MCU: 10 Reasons Why Phase 4 Has Failed
1. The Multiverse Fizzled
Avengers: Endgame teased the possibilities of alternate dimensions, with Loki fully introducing the concept to the MCU.
The multiverse offered limitless storytelling possibilities, where infinite versions of audiences' favorite characters could visit new worlds and realities. Spider-Man: No Way Home delivered on this promise; uniting three Spider-Men from different franchises, No Way Home proved to be the biggest hit of Phase 4, delighting audiences and critics alike.
Unfortunately, the very next MCU movie featuring the multiverse showed that the Multiverse concept was already wearing thin. Rather than expanding the notion of alternate dimensions, Multiverse of Madness used the multiverse as a vehicle for celebrity cameos that at best were mildly cool.
The multiverse's storytelling limits were no better exemplified than in the much touted return of Patrick Stewart as Professor X. Instead of incorporating Professor X into MCU's larger narrative, Wanda Maximoff promptly dispatched the character in a tasteless way intended for shock value. Beyond this, Professor X was already killed in two previous X-Men films, highlighting MoM's lack of creativity.
If the venerable studio cannot find a way to make the multiverse interesting, then their problems will extend far beyond Phase 4, because the franchise is all-in on that concept.