The latest online trend has been to bash Marvel Studios and its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Toxic trolls have been pouring out with uncontrolled glee proclaiming Marvel Studios is too woke and deserves to fail. They point to the disappointing reception for many of the MCU’s latest offerings as proof that the brand is dead. Further adding fuel to the fire, Marvel Studios has delayed many of its productions to improve them.

It is undeniable that the MCU brand has taken some hits and is not regarded as highly as it was during its heyday, to call the brand dead or beyond repair is a gross exaggeration.

Thankfully, Marvel Studios and its parent company Disney have recognized the situation and are taking concrete steps to course correct and ensure the MCU regain its reputation for quality superhero films and TV shows. Sure, the MCU has taken its lumps, but what brand is not immune to this? Many times it is good to take a tumble, this gives one the chance to learn from mistakes and improve. This is what is going on with the MCU.

First of all, Marvel Studios has shown the willingness to scrap what they have worked on and start over. One example is the Daredevil: Born Again TV show which has been scrapped and been redone. Another example is that Captain America: Brave New World has been delayed in order to rework it due to a poor test screening. Then there are the rumors that Kang will be written out of the future films and TV shows in favor of Doctor Doom. This would take care of the situation with Jonathan Majors facing trial for domestic abuse, especially if he is found guilty. These examples demonstrate that Marvel Studios is willing to take the necessary steps to take the time to produce the best projects possible.

Better Scripts Needed

However, the first and most important step that needs to be taken is to devote more time to the scripts. Allow the writers to tell proper stories and DO NOT GO INTO PRODUCTION UNLESS THE SCRIPTS ARE COMPLETED TO EVERYONE’S SATISFACTION. This would largely take care of the problem of realizing a film is not working and having to do major retooling with it in post-production. This is why recent projects like Secret Invasion fared so poorly. It’s been reported that Secret Invasion had major overhauls and rewrites in the middle of its production, which is why the end product seemed so underdeveloped and rushed. On the other hand, look at two recent MCU successes: Loki Season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3. Both productions had well-crafted scripts that were full of heart and flowed well. More importantly the stories logically reached their conclusions while servicing the characters. This is a major reason why both projects received so much acclaim and performed well.

Even though it is important to follow a certain narrative as dictated by the higher ups and to meet deadlines, the screenwriters should be given more autonomy with their scripts. It is also important at this point with the MCU to hire great writers who have a record of turning in terrific and solid screenplays.

The same should go with directors. This is a difficult task given that Marvel Studios is more hands on with their productions than normal. Still, the past has shown us that great directors like James Gunn and Ryan Coogler, and the Russo Brothers can work within the confines of an MCU production and deliver great films. Oftentimes, Marvel Studios hires relatively unknown directors who wilt under the pressure and demands of the studio and turn in mediocre films or TV shows. Marvel Studios has to make sure that the best possible directors are hired for their projects. If they want to go with lesser known (and cheaper) directors, have them feel their oats with some of the TV shows. Michael Giacchino is a prime example of this. Known only for his film scores, Giacchino blew everyone away with his directing duties in Werewolf By Night.

Getting back to the scripts, the MCU is a coordinating nightmare in terms of trying to keep track of continuity with the films and TV shows. But it is vital to have an overall narrative with the productions. Most films or TV shows should have some kind of narrative to the Multiverse Saga, at least in the post-credits scenes. This has gone on in many projects, but not consistently. Some productions seem to be separate from the MCU and frustrate fans who wanted some kind of connection the Multiverse Saga. On the other hand, having a dense continuity is off-putting to casual viewers who may not want to watch dozens of previous films to understand what is going. One remedy that Marvel Studios announced was the Marvel Spotlight label of productions which are intended to be less connected to the MCU. This is a good idea and if a particular film or TV show proves popular enough the characters and situations can be integrated more fully into the MCU. The upcoming Echo TV show is one that fits perfectly with this concept. In fact, several past productions like Eternals, Werewolf By Night or Moon Knight should be declared as being part of Marvel Spotlight and even designated as taking place in other universes, since those productions had little to do with the MCU.

Exit Kang, Enter Doom?

The situation with Kang and Jonathan Majors has become a major headache for Marvel Studios. Kang was supposed to be the major villain for the Multiverse Saga and the next Avengers film had the team confronting the time traveling Kang. While Majors is a gifted actor and his Kang (and his variants He Who Remains and Victor Timely) has a magnetic presence, if Majors is guilty of his accused crime then he has to go. It’s not certain why Marvel Studios is so bent out of shape on what to do with the actor and the character when the easiest thing would be to recast the role. After all, there have been many versions of Kang shown in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, with some of them being non-human. Why not have some new variant popped up and take over the dominant role of the main Kang? Marvel Studios has recast roles in the past including Bruce Banner and Rhodey, without any incident, so recasting Kang should be simple. The character is an interesting villain who deserves to have his story play out. And no, Kang being defeated by giant ants in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did not diminish the foe. People keep forgetting that these were highly evolved ants that developed a Type 2 civilization, which would make them as technologically advanced as a typical Star Trek society and a match for Kang.

With that said, replacing Kang with Doctor Doom does make sense since the Latverian dictator was the main villain in the Secret Wars comic books. However, if Marvel Studios decides to go with this idea, Doctor Doom has to be set up NOW. That means at least mentioning him or his country in Echo, Agatha: Whatever Sub-Title They Decide On and Deadpool 3 for next year. He also has to make some kind of appearance in the Fantastic Four film slated for 2025. An easy transition for the two enemies would be to have Kang be the main foe in the next Avengers film then have Doctor Doom take his place as the next baddie that an exhausted Avengers team has to face. Perfect lead in to Avengers: Secret Wars!

Speaking of the Avengers, it has been said by many sources that Disney is considering bringing back the original Avengers cast for future films. Unless they only make an appearance in one of the upcoming Avengers film, having the OG Avengers coming back permanently would be a huge mistake. The original team members either died or retired by the end of Avengers: Endgame. Trying to undo this would cheapen the sacrifices they made, especially those from the Black Widow and Iron Man. The only plausible and acceptable way to reunite the actors would be to have them come from an alternate reality or plucked from the past to make an appearance before sending them away. Besides trying to keep the OG actors around for more than one appearance at this point will balloon the budgets for future MCU films.

Control Budgets, Feature Better Characters

Keeping the budgets under control is another thing Marvel Studios has to do. Reserve the big budget spectaculars for event films or blockbuster franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy. Spending over $250 million on The Marvels, a film that was not even two hours long, is a waste. The film may not have been that disastrous at the box office (currently it has not even cracked $200 million worldwide) if its budget was much smaller and if the script was better written to emphasize the characters. This also serves to not tax the special effects teams for these films. The poor FX artists were so overworked with the constant reshoots and retooling of the films and TV shows that they actually unionized.  Marvel Studios has to be economical with their FX shots, which would lead to better effects. Just look at Blue Beetle, its budget was less than half of The Marvels and the FX looked great because the film did not rely on CG.

Aside from reining in budgets and focusing and committing to better scripts, Marvel Studios has to choose the right characters for make films and TV shows. In other words, be certain that the characters warrant their own films or TV shows. One of the reasons why The Marvels turned out to be disappointing was because the characters were not interesting enough for average viewers. Even though Captain Marvel made over $1 billion in theaters, the character did not leave much of an impression with most fans. In fact, many were put off by the stoic lead. Marvel Studios and Disney did not take into account that the film came out in between the last two Avengers films and the MCU hype was at its peak then. The other two feature characters, Ms. Marvel and Photon were not well known to most people or stood out like the quirky aliens in Guardians of the Galaxy. With that going against it, it is not surprising The Marvels underperformed.

Instead of spending time and money on these expensive films for characters that may not draw in audiences, Marvel Studios should determine if these characters warrant their own film or TV show. The best way to do so is to feature the new characters in other films. The best example is the way America Chavez was featured in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Kate Bishop in Hawkeye. If the characters take off, great bring them back in their own production. Otherwise, don’t use them anymore or keep them as guest characters. With that said, it is vital that new characters are introduced in the MCU. To constantly use the same characters over and over again is a disservice to the vast and rich lineup of Marvel Comics characters.

It was only inevitable that the MCU would stumble along the way, but there are ways to get back up. Marvel Studios has the talent to right the ship and although this may be painful for them and the fans, the corrections and scaling back are necessary. So, while MCU fans will have to be content with only one MCU film in 2024 (Deadpool 3), at least the MCU is not in the situation that the DC films are undergoing. DC  has been struggling badly with its films to the point that its cinematic universe will be rebooted. Plus, DC does not have any films or TV shows slated until 2025. So, while the MCU is facing some setbacks, it will recover before its inevitable reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars.