For much of its history, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was fittingly tied to theatrically-released movies, though there were TV shows that tied into the sprawling saga. This became more true than ever with the introduction of MCU shows on the Disney+ streaming service, which featured heroes and villains new and old. While this may have seemed like the ultimate fruition of the MCU's success, it may have ultimately been its greatest downfall.

The Disney+ MCU shows were touted as being more of a "plus" than a must, but that's been disproved by the narratives of multiple new movies. They've also created a greater aura than ever that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an endless assembly line of product content. Add in the downward trend in quality, and these shows may have been the biggest turnoff for casual viewers.

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The MCU Disney+ Shows are Required Viewing - for Better or Worse

Those who only watched the Marvel Studios movies but had never seen the Disney+ shows were in for a rude awakening when they tuned in to see Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. That film's plot hinged on character development seen in the show WandaVision, and Wanda Maximoff's new worldview was thus a complete and inorganic shock to those who hadn't watched it beforehand. The same has arguably happened with the after credits in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which ties into the series Loki. If audiences hadn't seen the show, however, they might wonder just what Loki is up to and how it relates to Kang. A variant of Kang, He Who Remains, was already introduced in Loki, but that show and others like it simply didn't have as many viewers.

Another series which exemplified this problem was Ms. Marvel, which set up the premise of upcoming film The Marvels with its ending. The show had the least amount of viewers of all the Disney+ shows, so hinging much of a new movie on a low-performing series is highly questionable to say the least. For the most part, the other streaming shows on Disney+ didn't really tie into the movies or set up their sequels. At the same time, given that even one of them was, this gave the impression that all of them were required viewing. Thus, audiences had to keep up with a multitude of different series, even if they had no particular interest in those characters or properties. Such a sentiment was only made worse by the biggest problem with the shows.

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Marvel Studios' Streaming Shows Have Decreased the Brand's Quality

Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel finds herself in Kamala Khan's room in Ms. Marvel

There's a growing sentiment among viewers, especially more casual audiences, that the Marvel Cinematic Universe truly ended with Avengers: Endgame. Exceptions to this rule include the "epilogues" Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, though Spider-Man's popularity actually eclipses that of the Avengers and the MCU. Since then, the movies, while mostly still successful, have seen a downward trend in both box office revenue and their reception. Notable examples include the failure of Eternals and the controversial disappointment Thor: Love and Thunder. From writing and comedy to particularly poor special effects in Marvel's new films, things aren't quite as beloved in the MCU as they once were. The shows haven't helped this, with only WandaVision and perhaps Loki really garnering the expected viewership and pop culture satiation. As mentioned, Ms. Marvel didn't have the highest viewership, with the more youth-oriented series barely being spoken about outside the more passionate Marvel fan circles.

This trend is not good for the overall brand health of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is increasingly seen as not being as good as it once was while churning out more and more content. Some of these Disney+ shows are questioned even by passionate MCU fans, with some upcoming series like Echo and Agatha: Coven of Chaos being seen by some as unnecessary. This is especially true when so many popular Marvel characters have yet to be introduced. As shown with the dwindling box office performance of Quantumania, this has made more casual viewers simply turn away from the MCU, with their once habitual theater attendance having been broken. There's a chance that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can turn things around as the MCU's big-time non-Spider-Man win. At this point, however, with so many shows still being produced, it may be too late to right the ship.