There are many who believe that Marvel has “gone woke” with their recent slate of MCU movies. However, industry insiders believe that Kevin Feige is currently clearing out “activist producers” to refocus on classic characters instead. In other words, you can expect to see a lot less political-leaning content in the upcoming films.
The MCU Is Changing
Since the release of Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in a bit of a soul-searching stage. The franchise has shifted tones and narratives more often than any fan could count. Remember when Kang the Conqueror was going to be the next big bad? Or when it was all about the Multiverse? The monolithic MCU that once was is now a shadow of its former self – and that’s not just me talking nonsense: just look at the franchise’s box office numbers.
Still, for every misstep and missed opportunity, fans will always love what Marvel has to offer – at least when the series is genuine. It’s no secret that Marvel has been leaning heavily on progressive politics for a while now. Nothing new for comic books, sure; the issue here, as critics have noticed in the past, is that some MCU films feel more like a lecture than an entertainment product. The Marvels is often cited as an example, and according to the American critic and writer Chris Gore, that film broke the camel’s back for Marvel.
Marvel Is Cleaning House
In an interview with The Critical Drinker on YouTube, Gore mentioned how the failure of The Marvels caused a significant course correction for the franchise. Gore mentioned that, according to his sources at Marvel, they have “cleaned house,” starting by firing producers who could also label themselves as activists.
Gore also mentions Kevin Feige knows that “woke” messaging isn’t effective anymore as a marketing ploy. “Kevin Feige recognizes… basically, he said that ‘we tried it, it didn’t work.'” Though the interview took place a bit over a week ago, Feige hasn’t commented on this outlook for the MCU, which makes perfect sense.
Bad Reviews
Bad reviews don’t mean much for a studio. One look at the Rotten Tomatoes page for a Transformers film will tell you that. The issue comes when those movies stop being profitable, and that’s just what happened to the MCU.
Eternals, The Marvels, and even Quantumania proved fans demand more from the MCU. According to Gore, the MCU’s restructuring also includes firing creatives without comic book experience. Recent info about Captain America: Brave New World seemingly confirms this, as Eternals‘ Nate Moore has the next Cap movie as his only upcoming Marvel project.
Deadpool & Wolverine To The Rescue
The event that might finally change the MCU for good is the outstanding success of Deadpool & Wolverine. Critics like Gore and The Critical Drinker praised the MCU film for its lack of political messaging. The movie is escapism at its finest, and considering it’s hit $1 billion worldwide (something the MCU hasn’t seen in a while), it could become the blueprint for any future Marvel project.
Still, as Gore points out in the interview, there are some MCU projects left in the pipeline that will be affected by the previous plans. Movies like Iron Heart, the next Captain America movie, and some minor Disney+ projects are too far into production to change. This rumored new “clean house” MCU would come into effect in the next Phase, likely starting with the upcoming Fantastic Four film.
One thing is for sure: if Iron Man redefined Marvel movies for an entire generation, then it seems Deadpool & Wolverine was the wake-up call the franchise needed to go back to its heroic roots. Not bad for the Merc with a Mouth.
Tell us, do you think the MCU needs a change? Is Deadpool & Wolverine the right direction?
Deadpool & Wolverine |
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Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy. |
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| Studio: Marvel Studios |
| Running Time: 128 minutes |
| Release Date: 26 July 2024 |
| Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin |
| Director: Shawn Levy |
| Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy |
| Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy |
| Box Office: $1.029 billion |
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