Featured Image: (Pacer Graphic / Sophia Phillips)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, is the highest grossing film franchise of all time and with good reason. The stories and visuals that bring these characters to life from the comic page are undeniably amazing. Couple this with career-defining portrayals from some of Hollywood’s most notable actors and you have the perfect foundation for success. That is, until a pandemic hits and halts all of your progress. Yes, unfortunately the MCU hit a low point a few years ago following its biggest cinematic event so far, “Avengers: Endgame.” Recently, however, it would seem that the most notable film franchise ever is on the rise once again.
Before this point though, it had humble beginnings. There had been a plethora of superhero films starring Marvel characters like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Blade and the X-Men years beforehand. However after the release of “Iron Man” in 2008, it was clear that something much bigger was coming.
The films that came out before “Iron Man” did well in the box office and had their fair share of fans, but it was clear that they all occurred in separate worlds and would never cross over with each other. This wasn’t the case with “Iron Man.” At the end of the film, during what is called an “end-credits scene,” Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was introduced to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and told that he had become a part of something bigger. Back then, it felt like this was simply the set up to a sequel, but it was so much more.
The same year, Marvel struck again. “The Incredible Hulk” was the next entry in the MCU canon, combining the film with the previously released “Iron Man” by having Tony Stark speak with General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) in a bar after the film had concluded. This would be the close of the independent stage of Marvel Studios, as on Dec. 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company officially owned Marvel Studios. While Disney wouldn’t distribute a Marvel film of their own until 2012, the purchase of the studio proved how confident the company was in its new subsidiary’s success.
One year later, “Iron Man 2” brought Downey’s portrayal of Tony Stark back into the mainstream. The end-credits scene of the film was once again used to tease an upcoming entry in the then newly born franchise. The following year saw the release of two entries, “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger.” These two films were the final pieces of the first phase of the MCU puzzle that was being built, as on May 4, 2012, all the buildup would come to a head with the release of “The Avengers.”
“The Avengers” was the first time that all of the established heroes in the universe would combine to face a threat that was bigger than all of them, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Following the success of this first phase, the MCU thrived.
15 films and seven years after “The Avengers,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe was well-ingrained into the mainstream. 2019 was built to be Marvel Studios’ biggest year yet, as the culmination of 10 years of work building this universe was about to pay off in the largest way. “Avengers: Endgame” tells the story of how the Avengers get their revenge on the “Mad Titan” known as Thanos (Josh Brolin). On top of being the second highest grossing film of all time, Endgame is considered to be one of the biggest movies ever.
Later that same year, Disney released its very own streaming service called Disney+. With this service came the release of many television series that took place in the worlds of their many subsidiaries. Although Marvel Studios was one of these subsidiaries, it wouldn’t receive its first set of television series until 2021 due to COVID-19 halting production.
With everything shutting down, it became harder to produce films, let alone have them released in theaters. This resulted in upcoming MCU entries being pushed back until it was deemed okay to return to movie theaters. However, a problem arose with these entries.
Save for a few exceptions, the MCU began having more misses than hits. The fanbase that had been so loyal for years became rotten, tearing apart the universe that they had come to love. They felt betrayed by Marvel Studios, becoming more vocal about their dislike of the content that was being produced.
This dislike wasn’t unwarranted either. At the time, Marvel’s schedule of production focused more on quantity rather than quality. They produced multiple films and shows per year that were clearly building towards something similar in culmination. However, this process was rushed, making it feel like Marvel was only interested in the money that they could gain from these IPs rather than creating unforgettable and interesting stories.
There was also an issue that came about with one of the actors that was essential to the story that was being built. Jonathan Majors was set to portray the iconic villain Kang the Conqueror in a combined cinematic event on the same level as ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ However, he ran into legal issues and was swiftly removed from the project entirely. This caused much discord within the MCU because Kang was supposed to be the next Thanos. Without their main villain, Marvel Studios had to take a hard pivot.
This, combined with the bad planning, plagued the company with problems that it had to work hard to shake. It drove away so many of the fans that had fallen in love with the biggest cinematic universe of all time.
Thankfully, Marvel Studios recognized their failure in these areas and began making alterations accordingly. This began on May 7, 2024, when Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Marvel Studios would begin focusing on improving the quality of their content rather than the quantity. This would become obvious when, during the very same year, Marvel Studios would only release one film for the entire year.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” was a fun, cinematic event. Not only did it properly pay homage to 21st Century Fox’s Marvel franchises, but it also finally enveloped the characters from those franchises into the MCU. This wasn’t the first time some of these characters were mentioned or portrayed in the MCU, but it was certainly the most prominent.
On July 27, 2024, it was announced that Kang the Conqueror was no longer the main antagonist for the next Avengers film. No, instead they would take that hard pivot and select the most iconic Marvel villain of all time, Dr Doom. He will be portrayed by none other than Robert Downey Jr., the man who began the MCU so many years ago.
Following this announcement, the hype for the newly named “Avengers: Doomsday” began growing like a wildfire. Easter eggs and clues were being found in the content that came out over the course of the next two years. This was especially the case in 2025’s “Thunderbolts*” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” These two films essentially serve as the first stepping stones towards Doomsday. Their end-credits scenes left audiences with more speculation around what may happen in the next Avengers movie.
Not only were they stepping stones, but they were genuinely good movies. “Thunderbolts*” told the story of some of the MCU’s more forgotten characters and introduced the Sentry (Lewis Pullman) as one of the most powerful entities in the universe. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” brought home Marvel’s first family and gave fans their first look at Dr. Doom ahead of Doomsday.
These films were, for the most part, well received by audiences. Fans began to trust Marvel Studios again. There are more and more of them hopping on the hype train as the clock ticks ever closer towards Doomsday.
As of April 2026, there is one more film in line before the release of “Avengers: Doomsday” at the end of the year. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” continues the story of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) after the events of the 2021 film “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” There is nothing but positive excitement from the fans ahead of the release of the new film starring everyone’s favorite web-slinger.
This is one of the clearest examples of a return to form for Marvel Studios. The excitement that is building for “Avengers: Doomsday” is almost on the same level that it was for “Avengers: Infinity War” all those years ago. It makes even the older fans crack a smile when imagining all of the awesome scenes that could occur in the film. As the clock ticks ever closer to “Avengers: Doomsday,” it’s plain to see that Marvel Studios has made the comeback of a lifetime. By adjusting their planning and pivoting, they were able to get fans back onboard for what may be the biggest cinematic event ever made.
