10 Lessons The MCU Must Learn After 2023"s Ups & Downs
Summary
Concerning feature films, the three releases of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Marvels drastically outnumber the sole 2024 theatrical release of Deadpool 3. The 2023 movies mentioned have exemplified both the best and worst of Marvel's MCU movies, with the positives and negatives of each providing plenty of lessons for the franchise to learn. Similar to their theatrical peers, the Disney+ releases of Secret Invasion and Loki season 2 stand at opposite ends of the MCU's TV show rankings, yet both hold a wealth of vital truths for the franchise to consider going into 2024 and beyond.
10 The MCU Needs To Give Its Characters Better Emotional Arcs The strongest MCU characters of 2023 are the ones with complete emotional arcs.![]()
One lesson that the MCU projects of 2023 have proved the franchise needs to learn is that each movie or show needs to give its characters better emotional arcs. In the case of Marvel's 2023 releases, the worse-reviewed entries of Secret Invasion, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels can all be argued to have much weaker arcs for their central characters than the likes of Loki season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It is no coincidence that the latter two are hailed as some of the best MCU projects since Avengers: Endgame while having the best, more emotional character arcs.
In the case of Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels specifically, the films were too scattered, too shoddily written, and too focused on being fun, fast-paced adventures that they left their characters behind. Attempts at crafting solid character arcs were there and The Marvels specifically had fantastic character interactions, but not enough care was put into making each hero emotionally investable. This was the complete opposite for the likes of Loki season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which proves that - in order for the MCU to learn from its mistakes and reclaim former glory - more attention needs to be placed on the journeys of characters above anything else.
9 The MCU Has To Stop Introducing So Many Unneeded Characters & Stories Reducing the pool of MCU characters would make the franchise feel more coherent, like the Infinity Saga.![]()
A problem with Phases 4 and 5 within the MCU thus far is that too many characters and stories are being introduced. One of the strengths of the Infinity Saga was that the pool of characters remained predominantly the same for each new installment. With Phases 4 and 5, almost every new project brings new characters that are often left in limbo after that for years. For example, Ant-Man 3's cast was overstuffed with a host of new characters from the Quantum Realm, and Secret Invasion's new characters like Gravik and G'iah were not given compelling enough arcs, therefore feeling rushed.
8 Loki Season 2 Proved The MCU Needs More Practicality Loki season 2 highlighted the value of practical filmmaking taking precedence over post-production processes.![]()
Loki season 2 has been widely regarded as one of the best MCU Disney+ stories, with one reason as to why this is the case becoming evident in the show's premiere. Immediately, Loki season 2 stood out as the production included a great deal of practicality. Physical sets, non-CGI costumes, and dynamic camera movements within those sets all made Loki feel much more grounded, thus making it easier for audiences to invest in the story. The upturn in quality thanks to these practical elements was a marked improvement on Secret Invasion, with the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels also suffering from an overabundance of CGI.
7 Guardians Vol. 3 Proved The MCU Needs Darker Stories A more grounded tone that is easier to invest in is needed for future MCU stories.![]()
Another issue with the MCU of late is the increase in silly, over-the-top humor that makes projects feel almost like spoofs of superhero movies. In 2023, projects like Loki season 2 and, more specifically, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 proved darker stories are what the MCU needs going forward. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was not completely devoid of humor, though it is undoubtedly the darkest, most emotional story in the trilogy. As a result of this, the characters and the film they were part of resonated much more with fans than the light-hearted, inconsequential romps of Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels.
6 The MCU Needs To Re-Perfect The Balance Between Overarching & Standalone Stories The MCU has lost the spark of telling an overarching story via individual installments.![]()
Another lesson that can be learned from the MCU's 2023 projects is Marvel Studios' re-perfecting the balance between standalone and overarching stories. The Infinity Saga worked so perfectly due to each individual movie understanding its place in the story. Each one had concise, satisfying, standalone stories while also possessing bigger ties to the wider universe. In Phases 4 and 5, including three of the projects in 2023, this balance has all but dissipated.
The Marvels, for example, felt far too removed from the rest of the MCU in that elements like Carol's ongoing feud with the Kree, her friendship with Carol, and the completely different portrayal of Nick Fury from Secret Invasion was completely jarring. In not slotting perfectly into the MCU timeline as movies used to do, The Marvels' overarching plot points like the rift in the multiverse and even X-Men appearances felt similarly discordant. Concerning Secret Invasion, a big storyline like a covert Srull attack on Earth should have felt much more integral to the wider MCU, yet was a standalone story that was forgotten about as soon as it ended.
2023 proved that only Loki season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 retained the balance between what should stand alone and what should impact the wider MCU. The latter had smaller teases like a new Guardians team and Peter Quill ending his journey on Earth as hints for future stories that did not take away from the deeply personal, emotionally standalone story at the film's center. With Loki, the inclusion of Kang variants and the restructuring of the Multiversal Tree had major implications on the wider MCU, yet not at the cost of Loki's arc and the rest of the characters.
5 The MCU Needs To Commit To Its New TV Overhaul Marvel Studios' future TV successes will only come with a commitment to a new model. Close Following Secret Invasion and Loki season 2, 2023 has proved that Marvel needs to stick to the announcement of a complete overhaul of their TV productions. Undoubtedly the biggest issue with Disney+'s Marvel shows since 2021 is that they all feel like movies stretched over six hours, or feel like they would have benefitted from multiple seasons in a traditional TV format. This was more evident than ever with Secret Invasion's rushed, frustratingly inconsequential story that should have been a major story point in the MCU that could have lasted multiple seasons. Even Loki season 2, despite its obvious quality, could have benefitted from having eight to ten episodes.
In October 2023, it was announced that Marvel would be overhauling the entire slate of TV production to revert to more traditional TV structures. From dedicated showrunners, writing teams, multiple seasons, and the foregoing of six-part events, Marvel Studios' TV future immediately looked brighter. Above all else, 2023's TV productions proved that the studio has to stick to this new mandate. If not, the abundance of systemic problems with shows like Secret Invasion and the evident albeit not show-ruining pacing issue of Loki season 2 will continue, and Marvel Studios will never keep their footing in a world of superior TV productions.
4 The MCU Needs To Give Writers More Time To Perfect Stories Writers need more than one to three years to satisfyingly complete scripts.![]()
One fix that has often been incorrectly raised regarding Marvel Studios' declining quality is hiring more experienced writers. However, hiring up-and-coming writers for big projects should always be seen as a positive as it gives lesser-known creative talent more opportunities. That said, 2023 has proven that the MCU needs to give its writers more time to perfect their respective stories. In the case of Ant-Man 3, the film rushed into filming only a few years after Jeff Loveness was hired in a bid to quicken Marvel's release slate post-COVID. As a result, Ant-Man and The Marvels felt rushed in that each script could have been given a few more drafts.
Concerning Secret Invasion, the original writer Kyle Bradstreet was replaced by Brian Tucker over a year into pre-production. Shooting then began less than a year after Tucker had been involved, with the production not giving him enough time at all to weave his own direction for the series with Bradstreet's. This left Secret Invasion feeling messy, with conflicting tones and ideas that could have been ironed out had the writers been given more time. With the likes of Loki and Guardians Vol. 3, however, the projects were given almost three years and over six years respectively to iron out scripts, resulting in their immensely positive reception.
3 MCU Movies & Shows Need To Commit To Smaller Budgets Smaller budgets would mean fewer Marvel movies are deemed as box office flops. Close One of the more obvious lessons 2023 taught Marvel Studios is that the movies need much smaller budgets. Only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 turned a profit for Marvel in 2023, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels both flopping. The former earned $476 million against a $200 million budget while the latter hauled in $197 million on a $220 million budget, thus becoming the worst-grossing MCU movie ever. That said, if both of these films had significantly smaller budgets, they may have broken even or turned a profit.
If the MCU wishes to reclaim its title as the box office king, Marvel needs to start committing to movies that are more efficient with their budgets. 2023 movies like Godzilla Minus One ($15 million budget) have proven how far a smaller budget can go when the filmmaking process is at its most efficient. The film boasts incredible CGI despite being less than one-tenth of Ant-Man 3’s budget, for example, proving how Marvel Studios could do similar if following other studios’ models.
2 The MCU Needs To Give Its Characters Deeper Relationships Interpersonal relationships are what made the Infinity Saga cast so special. Close Loki season 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Marvels all had fantastic character relationships, with the former two primarily working because of those relationships and the latter not working despite how good its titular trio was together. With Secret Invasion and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the character interactions and depth of relationships were almost entirely nonexistent, linking back to the point of lacking emotional impact via their characters. In the Infinity Saga, the depth of relationships between the characters is what made each movie so worthwhile, something that has been largely missing from Phases 4 and 5 in a big lesson the MCU needs to learn.
1 Marvel Studios Has To Spread Out Its MCU Release Schedule A less congested release schedule would fix several of the MCU's recent filmmaking issues.![]()
The aforementioned issues with character, pacing, script, and overabundance of post-production from several 2023 MCU releases could be fixed by spreading out the franchise's release schedule. In the Infinity Saga, each movie release felt like an event. Since then, this is certainly not the case unless the quality of the story on display, like Loki season 2 and Guardians Vol. 3, make them so. As such, spreading out each installment in the MCU is one of the biggest lessons Marvel Studios needs to learn from 2023.
If the schedule reverted to two movies a year and two TV shows - with the planned longer form, traditional TV style - audiences could easily invest in the franchise once more. This way, the scripts of each project would not feel rushed, meaningful character arcs could once again be written, interconnected stories could be crafted with ease and efficiency rather than rushedly mashed together, and the MCU would feel much more important. In pumping out three movies and three shows each year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost a lot of what made it special, which is a lesson the franchise has to learn after 2023's entries.
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- Characters in the MCU need better emotional arcs in order to make the stories they are part of easier to invest in for audiences.
- The MCU should reduce the number of unnecessary characters and stories to make the franchise more coherent and focused.
- More practical filmmaking and darker, grounded stories are needed to improve the quality and resonance of future MCU projects.
Concerning feature films, the three releases of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Marvels drastically outnumber the sole 2024 theatrical release of Deadpool 3. The 2023 movies mentioned have exemplified both the best and worst of Marvel's MCU movies, with the positives and negatives of each providing plenty of lessons for the franchise to learn. Similar to their theatrical peers, the Disney+ releases of Secret Invasion and Loki season 2 stand at opposite ends of the MCU's TV show rankings, yet both hold a wealth of vital truths for the franchise to consider going into 2024 and beyond.
10 The MCU Needs To Give Its Characters Better Emotional Arcs The strongest MCU characters of 2023 are the ones with complete emotional arcs.
One lesson that the MCU projects of 2023 have proved the franchise needs to learn is that each movie or show needs to give its characters better emotional arcs. In the case of Marvel's 2023 releases, the worse-reviewed entries of Secret Invasion, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Marvels can all be argued to have much weaker arcs for their central characters than the likes of Loki season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It is no coincidence that the latter two are hailed as some of the best MCU projects since Avengers: Endgame while having the best, more emotional character arcs. In the case of Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels specifically, the films were too scattered, too shoddily written, and too focused on being fun, fast-paced adventures that they left their characters behind. Attempts at crafting solid character arcs were there and The Marvels specifically had fantastic character interactions, but not enough care was put into making each hero emotionally investable. This was the complete opposite for the likes of Loki season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which proves that - in order for the MCU to learn from its mistakes and reclaim former glory - more attention needs to be placed on the journeys of characters above anything else.
9 The MCU Has To Stop Introducing So Many Unneeded Characters & Stories Reducing the pool of MCU characters would make the franchise feel more coherent, like the Infinity Saga.
A problem with Phases 4 and 5 within the MCU thus far is that too many characters and stories are being introduced. One of the strengths of the Infinity Saga was that the pool of characters remained predominantly the same for each new installment. With Phases 4 and 5, almost every new project brings new characters that are often left in limbo after that for years. For example, Ant-Man 3's cast was overstuffed with a host of new characters from the Quantum Realm, and Secret Invasion's new characters like Gravik and G'iah were not given compelling enough arcs, therefore feeling rushed. 8 Loki Season 2 Proved The MCU Needs More Practicality Loki season 2 highlighted the value of practical filmmaking taking precedence over post-production processes.
Loki season 2 has been widely regarded as one of the best MCU Disney+ stories, with one reason as to why this is the case becoming evident in the show's premiere. Immediately, Loki season 2 stood out as the production included a great deal of practicality. Physical sets, non-CGI costumes, and dynamic camera movements within those sets all made Loki feel much more grounded, thus making it easier for audiences to invest in the story. The upturn in quality thanks to these practical elements was a marked improvement on Secret Invasion, with the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels also suffering from an overabundance of CGI. 7 Guardians Vol. 3 Proved The MCU Needs Darker Stories A more grounded tone that is easier to invest in is needed for future MCU stories.
Another issue with the MCU of late is the increase in silly, over-the-top humor that makes projects feel almost like spoofs of superhero movies. In 2023, projects like Loki season 2 and, more specifically, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 proved darker stories are what the MCU needs going forward. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was not completely devoid of humor, though it is undoubtedly the darkest, most emotional story in the trilogy. As a result of this, the characters and the film they were part of resonated much more with fans than the light-hearted, inconsequential romps of Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels. 6 The MCU Needs To Re-Perfect The Balance Between Overarching & Standalone Stories The MCU has lost the spark of telling an overarching story via individual installments.
Another lesson that can be learned from the MCU's 2023 projects is Marvel Studios' re-perfecting the balance between standalone and overarching stories. The Infinity Saga worked so perfectly due to each individual movie understanding its place in the story. Each one had concise, satisfying, standalone stories while also possessing bigger ties to the wider universe. In Phases 4 and 5, including three of the projects in 2023, this balance has all but dissipated. The Marvels, for example, felt far too removed from the rest of the MCU in that elements like Carol's ongoing feud with the Kree, her friendship with Carol, and the completely different portrayal of Nick Fury from Secret Invasion was completely jarring. In not slotting perfectly into the MCU timeline as movies used to do, The Marvels' overarching plot points like the rift in the multiverse and even X-Men appearances felt similarly discordant. Concerning Secret Invasion, a big storyline like a covert Srull attack on Earth should have felt much more integral to the wider MCU, yet was a standalone story that was forgotten about as soon as it ended.
2023 proved that only Loki season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 retained the balance between what should stand alone and what should impact the wider MCU. The latter had smaller teases like a new Guardians team and Peter Quill ending his journey on Earth as hints for future stories that did not take away from the deeply personal, emotionally standalone story at the film's center. With Loki, the inclusion of Kang variants and the restructuring of the Multiversal Tree had major implications on the wider MCU, yet not at the cost of Loki's arc and the rest of the characters.
5 The MCU Needs To Commit To Its New TV Overhaul Marvel Studios' future TV successes will only come with a commitment to a new model. Close Following Secret Invasion and Loki season 2, 2023 has proved that Marvel needs to stick to the announcement of a complete overhaul of their TV productions. Undoubtedly the biggest issue with Disney+'s Marvel shows since 2021 is that they all feel like movies stretched over six hours, or feel like they would have benefitted from multiple seasons in a traditional TV format. This was more evident than ever with Secret Invasion's rushed, frustratingly inconsequential story that should have been a major story point in the MCU that could have lasted multiple seasons. Even Loki season 2, despite its obvious quality, could have benefitted from having eight to ten episodes.
In October 2023, it was announced that Marvel would be overhauling the entire slate of TV production to revert to more traditional TV structures. From dedicated showrunners, writing teams, multiple seasons, and the foregoing of six-part events, Marvel Studios' TV future immediately looked brighter. Above all else, 2023's TV productions proved that the studio has to stick to this new mandate. If not, the abundance of systemic problems with shows like Secret Invasion and the evident albeit not show-ruining pacing issue of Loki season 2 will continue, and Marvel Studios will never keep their footing in a world of superior TV productions.
4 The MCU Needs To Give Writers More Time To Perfect Stories Writers need more than one to three years to satisfyingly complete scripts.
One fix that has often been incorrectly raised regarding Marvel Studios' declining quality is hiring more experienced writers. However, hiring up-and-coming writers for big projects should always be seen as a positive as it gives lesser-known creative talent more opportunities. That said, 2023 has proven that the MCU needs to give its writers more time to perfect their respective stories. In the case of Ant-Man 3, the film rushed into filming only a few years after Jeff Loveness was hired in a bid to quicken Marvel's release slate post-COVID. As a result, Ant-Man and The Marvels felt rushed in that each script could have been given a few more drafts. Concerning Secret Invasion, the original writer Kyle Bradstreet was replaced by Brian Tucker over a year into pre-production. Shooting then began less than a year after Tucker had been involved, with the production not giving him enough time at all to weave his own direction for the series with Bradstreet's. This left Secret Invasion feeling messy, with conflicting tones and ideas that could have been ironed out had the writers been given more time. With the likes of Loki and Guardians Vol. 3, however, the projects were given almost three years and over six years respectively to iron out scripts, resulting in their immensely positive reception.
3 MCU Movies & Shows Need To Commit To Smaller Budgets Smaller budgets would mean fewer Marvel movies are deemed as box office flops. Close One of the more obvious lessons 2023 taught Marvel Studios is that the movies need much smaller budgets. Only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 turned a profit for Marvel in 2023, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels both flopping. The former earned $476 million against a $200 million budget while the latter hauled in $197 million on a $220 million budget, thus becoming the worst-grossing MCU movie ever. That said, if both of these films had significantly smaller budgets, they may have broken even or turned a profit.
If the MCU wishes to reclaim its title as the box office king, Marvel needs to start committing to movies that are more efficient with their budgets. 2023 movies like Godzilla Minus One ($15 million budget) have proven how far a smaller budget can go when the filmmaking process is at its most efficient. The film boasts incredible CGI despite being less than one-tenth of Ant-Man 3’s budget, for example, proving how Marvel Studios could do similar if following other studios’ models.
2 The MCU Needs To Give Its Characters Deeper Relationships Interpersonal relationships are what made the Infinity Saga cast so special. Close Loki season 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Marvels all had fantastic character relationships, with the former two primarily working because of those relationships and the latter not working despite how good its titular trio was together. With Secret Invasion and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the character interactions and depth of relationships were almost entirely nonexistent, linking back to the point of lacking emotional impact via their characters. In the Infinity Saga, the depth of relationships between the characters is what made each movie so worthwhile, something that has been largely missing from Phases 4 and 5 in a big lesson the MCU needs to learn.
1 Marvel Studios Has To Spread Out Its MCU Release Schedule A less congested release schedule would fix several of the MCU's recent filmmaking issues.
The aforementioned issues with character, pacing, script, and overabundance of post-production from several 2023 MCU releases could be fixed by spreading out the franchise's release schedule. In the Infinity Saga, each movie release felt like an event. Since then, this is certainly not the case unless the quality of the story on display, like Loki season 2 and Guardians Vol. 3, make them so. As such, spreading out each installment in the MCU is one of the biggest lessons Marvel Studios needs to learn from 2023. If the schedule reverted to two movies a year and two TV shows - with the planned longer form, traditional TV style - audiences could easily invest in the franchise once more. This way, the scripts of each project would not feel rushed, meaningful character arcs could once again be written, interconnected stories could be crafted with ease and efficiency rather than rushedly mashed together, and the MCU would feel much more important. In pumping out three movies and three shows each year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost a lot of what made it special, which is a lesson the franchise has to learn after 2023's entries.
[圖擷取自網路，如有疑問請私訊]
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