Is the MCU Recoverable? (Video Essay)

Yes I know - yet another video essay about the MCU’s decline. To be honest, I wasn't originally going to do a video on this topic because it has already been covered more than enough times. However, after the release of Antman and the Wasp Quantamania I felt compelled to share my thoughts on the MCU’s descension and share possible solutions. But, before we can offer solutions we must first analyze the symptoms.

A few years back Martin Scorsese famously or infamously (depending on where you stand) expressed that he believed that Marvel movies were not cinema and instead were more comparable to theme parks. Now, many people scoffed at Scorsese’s statement and claimed his rant to be another case of the older generation hating on what is new. But, to be fair, the reason as to why his words were received so poorly was because at the time the Infinity Saga was wrapping up with Endgame and Marvel was at its peak. But fast forward to now and I have to admit Scorsese’s words back then couldn't ring any truer now as the MCU has fallen into mediocrity. And one reason for the MCU’s decline can be attributed to its lack of focus.

Let’s take Eternals for example. This movie tried to tackle too much material and overall became a tangled mess. It introduced too many characters and as a result not enough time was given to properly develop them. What’s even worse is that by the end of the movie almost a third of the main cast dies and another third of them is taken away by Arishem the Celestial. So, not only are the characters given little development, their potential for development was halted.

For instance, I would have loved to have seen Icarus fight alongside the Avengers but since he flew into the sun, that hope is gone. (And I know he can be revived but having Icarus come back after such a stupid end would be lame). Also, when Arishem took away Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos, I didn't care because they weren't developed enough for me to care.

Also, this movie shoehorned cameos that overcrowded the movie instead of strengthening it. This movie did not need the Black Knight nor did it need Star Fox’s lackluster appearance. Hence, these cameos which were made to create hype just made the movie feel over bloated. And instead of allocating its focus on numerous plotlines the movie should have focused on one. Therefore, this movie serves less as a complete singular story and as a commercial for other Marvel projects.