Can the MCU Actually Make a Real Comeback? -

By Luis Zonenberg

Even the most casual viewer has seen that Marvel has been on a long bumpy road since the Multiverse saga kickstarted nearly four years ago. With only three financial successes out of eleven films released, it is clear that the company is no longer the juggernaut it once was. While Deadpool & Wolverine did reinvigorate some much needed interest, it also had me asking if the company will have an actual rebound anytime soon.

Problems first arose during the early years of the pandemic, with Black Widow losing $600 million due to online pirating. This was soon followed by the lackluster release of the Eternals, which was the first “bad” entry in the MCU. The real failure, though, was the launch of the Kang Dynasty with Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania. The movie failed to break even and with the firing of Kang actor Johnathan Majors, it was clear the MCU had fallen into a rut.

The real root of the problem lies in the Disney+ TV shows released between each film. For the first time ever, fans also had to watch several TV series to get caught up in time to see the latest MCU film. The baffling failure of shows like Secret Invasion or She-Hulk failed to win most audiences, with many losing track of them by the time the Marvels released in theaters. This definitely factored into the box-office disappointment of the film, with it grossing $206 million against its ballooned $270 million production budget.

With all that said, there were a few treasures that did grab audiences attention. Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings was very well received upon its release, even grossing $432 million against a $150 million budget during the pandemic. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine are also notable for being the only Multiverse saga films to gross over a billion dollars, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness coming right behind with its $955 million gross at the box office.

Some series such as Loki and WandaVision proved very successful with critics and audiences, garnering multiple accolades across numerous award shows. Shows such as Moon Knight won audiences with its compelling stars and supernatural themes, leaving them craving for more. Considering how hit-or-miss these releases have been, does this leave any hope left for Marvel to have a rebound anytime soon?

The recent release of Captain America: Brave New World may hold an answer. The film was plagued with numerous rewrites and reshoots during its production, which explains why it was not a critical darling when compared to previous MCU releases. However, this did not prevent it from taking No. 1 at the Presidents’ Day weekend box office. The film impressively grossed over $100 million domestically, with the worldwide total coming in at $198 million so far.

This was by far the largest opening weekend of the year, already breaking past its estimated $180 million production budget. While I doubt it will reach the heights of Deadpool & Wolverine, the film clearly surpassed expectations and even has plenty of favorable audience scores. Critics are currently around 50/50 on the film, but it does boast an impressive 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

To coincide with the release of the film, Marvel also premiered the first teaser for the Fantastic Four: First Steps. The trailer garnered over 202 million views within 24 hours of the trailer’s premiere, the largest trailer debut for any Marvel property that was not a sequel. The hype behind this and the upcoming release of Daredevil: Born Again do show an increased interest in Marvel again, but is this enough to save the MCU?
This question is unfortunately difficult to answer at this current state and only time will tell if Marvel can make a real comeback. Despite the bumpy ride the Multiverse Saga has provided for many, there have been some hits that audiences have loved and still treasure at this point in time. Whether the future of the MCU continues this upward trend is unknown, but at least fans have regained some level of interest and will probably stick around to see what Marvel has in store for them by the time Avengers: Secret Wars releases in 2027.