MCU: 10 Reasons Why Phase 4 Has Failed
2. Too Many Characters Introduced
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's bread and butter is introducing characters across multiple films and bringing them together for a massive event picture. This is literally the key to its titanic success at the box office. However, if Marvel Studios wishes to keep audiences invested in its franchise, it needs relatable characters that audiences care about. Paradoxically, Marvel's doubling down on what made it successful is also causing it to flounder.
This quandary is no better exemplified than in Eternals, which introduced a whopping 11 new characters only to receive the MCU's first rotten Tomatometer score for its efforts. Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao had trouble juggling so many heroes, leading to a leaden pace that took too long to get to the superheroic fireworks. On top of this, the picture lacked memorable turns from its players, and none of the new characters broke out as fan favorites.
Kevin Feige's insistence on introducing more and more characters so Marvel can create bigger and bigger event films is tanking the franchise. By the time Secret Wars arrives, the thrill of seeing hundreds of comic book characters onscreen at the same time will be gone. Feige needs to scale back and focus on making memorable characters audiences care about.