Why do we care?

What keeps you invested in the MCU? I’ve been a big comics reader all my life and an MCU fan since it debuted. I was super invested all through the Infinity Saga and even loved Eternals. That said, many releases in the post-Endgane era did wear on me. I hated Loki season one, felt the films overall were trending lower in quality, and finally Secret Invasion broke. I straight did not enjoy that show and felt like the studio was actively wasting my time. It retroactively ruined or wasted characters I had enjoyed and did a disservice to the MCU’s broader world building. I never the last episode or two, but what I did see killed my enthusiasm. Since then I only check in here and there for projects that look good, but I haven’t seen much that I loved. I liked Iron Heart, but even the recent Daredevil was a big step down from what Netflix has done.

I can’t say I’m optimistic about the future either. Spider-Man BND and Avengers 5 and 6 both sound like cameo fests with little substance (not unlike Deadpool 3 which managed to be a worse written movie than BvS). Doomsday especially shows that Marvel has very little faith in the new characters they been developing, as they return to prominence actors whose characters were killed of seven years ago and reintroduce Fox’s X-Man to cash in on expired nostalgia.

So, why are you still invested? Am I missing something? What makes you excited about the MCU and its future?

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Commentaires

Caciulacdlac2025-12-15 22:17

I mean what else to care about

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:19

Thats kinda dark

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 22:26

Many use the MCU as a form of escapism.

Due-Range85672025-12-15 22:32

It’s that all that movies are? It’s just entertainment.

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 22:33

You never know what people are going through. Sometimes they just need something to get immersed in and forget about the real world.

CommunityDragon1842025-12-15 23:03

Escapism doesn’t always means running or leaving

For me, escapism is the hypothetical machine. I like exploring reality through fantasy. Helps us see reality more clearly by detaching it just enough from the real

dbkenny4262025-12-15 22:18

I care because I'm still mostly enjoying it. If you don't, that's fine.

sjcourtney562025-12-15 22:20

Honestly, for me, it doesn't take up a big portion of time to be 'invested'. They put out 2-3 films a year and while I don't always see them in theater or on opening weekend like I used to, I still watch them and find them enjoyable to varying degrees. I watch the shows that interest me and avoid the others...if i feel like I might be missing a plot point I can just read about it. So, I stay invested because my level of investment isn't high and I make it easily fit around my schedule.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:21

Yeah, I was the kinda fan who had the watch everything so I guess I felt betrayed when the quality began to slip

sjcourtney562025-12-15 22:37

I think that's something you probably need to work on. Not at all trying to be mean or disparaging, but you shouldn't feel betrayed by a movie/movie studio. I don't go in with any big thoughts or ideas, I just go watch the movies for the entertainment. No need to add stress/pressure to your life when these are meant to be a couple hours of escape.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:44

I don’t like to think of media as an escape. Maybe because it’s such a big part of my life. I think to think stories are something that enrich life and give you space to reflect. That said I don’t usually engage in brand loyalty. I pick up a boom or series based on word of mouth or elements in it I think will be valuable regardless of quality. The MCU was a step above that for me because of the age I was when it started, how long it stayed good, and how ambitious it felt.

sjcourtney562025-12-15 22:49

Then we both see things very differently, and that's okay. However, it does feel like you may take it a step too far when you say you feel betrayed. A betrayal implies that you and the other entity have a relationship and a level of trust. I cannot imagine feeling that towards a movie/series/story. I don't feel betrayed when my school loses, my favorite teams lose, a movie is shitty, that's just not a feeling I have when it comes to my hobbies.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:53

I don’t always feel betrayed when a series is bad or I don’t like it. I don’t like My Adventures with Superman, but I can creators trying and I understand how someone could appreciate Chet they are doing. I think the Snyder Cut is laughable, but I also believe Zack has creative tendencies that lead him to make it. Secret Invasion and Love and Thunder to me felt like the studio knew they had a built in audience and hey no longer had to try. That makes me feel betrayed and used, and that made me walk away.

sjcourtney562025-12-15 23:02

Yeah, idk man, I don't think we are ever going to see eye to eye here. I just don't understand the betrayal. The studio doesn't owe me anything...they don't owe me a good movie, a compelling story, or a movie release at all. Just like I don't have to go see their films they do put out. If you didn't like the trailers for Love and Thunder, Secret Invasion, or any other film then just skip them, it's easy to do.

I don't expect large corporations to do anything other than focus on their profit margin and I think it is unwise to do think that they care about much more than that. That does not mean that they won't produce good movies or that they shouldn't try hard to produce good stories, but I certainly do not trust them to do anything but focus on the shareholders and profits. It may suck, but it is 2025 and a lot of things suck right now.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:06

I think companies do owe their consumers good products. I’m not saying that they prioritize us, but we should expect quality output and if we don’t get it go elsewhere. If a restraint serves me a bad meal, I’m going to stop eating there and I’ll tell people it sucks.

sjcourtney562025-12-15 23:14

That's the key that you seem to be forgetting...you can go elsewhere. You don't have to watch the MCU if you feel betrayed. Watch things that satisfy you and leave the MCU behind. Marvel/Disney does not owe it to every consumer that the movie be 'good' or 'quality' and it is naive to believe that it does.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:18

And I have gone elsewhere. I’m not watching most of their output anymore. I feel like we are talking past each other.

TelenorTheGNP2025-12-15 22:42

Whenever I hear people say "fatigue", I remind them that Marvel has released a low amount of movies per year for a while now. In 2024, we got Echo, Deadpool, and Agatha - one movie and two shows. If you've got fatigue on that, that's not impressive. How many games per season for one team in any televised sport? WWE stuff is on every week. How many episodes in a season for Grey's Anatomy?

sjcourtney562025-12-15 22:45

Haha exactly, my wife is a saint and doesn't really complain about any of my hobbies. However, if she did I am certain the fact that I watch 2 wwe shows per week, a full slate of college football, a nice chunk of nfl football, every Reds game during baseball season and every OU college basketball game would all rank as higher annoyances than 2 movies and a tv show every year.

IndominusTaco2025-12-15 22:20

i care bc i don’t buy into the overblown reddit hysteria that the MCU is struggling post-endgame

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:22

I’ve really on been active on Reddit in the last couple of years. I didn’t agree with the consensus quality had gone down after endgame at first either. Secret Invasion broke me.

TMLeafs912025-12-15 22:20

I dunno if I’m excited for the future of the MCU but at this point “I’m with you til the end of the line”!

eagc72025-12-15 22:21

Because i enjoy Marvel, i don't care if we get a string of bad content every now and then (or even in a constant basis) i love these characters, i love this world, i will stick with it till the end of the line

xGIJOSEx2025-12-17 20:08

Well said. They don’t have to be oscar worthy movies but any extra screen time for what is otherwise just a comic book is a plus. I never got into comics but I’ll always enjoy a marvel or DC movie

Comfortable-Job71032025-12-15 22:21

Idk if this is the case for you, but ever since I stopped paying a lot of attention to social media, my enjoyment in almost everything skyrocketed. I think the hype train ended at Endgame and so now a lot of people are just hating on the MCU for similar reasons they should have disliked the Infinity Saga.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:24

I would be more excited if I had hope we would see a wide range of projects. But the MCU feels very samey to me at this point. F4 was there most different feeling movie in a while and it still felt like a popcorn flick to me. Albeit not a horrible one, but not compelling

Beauxx_12025-12-15 22:21

“I love being with people; it’s the most incredible feeling in the world.
That world may change and evolve, but the one that will never change – we’re all part of one big family.
That man next to you; he’s your brother, that woman over there; she’s your sister.
We’re all part of one universe that moves ever upward and onward to greater glory.”

Due-Range85672025-12-15 22:36

Aww, that’s the sweetest opinion you could have. Glad to be part of your family.

Beauxx_12025-12-15 22:43

We are the lucky ones! Honestly, it wouldn't be the same without you.

Vumi_2025-12-15 22:57

Was this said by Stan Lee? I might misremember, but those lines seem super familiar

Beauxx_12025-12-15 22:58

🍿 https://youtu.be/QdpxoFcdORI?si=ag6NYpR6gSD5XTaH

CommunityDragon1842025-12-15 22:23

Idk I think ppl like you just need therapy.

You blame everything and everyone else for your own miserable attitudes.

Maybe you’re the problem and these are just silly comic book movies and not something that should have had you sooo invested in the first place.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:25

I’m not miserable. I enjoy a lot of other things. I’m just burned out on this franchise.

PotentialAnt96702025-12-15 22:26

It's okay to let go. There are a lot of things that I no longer care about now that I would have cared about when I was younger.

CommunityDragon1842025-12-15 22:31

Help me understand how you were invested after iron man 2-Thor 1 - Thor 2 but someone Loki season 1, a widely beloved series which most ppl would say stands in the tier just below phase 3 is where it lost ya lol

Covid helped destroy the entire damn world. The MCU as well with the strikes . Full rewrites of cap show, doctor strange quantumania, secret invasion and love and thunder directly as a result.

Is it a coincidence those are the agreed worst projects post end game?

Is it a coincidence the projects before and after that run have been well received when not affected by that?

Idk. I think these are simple truths that color my perception and desire to see the properties do well. Does that color my glasses rose? Maybe. But we all color our viewpoint somehow.

Are you choosing to see everything from its worst perspective or its best?

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:38

I don’t think those three movies were that bad. They have very evident problems, but their characters have agency, coherent arcs, plots are internally consistent, etc. In Loki, we are kept in the dark about what really going on until the end, and aren’t given meaningful clues. It’s a narrative where the bad guy perfectly predicted how everyone would behave, so character choices don’t matter. The fights aren’t interesting or well choreographed. The most interesting choice they made is using villain Loki as the main character and that’s undermined in the first two episodes. The alternate timelines idea doesn’t make a lot of sense and isn’t well explored. (Let’s not tug that string please. It could make sense if they spent more time delving into it but they don’t, so we can’t understand how Loki is male presenting in one timeline she female presenting in another or an alligator in yet another. I can think of several compelling ways to do this, but they do nothing with it.)

I could go on forever. Maybe season 2 fixed some of my problems. I just have no interest in watching more of a show that thoroughly disappointed me.

CommunityDragon1842025-12-15 22:39

Idk dude tbh I see someone here rationalizing towards cynicism more than actually being honest about what they’re seeing.

Just watch out for that. We tend to create the world we think exists.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:41

That’s true. I don’t think it’s true in this context. I went into Loki excited, coming off the relative high of WandaVision and Falcon/WS. I remained optimistic for the first three episodes. Now I have a negative bias towards the studio, but not at that time.

CommunityDragon1842025-12-15 22:47

The studio is a constantly hiring and firing conglomerate of people and market conditions and real world realities all just doin their best.

If you stop personifying it like some singular thing making choices you don’t like then that may help

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:50

You have a point. I am personifying a corporate entity somewhat. Feeling betrayed is kinda silly. And you do get outliers when they hire an especially good director or writer, like Guardiabs 3.

But I also think the studio’s policies can be blamed for the general quality of their output, and it’s reasonable to be biased against them if I think their movies and shows are more negative and bland than positive and interesting.

CommunityDragon1842025-12-15 22:53

I think it’s *natural* to be bias against them but is it reasonable? Perhaps

But maturity is resisting the natural bias of life and seeing it for what it is, among other things

We steal our own joy when we carry such baggage.

I just urge ya to keep an open mind and see how it helps make life more fun

Sometimes you’ll waste $20 and a few hours a year sure but you won’t waste the hours in between pre-living the bad experience with your own presumptive reality

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:55

I feel that maturity is based on how you treat other people. I don’t think maturity really enters into the conversation on corporate entities. I don’t feel a moral responsibility to give Disney the benefit of a doubt like I would a friend or family member.

Drewhasspoken2025-12-15 22:24

Despite the mediocrity generally, they’ll come through with a banger from time to time and it’s at the point now that requires I watch everything to know what’s going on for the most part, so I do, because the great ones are worth it. Most of the bland stuff isn’t horrible, it’s just bland, I can sit down with a drink or two and get through it without regretting it too much.

SnooAvocados43572025-12-15 22:24

That eventually it'll get better. When done right its a lovely world to return to and look forward to where character is first.

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 22:26

I feel like you changed more than the MCU did. You simply got burnt out.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:28

Maybe? The MCU always had some mid or bad movies. I just don’t think they utterly lacked personality or identity when I was younger. Even the bad ones in phase 2 don’t feel utterly hollow and insulting like Secret Invasion or Loki. But idk maybe I am the problem

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 22:32

Secret Invasion is unanimously hated but Loki is the complete opposite. Everyone loves it. Newer releases are just more diverse than the Infinity Saga.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:39

Diversity is great. It doesn’t make up for bad writing though. The Spiderverse movies are diverse and actually good.

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 22:49

I think you misinterpreted what I meant. By diverse I mean each one has different creatives with more autonomy to experiment with different tones. Things aren’t as streamlined as they were before. This means more room for quality differences.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:51

I strongly disagree there. I think the last time they tried anything interesting was Eternals. That floooed, and since then they’ve only homogenized.

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 22:58

Thunderbolts, She-Hulk, and Werewolf by Night are nothing alike.

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 23:03

F4 is also something we've never seen, in many cases actually.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:03

They kinda are. Within the MCU they are very different, but within the wider of scope of media or even superhero media they are very similar. Quippy, positive, violence is never taken seriously, shallow characterization, unsatisfying conclusion.

I know you will disagree with all of these characterizations but all of these movies/shows feel like they were written by same people just emulating different styles of show. Yes She-Hulk wants to be Suits and Thunderbotks wants to be Bourne Identity, but they are more like each other than anything else. It’s easier to see when you are mostly consuming media outside of this bubble.

Realistic_Analyst_262025-12-15 23:21

Excuse me? Have you even seen those films?

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:23

Those three specifically, yes. Much more of the Studios most recent output, no.

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 22:50

You're calling Loki insulting!? Im starting to think you are the problem here..

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:56

Honestly I don’t understand why other people like Loki. I didn’t see season 2, so maybe it was an improvement. But I consider season 1 to be like the fourth or fifth worst MCU thing ever.

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 23:01

If you didn't see the whole show.. why judging it as a whole then? This is disingenuous of you, ngl..

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:04

I’m not. I’m judging season 1. Of you tell me Loki season 2 was perfect, I’d say great I’m glad it improved. They don’t make season 1 retroactively good.

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 23:13

You did, read back. And yes, you should see S2. Its real good and made everything in S1 made sense. Loki's arc is peak.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:15

Well I says Loki, but it was referring to the season that existed when I watched. I don’t think you get to retroactively make a bad show good with stuff you did later. Season 1 was released as a complete product. I can judge it on its own merits.

DependentFix20082025-12-15 22:26

To be honest, most of it feels like a cash grab recently. They flooded Disney plus with television series when they should’ve kept it on the big screen. I don’t really think they caught the lesson from Agents of SHIELD (it wasn’t horrible but the show just felt flat). They went quantity over quality, I don’t really rush out to the movies anymore, just wait for it to hit on demand.

It’s not to say I won’t watch but my usual fervor for Marvle has dwindled over the past few years. Shang-Chi felt pretty solid but then…crickets.

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 22:54

You sure about that buddy? After Shang Chi yeah?

DependentFix20082025-12-15 23:04

Felt like after Endgame they weren’t sure where or what to do - I’m not wild about Shang-Chi but it felt like one of the more solid releases post-Endgame

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 23:12

Agreed. Definitely top 3 since Endgame. But to call crickets after Shang Chi is a big stretch.

DependentFix20082025-12-16 01:57

Sorry, I meant they setup a pretty decent addition to the MCU with Shang Chi and then crickets, a character they could’ve easily gotten a sequel to within a couple years but there’s been no movement since 2021. The Eternals looks to be a one off which, for the MCU, seems weird since normally there’s at least a mention or follow up from the characters elsewhere. So ‘crickets’ as in it feels like they’re trying to set something up only for it to become lost to time

Rua-Yuki2025-12-15 22:27

It's still worth the 120 minutes of entertainment and enjoying it in the theater with fans. I'm not super hype, but I've spent 30$ on way less.

Bleh-Boy2025-12-15 22:28

I like superhero stories and I don’t think that multiple characters = cameo fest just because I saw someone say that on Twitter

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:30

Multiple characters can be done well. I wouldn’t impugn any of the existing Avengers movies with the cameo fest label. But I think No Way Home and the Flash lean into that hard. (I know Flash isn’t Marvel, just saying cameo fests aren’t a one-studio problem.)

Bleh-Boy2025-12-15 23:03

I think people throw around the word “cameo” a bit too much nowadays. I wouldn’t call any of the characters in NWH cameos. In the Flash, I’d call Nicholas Cage’s appearance a cameo, but not Michael Keaton or Michael Shannon. Nobody had a problem with it in 2018, but if Infinity War came out today, it’d be called a cameo fest because every character doesn’t have their own personal storyline.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:09

I am using cameo inaccurately here, that’s true. But I think the Flash included as Zod as a memberberries-style ploy, not because they had anything interesting to say or do with his character. I have the same criticism for NWH, which included two prior Spider-Men but was terrified to develop them as characters. I think Infinity Wars includes a lot of characters, but the main cast all have things to do and the cameos only show up for a big fight where it makes sense for them to be there. They aren’t trying to distract from the actual narrative.

Spider_Boyo2025-12-15 22:28

I love the movies. I was an impressionable 6 year old in 2008, and superhero movies and tv grabbed me. The movies are my comics, the gateway to the genre. Gaming played a helpful part too, but the movies are my gospel. Because of that, I understand the creativity and talent that goes into each production, and even if some are shaky, most of them for me are solid.

It's also why I couldn't give af if Spider-Man was Iron Boy, or Hulk got nerfed, or even now as Doom is RDJ and doesn't as rumoured have any beef with Reed, when what actually matters is the story being told, not what your ideals are.

That's why I care, because I'm genuinely interested in the MCU probably more than most.

phantomsham2025-12-15 22:30

Morbid curiosity

TelenorTheGNP2025-12-15 22:32

They're well made movies and we've been with the characters for years now. I like that Hollywood tried something this big and is doing well considering (minus Majors giant let down).

Also, a lot of the older fans remember when studio producers steered this stuff off into the weeds and we got stuff like Batman and Robin and other garbage. There's a famous story about producers wanting Hellboy to transform. There's the Dragonball movie. There's all kinds of stuff that was really insulting to the fans and the worst of the MCU doesn't even come close. The MCU also treats us like we're adults because there are hints and fun details and interesting ideas beyond just the kids stuff. They did Civil War, which despite it's controversy in the comics, had a great "choose a side" theme to it.

There's lots here to enjoy. And if you're bored or don't care as much as you used to, that's fine. Take a break. Maybe come back, maybe don't.

It's a fun thing and I enjoy it.

RihoSucks2025-12-15 22:35

Loki is better than 90% of the infinity saga movies what you talking about.

Ok-Injury82282025-12-15 22:46

I get it.. Ive felt that similar "fatigue" as a longtime comics fan who rode the high from the Infinity Saga straight through Endgame. Some post Endgame stuff felt rushed or reliant on nostalgia pulls, and yeah, projects like Secret Invasion just didnt land. Its fair to step back when the excitement dips.

Still, theres solid ground for checking in again. Deadpool and Wolverine last year pulled in over 1.3 billion and reminded everyone how sharp and fun these can be when they click (enough). This years releases, especially Thunderbolts and F4 havent hit those heights box office wise, but they especially earned strong praise for tighter stories and fresh vibes. They really are good and they were both made after the whole reinventing stuff. So I do care, which I always remained doing. But it surely gave us all hope for proper movies about characters we love and movies that are sooo good.

Looking to the future, things feel more focused. Spider Man BND picks up Peters street level world in new ways, and Doomsday brings back RDJ as Doom with the Russos directing, pulling in teams like F4 and Thunderbolts for real stakes.

Marvels cut back output to prioritize quality, and that shift is showing already. If comics have taught us anything, its that these cycles turn around with strong reinvention. Worth dipping back in for the next one, could spark that old feeling without forcing it. Hope the caring will be back cause I think they, at least, deserve a second chance.

EDIT: OP is calling Loki an insult just like Secret Invasion in a comment at someone else.. that is absolutely crazy and I didn't read that comment before I took the time and gave my response.

Talhatetetr2025-12-15 22:46

Why? The reason is very clear to me. Marvel makes movies that take ME to the cinema every year. And I'm happy for this, it's a fun escape for me, maybe it allows me to take a short break from the fullness of life. Also, I missed the Endgame and Infinity War Era, so I want to enjoy these 2 new Avengers movies to the fullest. I am extremely excited. Even if Doomsday and Secret Wars are very bad, I want to experience that Avengers excitement. Merchs, costumes, toys close to that day. The areas of the cinemas specially designed for that day, the excitement of the people... Anything else is enough for me. I'm not a Marvel fan, I just love it. I don't even know the characters properly.

whitepangolin2025-12-15 22:54

Because the real world fucking sucks! It's a fun action fantasy with all the shit we loved from childhood. It's not that deep, go have fun, you joyless fucking cynics.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:58

But this is part of the real world. There is no escape. And if I thought there was, there are higher quality stories for that. I’ve been reading the Cosmere for example and it’s really good.

whitepangolin2025-12-15 23:07

It is fucking NOT part of the real world! It is a fictional fantasy series!

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 23:10

That I’m watching in my real life. Fiction is not distinct from reality. It is made in reality and ultimately about reality. That’s like saying a lie isn’t part of conversation because it’s a falsehood. You can learn a lot from lies if you can tell the apart from the truth.

whitepangolin2025-12-15 22:55

Why does everyone have the same exact opinion about Marvel yet shares it here like they're the only ones who've ever thought these thoughts?

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-15 22:58

Idk. Why not?

HuckleberryUnique4462025-12-15 23:30

You just answered why you no longer care. And fair enough. Each person here can only answer for themselves why they still care and don't care and to what degree they care and don't care.

For you personally, I'd check out of the sub for the next 6-7months

Then maybe do an Infinity War End Game rewatch, followed by a Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps watch/re-watch. Then plug in for Brand New Day and DoomsDay. If you're not back in by then. Just bow out entirely or until a new trailer for some far future film (XMen?) captures your attention.

Me personally, I'm pretty invested still (though had no love at all for: QuantumMania, Loveland Thunder,, She Hulk, or Secret Invasion) but there is absolutely nothing wrong if you're just out.

Tgirl02025-12-15 23:33

I care when we have some story arcs with some interesting character development and plot placements.

My main motivator is Loki. Loki's amazing character development. His story from villain to hero in a span of two decades. He is the one newly mint superhero I would gladly keep watching in the MCU. He and his TVA gang. I look forward to his future, because I wouldn't have believed this when the first Thor came out.

My other MCU top faves are his brother and Capt. America, but they got dethroned by Loki's involvement starting with Ragnarok. Loki just holds the more interesting cards for me.

Everyone/everything else are bonus points with the Thunderbolts having a soft spot in my heart. I hope we see Moon Knight again some day.

Secret Invasion can go into a black hole and be forgotten for all eternity. Most of us will try to forget it existed. 😭.... We want Maria Hill back!

I haven't seen every single Marvel project, but I've seen most of the major ones that interested me.

-Whoaly-2025-12-15 23:34

I suppose it may be different tastes. The only 2 things that I felt personally offended by were Secret Invasion and Quantumania. A number of films post Endgame have hit the highs of the best of the Infinity Saga for me including Shang-Chi, Deadpool and Wolverine, No Way Home, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four on the film side, and Loki, WandaVision and Ms. Marvel on the tv side. Deadpool and Wolverine made me care about Deadpool and actually catch up on his films.

Background on myself, liked Spider-Man the Animated series as a child, and the Tobey films. The MCU made me a comic fan, buying many omnibus and catching up on Silver Age and modern stuff.

The last couple of years were hampered by an older regime that emphasized content creation at the expense of quality, chasing streaming subscription numbers. For me, the MCU is in an upward trajectory and I’m hoping it continues. Until they go 3 or 4 projects that I absolutely revile, I’ll continue to look forward to the next thing.

Spideyfan772025-12-15 23:40

I have nothing else

CapnRogersNbrhood2025-12-16 02:04

Like what you want to like, hate what you want to hate, who gives a shit. But if you go into everything expecting bad then that’s all you’re going to see no matter what it really is.

marvelcomics222025-12-16 03:50

I've liked almost everything Marvel has done these past few years, I only dislike one thing, which I'll refrain from naming because the world would be a better place if we all forget about it.

Paladar22025-12-16 04:52

Spiderman BND will slap. Not sure why you think it will be a cameo fest. They’re contractually obligated to put another character with Spider-man, that’s why Hulk is in it. It’s a cameo fest because its got Punisher?

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-16 04:55

Punisher, Hulk, Sadie Sink rumored to be Jean Grey, at least three villains, the Hand. Some of these might be rumors or false, we will see. But I already No Way Home to be a pretty unfulfilling experience that relied over much on nostalgia so it’s hard to be optimistic.

Paladar22025-12-16 04:57

Huh? How is Sadie Sink a cameo if she’s never pkayed an MCU character before

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-16 05:02

Gotten into this on another chain, but I already admitted I’m incorrectly using cameo as short hand for a larger problem. That is additional characters being thrown into a movie to generate hype by either capitalizing on nostalgia or building up interest for a later movie instead of focusing on the current story. For example the earlier Spiders in NWH aren’t really cameos because they have substantive speaking roles. But ultimately neither feel (to me I guess) like they are developed in an interesting way or need to be there. The inclusion amounts to “Look! You remember these guys!”

Livid_Foundation_5572025-12-16 08:08

Because you obsess over a mediocre series of movies and put whatever your personality or lack of in it
A lot of the post endgame stuff is just ok but if you are some loser who is here often and give a shit about a few chose like it's some sort of art form and not product for entertainment well that's on you

Let me guess you were some cringe champion of marvel until x show you really don't like and went omg it sucks now

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-16 08:18

“Some sort of art form and not a product.” Man, you’re more cynical that I am.

I wouldn’t say I was a champion for Msrvel. I wasn’t active on Reddit or similar media when I liked it. I just really liked it. I still like Marvel, just not the film studio.

Livid_Foundation_5572025-12-16 08:29

The thing is most MCU things are kid have always been so ce 2009 or whenever iron man two came out

I feel like the current trend to hate on it it's just people realizing it but not applying it retroactively ans only engaging with it

I've seen like 3? 5 ish things since like 2020 and I'm fine with it but if I was super involved with stuff yeah tha just feeds the loop of talk about x thing until you are tired

Also yeah they are products sans like Wolfman at night and wandavision maybe Loki all of them try to be some.flsvor.of this quarters big action blockbuster

The themes and gimmicks are paintjobs to trying to sell a billion people into seats

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-16 08:43

None of this is revolutionary though. Under capitalism, nothing is available for wide distribution without a profit motive. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about Shakespeare or pornography, or something without artistic merit. But I don’t think just because something is a product meant to make money doesn’t mean it’s not art. If that were true, art would basically not exist.

I don’t think the MCU is as bad as you say, I think historically it’s better than most action movies. A couple years ago I marathoned every Fast and Furious and Mission Impossible movies that existed at the time with some friends. Those were awful. They had their moments, but I can’t imagine being a fan or being excited for a new one.

Defiant_Wheel48882025-12-16 11:31

I hated my dad when he didn’t buy me what I wanted during my childhood. That does not mean I didn’t love him.

What I’m saying is that there were issues in the MCU. Marvel focused on quantity over quality and released too many projects at once. Because of that, the VFX teams were working day and night, yet the final results were still awful in some cases.
Examples include *Thor: Love and Thunder*, Heimdall’s son’s floating head, the *WandaVision* final scene where the cast and crew were visible, and a few other mistakes.

However, after *Thunderbolts*—and technically with *Deadpool & Wolverine*—Marvel clearly recognized what fans actually want:

1. Continuity
2. Quality
3. Connected stories and new technology
4. Character development and emotional bonds
5. Balanced humor with proper action sequences
6. Fewer movies and series, but with higher quality

They fixed many of these issues in *Thunderbolts*, and honestly, it is one of the best films made directly by Marvel Studios. While *Spider-Man: No Way Home* and *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3* were great, I would say *Thunderbolts* feels more directly connected to the Earth-based MCU.

Marvel understood the feedback, and it clearly worked. Even in *Fantastic Four*, they used mostly practical sets, which looked excellent. I’ve also heard that *Doomsday* uses real, practical sets as well.

So, I believe the original Marvel is back. Like a prodigal son, they have returned. There’s no need to keep talking about the past. I’m genuinely excited for the *Doomsday* project.

Agreeable_Car51142025-12-16 15:52

I’m sorry but I disagree. D&W had some of the worst writing I’ve seen in a theatrical film. And Thunderbolts was highly disappointing. I wouldn’t call it objectively bad, but I do think they wasted their premise. I think F4 is the closest thing Marvel has done to interesting/good movie in years and tbh it still felt like a hollow popcorn flick to me in many ways.

I realize that my tastes seem to differ though. I really liked Eternals and Iron Heart, which I know aren’t popular.

Defiant_Wheel48882025-12-16 16:14

ok :)

ChaoticCaptain1772025-12-16 17:46

What keeps me invested is the characters, the storytelling, and just the interconnected world the MCU is

CharlieEternal6162025-12-17 11:56

I'm not as invested as I used to be, but I still really like some characters so I continue watching. I don't go to rhe cinema anymore tho, too many disappointments, I just wait for digital releases and watch it at home. And ofcoz by the time I watch it it's already been spoilt, but I don't even care about spoilers anymore coz I've realized Marvel storytelling isn't storytelling at all, it's mostly just nostalgia bait at this point. I just wanna see my favorite characters again that's pretty much it.