans continued to hold a presence online and began posting about the decline of quality, and after Endgame, the relevance of the MCU has not been the same.
The MCU is currently in Phase Four and will soon be starting Phase Five. The films and TV shows continue to generate worldwide success, but at a smaller level and with a noticeable absence of excitement surrounding the franchise. Fans have pointed out that they are straying from the original material and creating disappointing content, causing large losses of views. What was once an enormous part of pop culture is on the decline, potentially leaving room for someone else to dominate the film industry in the 2020s.
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