MCU: 10 Reasons Why Phase 4 Has Failed

10. Too Many Movies And Series

Early in its run, Marvel Studios expanded into television and streaming with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and an array of Netflix series. However, once audience interest dipped in its TV offerings, Marvel's cinematic universe mostly divested itself from these shows, making them only tangentially related to in-movie continuity.

After that, Marvel mostly relied on feature films to create continuity between instalments. This made the larger cinematic narrative Marvel unfolded easier to follow. Averaging only three films a year, keeping up with the larger MCU story wasn't that big of a commitment.

Phase 4 threw this audience-friendly storytelling approach out the window. Not only did Marvel increase the number of feature films it released in a single year, it also flooded audiences with Disney+ series, many of which directly impacted the larger continuity of the MCU. If an audience member missed out on What If...?, WandaVision, and Loki, then much of what happened in Multiverse of Madness would appear baffling.

Marvel's inundation of content is causing its larger narrative to become unfocused and muddled, leaving all but the diehards out of the loop. This no doubt impacted audience scores and box office declines, and risks alienating casual moviegoers on a large scale.