Will the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever regain its former charm? For several years now, the heroes of the House of Ideas have been going through a rather difficult phase. Disney's strategy of expanding its major franchises via a dedicated streaming platform has ended up doing more harm than good. Whether it's Marvel, Star Wars, or even animated series, the conclusion is clear: the incessant torrent of Disney+ productions has only reinforced viewer fatigue. How can we regain the confidence of an audience convinced that imagination has reached its limit? Exhaustion?
The current crisis in the entertainment industry is enough to prove that the miracle solution has not yet been found. Major Hollywood studios are therefore no longer hesitant to try daring approaches. This trend is starting to be felt at Marvel, with projects that range from returning to their roots to complete reinvention. This year, Thunderbolts* seeks to emulate a darker atmosphere worthy of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, while Fantastic Four: Into the Wild looks set to prove that the MCU still has some excellent untapped ideas. But the biggest upheavals are yet to come. coming in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, which could well serve as a reboot in the strict sense of the word.
A renewal that we no longer expected
By wanting to expand too quickly, the Marvel cinematic universe is now suffering from this asset that was once its strength. The simple fact of ignoring the key events of Shang-Chi and The Eternals four years after their theatrical release shows that the studio does not know what to do with its too many plots. We must go to Obviously, such a recipe can only work with regularly published comics, and not blockbusters that always require more time and money.
DC seems to have learned the lesson and is preparing to start from scratch to give itself a new chance. At Marvel, everything points to believe that the next Avengers films will rework the foundations of the MCU. At least that's what directors Anthony and Joe Russo leave in an interview with the Brazilian media Omelete. After orchestrating At the end of an era in Infinity War and Endgame, the duo now finds themselves at the helm of a “new beginning“.
“The best thing that ever happened to us was being able to immerse ourselves in a 20-movie arc and see the end of that same arc. But what's fascinating about the two new Avengers movies is that it's a beginning. It's a new beginning. We told a conclusion, and now we're working on an introduction. And who knows where we'll go next? from there” says Joe Russo.
There's no need to read between the lines to sense the beginnings of a soft reboot. Enough to justify Robert Downey Jr.'s one-too-many cameos? Although these are only speculations, the first elements of an answer will soon reach us, with the releases of Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four: First Steps on April 30 and July 23. The first chapter of the new Avengers diptych will, for its part, his entry into French cinemas on April 29, 2026. The next twelve months therefore promise to be decisive for the MCU as we know it. To be continued.
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