Marvel Studios
Agatha All Alongjust wrapped up a spectacularnine - installment run as strongly as it could have , easily cementing itself as the good serial in the MCU ( Loki‘s second season was far inferior to the first and just had a strong conclusion ; struggle me ) . The show , which see Emmy nominee Kathryn Hahn reprising her role as the two-faced and murderous hag Agatha Harkness , delivered a compelling , uniform , and engage tv project that not only declare oneself a fulfil story , but also advanced the MCU , setting the stage for several new storylines and successfully expand its nook of the ever - growing universe .
In many ways , Agathafeels like a Phase One undertaking : small in scale , character - driven , and worried more about get you enamored with the friend than with introducing the next multiversal report — and that ’s why it worked . Indeed , the MCU used to shine the brightest when the superheroes were the veridical whizz and not the universe they inhabited . Yet , somewhere along the way , the franchise lost itself in the mountain of an ever - growing connected existence , and the only manner to moil itself out of the hole it put itself in is to go back to basics .
Marvel Studios
Remember who the real stars are
A few class ago , Quentin Tarantino made headlines when he famously say that “ Captain America is the star , ” not Chris Evans , and he ’s 100 % right . At its core , the MCU begin as a serial of stories about a superpowered group of someone who do together for the same purpose . The interconnectivity was there , mistily , but the chief standoff was see these individuals smooth on their own — that ’s what made seeing them together so coolheaded . The biggest proof dwell in the first three superheroes the MCU turned into superstars .
No offense to Iron Man , Captain America , or Thor , but none of them were big stars in the late 2000s . certain , Cap and Iron Man were well - known , but they were nowhere near the popularity of , say , Spider - Man or the X - Isle of Man . For his part , Thor was little more than the weird sub who looked straight out of an ’ 80 record album covering , more silly than imposing . However , Phase One of the MCUturned them into ikon by fleshing them out and building them up . The franchise take the time to introduce them as someone rather than team members , allowing them to parade flaw , limitations , and strengths . Sure , Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , and Chris Hemsworth all played huge roles in turning these heroes into stars , but the movies themselves did them a Brobdingnagian service by respecting and bank them enough as solo player .
thing exchange after 2012’sThe Avengers . The film ’s overwhelming successgave the MCU a crutch to strike back on . From that point on , every champion was n’t judged by their own merit , but rather as another likely member of the Avengers . It was n’t so much about how nerveless Doctor Strange was , but rather how he could function within the Avengers . It got so big that Spider - Man did n’t have a single movie without ask another MCU participant to help .
To be clear , interconnectivity is not a risky thing ; it ’s the MCU ’s whole mickle . However , at one point , the dealership on the face of it forgot that , for a shared universe to piece of work , the individual pieces want to be great . After all , why should we care about yet another wedge if the enfranchisement does n’t take the clip to ground them out from the connected space ? We require to see them glint alone before we can see them stand out in the group . I think this is one of the principal rationality why Cuban sandwich like Captain Marvel and Shang - Chi have n’t been as impactful , despite solid movies and great performing artist behind them : they ’re not the stars of the show , but rather member of the choir . And with so many voices , even the loudest can get overlook .
It ’s not a secret thatthe MCU ’s Phase Four movieswere quite underwhelming . A sundry bag of new characters , long - overdue solo labor , and some rightfully puzzling sequels resulted in the worst chapter of the MCU , one that people have already jolly much forgotten about . Phase Five , which is unaired to ending already , BTW , also had more bad than good , withAnt - Man and the Wasp : QuantumaniaandSecret Invasionrepresenting the worst of Marvel in every conceivable way .
However , amid this sea of mid , a few project stand out , and what do you know — they ’re the ones that are character - driven . WandaVisionandLokiare the undeniable highlight of Phase Four , towering over their competition in scope , originality , and overall quality . Unsurprisingly , both projects were in - astuteness analysis of their fundamental characters — Wanda , Vision , and Loki — to the breaker point where they are the closest thing to character studies the MCU has ever done .
WandaVisionoverflows with creativity and empathy , paint a profound portrait of sorrow , pain in the ass , and enduring passion . For his part , Loki ’s show is all about redemption and ego - cognisance , as it usesa actual story about Loki falling for himself to drive its point domicile . Interestingly , bothWandaVisionandLokiare about delusion , a topic I would ’ve never thought the MCU would address .
Every other enough Phase Four campaign , from the low - stakesHawkeyeto the charmingMs . Marvel , places the titular character front and nitty-gritty , forsaking worldbuilding in favor of fictitious character - building to gravid critical and audience success — seriously , who in a million years would ’ve thought a Hawkeye show would be ripe than the fourthThormovie ? The formula cover withAgatha All Along , a show many wrote off as a shameless cash snap greenlit because of the viral success of a one - hour song . Yet , Agathaoffered an enthralling story about fellowship and identity operator that blew everyone aside and unironically became the highlight of Marvel ’s post - Avengers : Endgameslate .
Agatha ’s achiever trust entirely on recapture the formula of Phase One . It uses Agatha to expand a new and still quite unexplored corner of the MCU and introduces a few major character , at least one of which will surely play a main role in the MCU ’s future — bet at you with hopeful center , Billy Maximoff . And yet , Agatha All Alongdoes mighty by its titulary fictitious character . Agatha Harkness is front and center , with the show exploring her backstory and the choices that made her such a ruthless witch . In a refreshing and much - appreciate kink , the show does n’t redeem her , either ; on the contrary , it in full confirms her as a murderous villain kept in hinderance by her soft spot for a young beldame who is n’t a delicate flower himself .
Lesson learned?
consider the negative receipt of many of its Phase Four and Phase Five projects , one would reckon Marvel would have get the memo and realized that small - scale , character - drive history are where it should focalize its efforts . However , the grotesquely successfulSpider - Man : No Way HomeandDeadpool & Wolverine , two multiversal stories with a superfluity of cameo and budgets that could give a small city , intimate the antonym . Never heed that they are rather mediocre pic ( I ’m sorry , they are , and they settle aside at the slightest scrutiny ) ; they made over a billion , so that imply the multiverse is still where the money is at , right ?
Sadly , I do n’t see the MCU focusing on character story in any of their foretell projectsexcept maybe forThe Fantastic Four : First Steps(yes , that ’s the prescribed claim ) , for the most part because that seems to take place in a completely freestanding world . Other than that , every other movie project in Marvel ’s current slate is multiverse - bind , meaning any hazard for a case - centric narrative is futile . And yet , I have faith that Marvel will deliver more of these once it finally twine up this messy and ultimately lead astray multiversal business .
See , I ca n’t help but palpate whatever happens in the next Avengers movies might potentially serve as something of a reboot or at least a clean slate for the MCU . If so , then character - driven projects will be necessary to tell a new write up , especially if we are indeed venturing into the Mutant Saga , as many of us seem to imagine . Real character development will be crucial in that particular chapter , and the MCU needs to read it . Otherwise , we ’ll terminate up with an X - Men team full of one - note of hand joystick figure without any actual personality , and no one wants that ; just ask the Fox movies that Deadpool has such a gravid time charge apart .
