The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 created several changes to the franchise’s prevailing formula, which could have a terrific impact on future films in Phases 5 and beyond.
After over a decade of conquering the box office and the superhero genre itself throughout the Infinity Saga, the MCU utilized Phase 4 as an opportunity to drastically alter its tone, extending into many genres and hubs of cinema that the franchise had never explored before.
As controversial as some of these investigations might be, the MCU’s recent genre shift may be the key to the future of the franchise & superhero movies as a whole.
Phase 4 of the MCU obtained mixed reviews, with far more negative responses to certain projects than the franchise generally garners.
Although Phase 4 has seen some of the MCU’s most significant successes, like Spider-Man: No Way Home & WandaVision, it has also seen some of the lowest-rated projects of the franchise’s history, with Eternals evolving the first movie therein to earn a putrid score on Rotten Tomatoes.
This pushback comes as the MCU starts to branch out into new territories, using projects like Ms. Marvel & Werewolf by Night to investigate genres that were external to the franchise’s wheelhouse, though such efforts may become common practice in the near future.
MCU Phase 4’s Genre Choice Open Its Audience Up To More Movie Types
The MCU’s exploration opens its audience to various movie genres. Fan expectations drive the response to MCU projects, creating it understandable that the response to the franchise’s sudden shift was so divisive.
While series like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law may feel tonally detached from other projects like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this disjointedness also helps to widen the horizons of the MCU and, by stretching, its audience.
After Phase 4, there are truly no limitations to where Marvel movies can go, leaving the franchise open to investigate any genre that best fits the story being told, & therefore giving the filmmakers greater creative liberty than ever before.
As divisive as responses were to certain projects, Phase 4 improved the MCU immensely while also widening the horizons of its viewers, who have now been disclosed to different genres and techniques of storytelling.
Joel Crawford, the director of the hit CGI animated film n a recent interview, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, attributes the win of his movie to that of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which introduced audiences to a new condition of animation.
Similarly, the success of Marvel’s more practical projects could open the door for other identical films outside of the MCU to find a wide audience where they otherwise might have disappeared into obscurity.
How Phase 4’s Genre enlargement Was Worth Its Controversy
Recent Marvel movies & series may have been divisive, but Phase 4’s formula is excellent for the MCU moving forward, even with the argument that inevitably follows the experiment.
Not only has the MCU introduced its dedicated followers to different genres like Werewolf by Night‘s fear or She-Hulk‘s legal comedy, but it has also potentially attracted new witnesses in its expansion into untapped genres.
The MCU has widened its appeal by experimenting with diverse types of narratives, even if particular projects don’t always connect with everyone. This gives the franchise’s fanbase a new level of longevity, even if it ruffles some feathers along the way.
Furthermore, while not always popular, Marvel’s recent modifications in Phase 4 attempted to address one of the Infinity Saga’s major concerns by making each picture feel distinct and distinct. Certain films concentrated heavily on comedy or horror, while others experimented with entirely new genres.
Likewise, certain projects were achieved while others failed as the MCU persisted in exploring new areas. Nevertheless, one constant remain throughout all of Phase 4’s films & series: individually felt like their own story with a different style and tone.
If Phase 5 keeps testing the waters with new forms of storytelling in different genres, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 can cement its heritage in the franchise.