10 Huge Recurring Problems The MCU Needs To Solve
Mo money, mo problems.
Marvel Studios are the undisputed kings of blockbuster cinema, streets ahead of the competition in almost every respect. However, no franchise can remain bulletproof forever and the MCU finds itself under increasing scrutiny, especially as Wonder Woman's box office success and the upcoming Justice League could potentially reinvent the DCEU into serious challengers for Marvel's dominance.
Despite the success, the MCU is by no means perfect. Like every other blockbuster franchise it has its fair share of problems, but seems immune to the critical and commercial dips that plague many other studios. This could be part of the reason why many of these issues have been obvious in Marvel's output since the very beginning, although such a strict adherence to formula has definitely worked wonders.
However, 'franchise fatigue' is a very real thing. War for the Planet of the Apes was released a month ago and still hasn't crossed $300m at the global box office, despite being one of the year's best movies. There will come a time when audiences begin to lose interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first step in preventing that should be solving the problems that have been there since the start.
10. The Music Is Entirely Forgettable
James Bond, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, The Terminator, and Back to the Future. What do they all have in common? Besides being some of the most popular franchises in history, they all have an iconic theme song that fans know note-for-note off the top of their head. Now try doing that for the MCU, and you'll see the point.
Apart from maybe Alan Silvestri's Avengers theme and Tyler Bates' attempts to incorporate the Guardians motif more heavily into Vol. 2, the most recognizable entries in Marvel's musical back catalogue are the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks and AC/DC's contributions to the Iron Man franchise, which really shouldn't be the case.
Even Michael Giacchino, regarded as one of the best composers working today, hasn't produced anything remarkable with the studio outside of his orchestral version of the classic 1960s Spider-Man theme, and even that was only used for the Marvel Studios title card.
The score is supposed to work with the images to enhance the overall movie, but in the MCU it often seems like an afterthought. Sixteen movies in and the franchise still lacks instantly-recognizable themes for its major characters or any kind of unique music at all, which is remarkable given the talent that has worked for the studio over the last decade.