When Marvel Cinematic Universe fans look at the best of the four phases, it is easy to say that Phase Three stands above them all. It started with Captain America: Civil War and brought in Spider-Man to the MCU. Phase Three also ended with two of the biggest movies in MCU history, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, from top to bottom, there might not be a better phase in Marvel history than Phase Four, one that many MCU fans have unfairly criticized.
Phase Four Is the Best in MCU History
One thing that plagues the MCU’s Phase Four is fan complaints that the entire phase seems directionless. However, that isn’t necessarily true. In 2008, the MCU launched with Iron Man, the first movie of Phase One. That era introduced new heroes to the universe, with Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America joining a reconfigured Hulk. The phase ended on a high note, with them all teaming up in The Avengers. But while that was a big moment, the movies ended up hit-or-miss.
MCU Phase Two continued to tell these characters’ stories while introducing some new ones in Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. That phase had some amazing movies, including the best of the Captain America series, but it also had some lows. While Phase Three had the biggest moments, it seemed almost bloated with so many movies, and not all of them rated as high as the two Avengers movies that highlighted that phase.
But many fans don’t seem to recognize the strong similarities between Phase Four and Phase One. Just like Phase One introduced new heroes and re-imagined at least one, Phase Four has done something even more challenging, and it has done it well. That is the phase that introduced the next generation of MCU heroes. Using veteran heroes to carry the movies, Phase Four brought in America Chavez, Ironheart, Yelena Belova and Shang-Chi.
Phase Four’s Disney+ Shows Changed Everything
What really makes Phase Four the best in MCU history is the introduction of the Disney+ streaming series. It allowed Marvel to use long-form storytelling to introduce new characters and move the overarching storylines forward. It was also the first phase in the Multiverse Saga, and the shows were more responsible for this than the movies. WandaVision helped break the multiverse while Loki opened it up and blew the walls down.
The Disney+ shows also introduced even more characters to help carry the MCU into the future. Ms. Marvel debuted in a critically acclaimed series, Kate Bishop took over as the new Hawkeye, and She-Hulk appeared in a series that helped create something MCU fans had never seen before. And that might be what makes Phase Four the best in the entire franchise. The biggest complaint for years was that Marvel movies were predictable and interchangeable. But the fans who always complained about the lack of originality can’t do that anymore.
Sam Raimi brought his distinctive style of horror filmmaking to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And for all its faults, Eternals did the same, thanks to Chloé Zhao. And it ended on the highest note possible, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever giving a touching goodbye to Chadwick Boseman and helping introduce new heroes. The MCU had a lot of work to move toward the future, and it knocked it out of the park with Phase Four.