To say the past five years have been tumultuous for Marvel Studios is an understatement. Since the release of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in July of 2019 (the official end of Phase Three), the studio has churned out no less than eleven movies, fourteen TV shows (with “I am Groot”, “Loki”, and “What If…?” all receiving second seasons), and just as many documentaries chronicling how they were all made. During this time, the studio endured the pandemic, directors leaving projects, box office bombs, and of course, firing their main Multiverse Saga villain, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. All this has left fans rife with opinions and one burning question: just what the heck is going on?

Let’s start by looking at Marvel Studio’s latest release, Deadpool & Wolverine. If you haven’t seen a Deadpool movie, the films are known for their comedic take on over-the-top violence and breaking the fourth wall. Deadpool narrates the story and frequently looks directly at the camera and speaks to the audience. Personally, I like the fourth wall intact. But Deadpool is so over the top that it works. It’s a filmmaking style choice that worked well for the first and second “Deadpool.” Now take the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The MCU is known for completely immersing the audience in compelling worlds, both visually and storytelling-wise. The joy of a Marvel movie is getting lost in it and forgetting you’re watching a movie. On the other hand, Deadpool constantly reminds us that we’re watching a movie. Obviously, these are two very different techniques. One is meant to be a joke and the other is meant to be meaningful.

What happens when you make a Deadpool movie for the MCU? Nothing good. The soundtrack was good, but that’s about it. I’m not saying it wasn’t funny and entertaining, but the MCU wasn’t meant to be merely funny and entertaining. It was meant to tell meaningful, difficult, and creative stories that we can relate to.

One of the major problems with Deadpool & Wolverine is the variant Wolverine. What is a variant you ask? A variant is a different version of the same character, but from another universe. The Wolverine in Deadpool’s universe is dead, and in order to save his universe, Deadpool needs a Wolverine. So in a montage, he jumps from universe to universe in search of the perfect Wolverine to help him. Eventually, he finds one and drags him into saving the universe. But this is a Wolverine we’ve never seen. We don’t know him. Let me repeat that. We. Do not. Know him. We don’t know his past, his victories, his misdeeds. We can guess based on the Wolverine we know and love, and who died in an epic act of self sacrifice. But really, the only way for us to get to know this new Wolverine is to be directly told who he is and what he did. A two hour movie isn’t nearly enough time to show us all the pivotal moments that made this Wolverine who he is. So in a monologue, he tells us his life story. Instead of being shown the death of his chosen family and the moments that bonded them together, we’re just told what happened. We are expected to care about dramatic events that we haven’t seen happen and to force a connection to this Wolverine. The beauty of the MCU is watching the characters journey. It’s little moments like the Avengers laughing while trying to lift Thor’s hammer and Star-Lord sharing his Walkman with Gamora that cement them as families. And we’re right there with them because we relate to those special, little moments. “Deadpool & Wolverine” hurriedly introduces a new variant of Wolverine and expects us to care. Maybe it’s okay in the comedic Deadpool universe, but not in the MCU.

Deadpool & Wolverine is just the latest in a long line of releases that have completely forgotten about the heart of the MCU: good characters that we get to grow with. For example, almost every movie or TV show Marvel releases deals with a multiverse-ending level threat. If you skip all the character development that happens along the way to such a threat, the threat loses all meaning and power. Remember when Thanos was the Avenger’s biggest problem? I miss those days. Those were the days when we got to watch heroes rise and falter and conquer all odds. Modern Marvel skips all the character development that makes us care about and relate to a story. They impatiently write some characters, slap some new faces on a screen, and expect a positive reaction. Because of Marvel’s success (with the Infinity Saga), filmmakers have no boundaries. Plus, a global pandemic made it even harder to make movies, let alone good movies.

What’s next on the Marvel slate? Between San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC 2024) and D23 (Disney’s fan event held this past August), we got a few answers. Next on the agenda is “Agatha All Along” (September 18, 2024 on Disney Plus). Now, I was worried about “WandaVision,” but I really liked it, and I like Kathryn Hahn as the power-obsessed witch, Agatha Harkness. However, “Agatha All Along” looks risky. It looks like a lot of flash and a lot of new faces that we are supposed to care about. Although, I have yet to see the show. The next big movie is “Captain America: Brave New World” (February 14, 2025). I thought “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” was a huge let down. And I’m all for grounded, espionage-type real-world plots, but it’s tricky to be original in that genre.

There’s little insight regarding just what’s happening at Marvel and some problems with their new releases. But there’s one major controversy we have yet to address. I’m referring to, of course, Marvel Studios firing their main Multiverse Saga villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. In April, Majors was convicted of reckless assault and sentenced to a 52-week domestic violence and intervention program. So Marvel Studios fired him. This is a big problem because they planned dozens of movies and TV-shows around Kang the Conqueror being the big-bad guy of the Multiverse Saga. He was already in “Loki” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Every easter egg in every new release has been dedicated to him. So what does Marvel do about this massive, villainous void they need to fill? Well as you may or may not already know, they hired none other than Robert Downey Jr. (aka, Iron Man) to play Dr. Doom and take on the role of primary Multiverse Saga villain. Plus, the Russo brothers (Anthony and Joe, who directed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame”) are now helming the two upcoming Avengers films. This is all a dramatic change of plans. Dr. Doom fits in with the upcoming Fantastic Four film and Secret Wars, but he was not going to be as center-stage as Kang. However, I think this could all be for the best. The Multiverse Saga is now in some of the most successful, capable, hands in filmmaking history. It’s my great hope that despite all the obstacles, controversy, and changes of plans that the Russos and RDJ can redeem the Multiverse Saga, bring us home, and remind us what a good Marvel movie can be.