My opinions on 2025's MCU project
**NOTE: The title should say 'projects', I had to copy this from another tab because that wasn't posting. Sorry about that.**
**Disclaimer**: This is my opinion, it is by definition subjective, and while I may think one thing, and you may think another, neither of us are wrong and neither of us are right.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - 7/10
* I really liked this show, I think it was great for what it was. The animation was great, the voice acting was surprisingly good, the story was written really well and each episode contributed that interestingly. I don't have major issues with it, but I don't think it was perfect.
Captain America: Brave New World - 10/10 (Again, my opinion)
* I absolutely love this movie. I think it's amazing, and I loved seeing Sam actually be Captain America after spending the vast majority of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier accepting that role. Red Hulk was great, I liked the Leader, and Falcon's dynamic with Cap was fun. It also pulled together plot threads from a number of MCU projects which was great , and Sam choosing to rebuild the Avengers after contemplating it for the duration of the movie was a nice moment. Bucky's cameo was really fun (and he told Sam that he loved him yay for us SamBucky shippers) I loved this movie, and think it's great.
Daredevil: Born Again - 8/10
* Despite it's flaws, I enjoyed Born Again quite a bit. Episodes 1 and 8 in particular were amazing, and I love how, despite it being the product of two creative teams, it's characters are consistent, and how it shows us that Matt and Fisk have changed since the last time we saw them, and we see how they slowly fall back into their old ways over the course of the season. Vanessa and Bullseye were great, so was the Punisher and Karen. RIP Foggy, and I can't wait for S2 with Jessica Jones back.
Thunderbolts\* -10/10
* This movie is amazing, the chemistry between the cast is great, the story is wonderful, the climax not being the heroes beating the villain but helping him was a wonderful change of pace, and really nice in the way that it fit the story. Seeing Yelena lead was fun, as well as the parallels between her and Natasha. (Also, before anyone says Bucky's the leader, the MCU Wiki says otherwise) The establishment of the New Avengers was fun, and I like the implications. Loved the post credit scene, this movie was great. Not too happy about what it implies for us SamBucky shippers, but hopefully that gets resolved. Also we finally got another crossover, it's been two years since The Marvels!
Ironheart - 7/10
* Barely marketed and kind of dumped but it was good. I found it a bit slow at times, but I liked how they handled Riri's character and subverted our expectations. Interesting conversation on AI, and the scene where N.A.T.A.L.I.E. ceases to exist was written, acted, and directed really well. Mephisto was great, and I loved the cliffhanger. I wasn't too fond of the pacing, but the title cards were really creative.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps - 8/10
* First good adaptation of the Fantastic Four in over thirty years (2000s were decent but they weren't that good. In my opinion the 1994 version was the best before First Steps came out) The costumes were great, the CGI was fantastic, the acting was wonderful and so was the chemsity. I loved the writing, directing, and the retrofuturism aesthetic, but I feel like the movie could've been better had we been given another half hour to see more of the Fantastic Four's early days, and prolong the nice moments.
Eyes Of Wakanda - 6/10 (Remember, opinions)
* I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it. I found that it just was. The animation was a bit off putting but the movement was good, the music was good, seeing an Iron Fist was cool, but this kind of just came and went (not to mention that they dumped it), it just felt like nothing at all to me.
Marvel Zombies - 7/10
* I really enjoyed Marvel Zombies, I loved how it brought together so many aspects of the MCU and the animation was great. The focus on Ms. Marvel was fun, I liked seeing Kate Bishop again, even if it was for five minutes before she was pulverised. The character dynamics between everyone were really fun and I hope we get another season.
**Disclaimer**: This is my opinion, it is by definition subjective, and while I may think one thing, and you may think another, neither of us are wrong and neither of us are right.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - 7/10
* I really liked this show, I think it was great for what it was. The animation was great, the voice acting was surprisingly good, the story was written really well and each episode contributed that interestingly. I don't have major issues with it, but I don't think it was perfect.
Captain America: Brave New World - 10/10 (Again, my opinion)
* I absolutely love this movie. I think it's amazing, and I loved seeing Sam actually be Captain America after spending the vast majority of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier accepting that role. Red Hulk was great, I liked the Leader, and Falcon's dynamic with Cap was fun. It also pulled together plot threads from a number of MCU projects which was great , and Sam choosing to rebuild the Avengers after contemplating it for the duration of the movie was a nice moment. Bucky's cameo was really fun (and he told Sam that he loved him yay for us SamBucky shippers) I loved this movie, and think it's great.
Daredevil: Born Again - 8/10
* Despite it's flaws, I enjoyed Born Again quite a bit. Episodes 1 and 8 in particular were amazing, and I love how, despite it being the product of two creative teams, it's characters are consistent, and how it shows us that Matt and Fisk have changed since the last time we saw them, and we see how they slowly fall back into their old ways over the course of the season. Vanessa and Bullseye were great, so was the Punisher and Karen. RIP Foggy, and I can't wait for S2 with Jessica Jones back.
Thunderbolts\* -10/10
* This movie is amazing, the chemistry between the cast is great, the story is wonderful, the climax not being the heroes beating the villain but helping him was a wonderful change of pace, and really nice in the way that it fit the story. Seeing Yelena lead was fun, as well as the parallels between her and Natasha. (Also, before anyone says Bucky's the leader, the MCU Wiki says otherwise) The establishment of the New Avengers was fun, and I like the implications. Loved the post credit scene, this movie was great. Not too happy about what it implies for us SamBucky shippers, but hopefully that gets resolved. Also we finally got another crossover, it's been two years since The Marvels!
Ironheart - 7/10
* Barely marketed and kind of dumped but it was good. I found it a bit slow at times, but I liked how they handled Riri's character and subverted our expectations. Interesting conversation on AI, and the scene where N.A.T.A.L.I.E. ceases to exist was written, acted, and directed really well. Mephisto was great, and I loved the cliffhanger. I wasn't too fond of the pacing, but the title cards were really creative.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps - 8/10
* First good adaptation of the Fantastic Four in over thirty years (2000s were decent but they weren't that good. In my opinion the 1994 version was the best before First Steps came out) The costumes were great, the CGI was fantastic, the acting was wonderful and so was the chemsity. I loved the writing, directing, and the retrofuturism aesthetic, but I feel like the movie could've been better had we been given another half hour to see more of the Fantastic Four's early days, and prolong the nice moments.
Eyes Of Wakanda - 6/10 (Remember, opinions)
* I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it. I found that it just was. The animation was a bit off putting but the movement was good, the music was good, seeing an Iron Fist was cool, but this kind of just came and went (not to mention that they dumped it), it just felt like nothing at all to me.
Marvel Zombies - 7/10
* I really enjoyed Marvel Zombies, I loved how it brought together so many aspects of the MCU and the animation was great. The focus on Ms. Marvel was fun, I liked seeing Kate Bishop again, even if it was for five minutes before she was pulverised. The character dynamics between everyone were really fun and I hope we get another season.
Commentaires
I like when they do something different and unexpected. Not everything in this universe has to be the same genre and formula.
And then the other most common point was that there were too many characters as if the X-Men movies didn't have a whole team of characters with no character development (other than Wolverine and Charles)
Not try and force something else into that
Well yeah but the xmen are actually interesting, memorable and relevant.
Even within comic book fandoms the eternals as a large lack popularity. They are more comparable to inhumans in that regard
Also I wasn't comparing the Eternals to the X-Men in terms of their characterisations but just 2 movies that had too many characters without any development.
What some people might find boring, others find incredibly interesting.
Its an avatar movie without what makes avatar entertaining or special visually, and with a way more boring story.
It's just nice to see people having a good time.
9/10 Thunderbolts just loved the cast, dialogue, and plot also vilain was amazing and cool powers.
8.5/Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies I loved both, my only con was that both series were too short
8/10 FF first steps I am a bit optimistic here with ranking because outside of cast and visuals story was very simple which is my only issue with this movie.
7.5/10 IronHeart i liked it but I felt like watching AoS in some moments.
Captain America Brave New World-6/10 I am once again optimistic with this rating, I honestly didn't care for dialogue, characters were okay, I love Sam as a character as well, but overall story was weak, the coolest vilain was removed quite quickly and Red Hulk was there but underutilized for my taste. Overall okay but I hope if they make next one with Sam, it will be better.
Rest I am still to check out
Is it just me, because that sounds like a negative to me. AoS was amazing, and to be honest more shows should be like it.
I agree with you on most parts except on BNW and Zombies. BNW had a lot of wasted potential with Sam and Red Hulk and Zombies to me was just wasted and more just jumping from kill to kill with most of the characters not making the smartest decisions, but I mostly agree with you and liking the character dynamics. Agree with the rest, especially Fantastic 4, thunderbolts, and ironheart
The TV series, Falcon and Winter Soldier, did give him an arc. It was much more enjoyable for me, even with the kinda iffy idiot ball actions by the Flag Smashers.
Yeah, the Incredible Hulk was such a deflated balloon of a movie.
Maybe this will be a hot take to some people but Steve is the most stagnant part of his movies. Can Bucky overcome the Winter Soldier brainwashing? Will Tony and T'Challa succumb to revenge? Steve is rarely the agentive force or source of conflict in his movies. They tried to reproduce that with Sam, and your mileage may vary.
Brave New World - 7.5/10. I enjoyed it, it's far from perfect but I disagree with everyone saying it's garbage
Thunderbolts - 8.5/10. Great movie, probably the best written of the 3, but I wish everyone had a shame room in the third act
Fantastic Four First Steps - 9/10. Really enjoyed most of the movie, except the final battle which was kind of just whatever
I would give that a 7.
Being a contrarian isn't always the best. MCU had its problems, and it's great the ones calling the shot understood it. Let's hope 2026 truly becomes a great year, and not a year of cope.
To those who are saying "good to see positivity in MCU", yeah, that same positivity and "head in the sand" got us 3 years of turbidity.
Wife and I were very disappointed in Brave New World, and we thought Zombies had a lame ending with Aquafina surviving while characters like Thor and Blade Knight died.
We didn’t watch the others and that was partly because the trailers weren’t convincing, and also because our favorite reviewers said they were not so good, so we didn’t care to put in the time.
On the other hand, we've had seven movies starring a man (Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Thor: Love And Thunder, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World), one movie with a male at the center of an ensemble cast (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3) Not to mention that we also had six shows starring a man (The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Loki, Moon Knight, Secret Invasion, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Daredevil: Born Again), two shows co-starring a man (WandaVision, Hawkeye), and all of next year's television shows are starring men.
Sounds more like the M-He-U to me.
Rate FF a bit higher at 9/10, just wish it was a bit longer
Thunderbolts was easily my mcu project of the year and one of the best post endgame projects. Maybe the best? 🤔
Thunderbolts* i gotta agree tho, easily a 9/10 but closer to a 10 then 9
I couldn’t stand Riri in BP Wakanda Forever, because I knew Ironheart was coming after and it felt like her introduction was trying to show off some amazing wonderkid so you’d want to see what’s next for her, but it left me really bored with her. Felt forced and inauthentic.
The show felt like a breath of fresh air; she is a flawed character and her flaws actually influence the story and the way people treat her.
I felt the characters were interesting and likeable, and I really really liked the way they touched on the ethics behind artificial intelligence and themes of grief/loss. It definitely isn't the deepest story ever, and they should've leaned more strongly into the moral themes around AI. It was a fun show to watch after having recently seen Wakanda Forever, and we had fun talking/theorizing what would happen as the show kept coming out. I think it would've benefitted from better marketing and a more conclusive ending, but those first four episodes were really great.
We both agree that the show fell apart a little bit towards the end, unfortunately. The last two episodes felt particularly forced, specifically with how Ezekiel/Natalie were handled. Riri facing little/no consequences, no remorse for her actions, not being very smart when talking to Mephisto, and the show ending on a cliffhanger (thats unlikely to get any follow-up) are just some reasons we felt the show was narratively weak at the very end. Still enjoyable, just didn't take the direction I was expecting or hoping for. I do think its interesting to have a "hero" who is flawed and makes morally questionable decisions, but it felt like the ending threw away any themes of redemption and character growth the show had been building up rather well up to that point.
I'd say it was a solid 8/9 out of 10 up until Episodes 5 and 6, which dropped the rating down to a 7 for me. I hope we get some sort of continuation to Ironheart, but seeing how the MCU is seemingly headed towards a reboot with Secret Wars, I don't have much faith that the loose ends and characters from the show will get picked up again.
I really hope next year is regarded as a comeback for the MCU.
Captain America: 3/10
Daredevil: 7/10
Thunderbolts\*: 7.5/10
Ironheart: 0/10
Fantastic Four: 4/10
Eyes of Wakanda: 6.5/10
Marvel Zombies: 6/10
***Spider-Man*** is definitely what I enjoyed the most this year. I loved the cartoon format, the characters (even the ones I didn't know), and the cameos. It really felt like watching a Marvel cartoon. And for once, the Multiverse didn't screw up the storyline too much.
Personally, I found **Captain America** very uninteresting, totally unremarkable and forgettable. I didn't find anything worth remembering about it.
**Daredevil** pleasantly surprised me, as I was familiar with the character but had never wanted to watch it back then (because it was too violent). I don't care much about the story, but Charlie Cox is so charismatic!
Of the three movies, **Thunderbolts\*** is the one that surprised me the most and that I enjoyed the most. And that's solely thanks to Bob (Sentry/The Void). The actor gives an excellent performance, and The Void is so terrifying!
**Ironheart** is by far what I hated most in the MCU, even more than the Thor movies (except *Ragnarok*, which is obviously very cool) or *Ms. Marvel* or *The Marvels*; although it should be noted that I at least watched IH (unlike *Echo* and AAA, which I deliberately skipped). I'm just not the target audience. I didn't get into it at all. I thought it was terrible and awful. Nevertheless, I can imagine and understand that if you are the target audience, the series can be very cool.
As for **Fantastic Four**, I was just too disappointed. There are too many gaps in the film. The four heroes are fantastic, as is the Silver Surfer. Unlike BNW, FF is enjoyable to watch. Nevertheless, I didn't get the same “wow effect” with Galactus (even though he's cool) as I did with the Celestials in *The Eternals*. In the end, I don't think the movie adds much. It's the same feeling I had with *Deadpool & Wolverine* in 2024: an excellent movie, very funny, very cool, but it's still missing that “je ne sais quoi” and it doesn't rekindle the flame of the MCU.
**Eyes of Wakanda** and **Marvel Zombies** were also very cool to watch, but I was disappointed by their respective endings.
And then again, since *WandaVision* was almost five years ago and I don't really care about the sequel or conclusion to that series; and since the characters and events of AAA (and potentially almost the entire saga) will have virtually no impact or follow-up in *Doomsday*/*Secret* Wars and the subsequent saga, it's not important for a good understanding of the MCU.
And what I like to do when I can't be bothered to watch is read the detailed/complete summaries on Wiki.
Anyway, thanks for all your kindness, and by the way, have a merry happy new year! May 2026 brings us a lot of fun for us, MUC folks! Spiderman, Daredevil, Doomsday!