While other studios have tried to compete with the MCU, Marvel did something that hadn't been done before. They created dozens of movies that came together to tell a bigger, cohesive story. Characters who fans enjoyed in individual movies would be brought together in a stunning cinematic event.

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Despite making such large breakthroughs in movie-making history, Marvel Studios' recent films haven't been generating as much excitement. They have to find new ways to keep people engaged with their movies and shows, but Phase 4 hasn't been hitting the mark.

Updated on November 22, 2022, by Mayra García: As the first phase The Multiverse Saga, Phase Four established the main motif of the MCU’s new stage. Now that the multiverse has been revealed, things will get complicated when heroes and villains tamper with it. This will eventually lead to Secret Wars. While fans are excited for what's to come, the set up in Phase Four hasn’t been perfect.

15 The Non-Committal Nature Of Special Presentations Is Concerning

Elsa Bloodstone locked in a cage with Jack Russel in Werewolf by Night

Besides TV series, Phase Four stands out from its predecessors for including Marvel Special Presentations: the Halloween special Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which even includes Kevin Bacon. Both projects tell stories in the main continuity of the MCU, but they don't tie into the overarching narrative, in particular Werewolf by Night. While Werewolf by Night introduced many new characters to the MCU, like Elsa Bloodstone and Jack Russell, it doesn’t say much about what’s next for these characters.

14 VFX Artists Are Treated Poorly

Captain America holding Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame.

There have been recent allegations that Marvel has unrealistic expectations of VFX artists. They give these artists tight, unreasonable deadlines. Because of the time crunch, VFX artists don't get enough sleep. As a result, the quality of work can fail to meet audience expectations.

Even Taika Waititi has criticized the CGI in his film, Thor: Love And Thunder, unintentionally bringing more attention to this concerning matter. With more VFX artists stepping forward with their own horror stories from working with Marvel Studios, fans have grown more and more outraged.

13 The MCU Is Dipping In Quality

Sersi and Ikaris kissing in Eternals.

Gone are the days of getting an MCU movie once every year. Four films and four television series were released in 2021. There will be three films, four television series, and two specials released by the end of 2022. Getting so much content makes fans more critical of the films, with some complaining that it feels like Marvel has chosen quantity over quality.

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Of the 29 films rated on Rotten Tomatoes, four of Phase 4's movies are towards the bottom of the list. Black Widow received 76%, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness got a 74%, Thor: Love And Thunder got a 65%, and Eternals came dead last with a 47%. This, combined with mixed audience reactions, means that Marvel Studios is letting its quality slip.

12 Moon Knight & She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Won’t Get A Second Season

she-hulk and hulk training on the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Phase Four disappointed many when it became obvious many of its arcs would be short-lived. Given the MCU’s format of mini-series, certain heroes that charmed audiences likely won’t return for a second season even if their shows only had less than 10 episodes, like Moon Knight or She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

The real problem here isn’t that their stories are incomplete. In fact, both series had complete arcs that ended properly. The problem is Marvel Studios hasn’t announced when Jennifer, Marc, and Steve will return or if this will even happen. This obviously makes viewers impatient about the MCU's future.

11 The MCU Is No Longer As Accessible To New Fans

Peter Parker crouching in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Before there were so many films and shows in the MCU, many fans would binge all the movies before seeing the newest installment. Now that there are so many hours of content and more being pumped out in a single year, this is no longer possible.

It's easy even for long-time fans to miss small details that were important in installments from years ago. It's become incredibly difficult for the average moviegoer to keep up with the MCU as well. A Disney+ account is required to watch the shows, but not everyone is willing to invest so much time into watching the MCU's.

10 MCU Fatigue Is Kicking In

Moon Knight on the suit in Moon Knight.

The MCU began with Iron Man back in 2008. For a decade, superheroes ruled the big screen. Even DC jumped on the bandwagon. By now, there is so much cinematic superhero content available that fans have grown tired of the format. While the MCU is taking more risks in terms of stylization, particularly in movies like Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness or Moon Knight, these still strongly feel like superhero movies at the end of the day.

9 Phase 4 Has Too Many Characters With No Connective Tissue

An edit of the Eternals cast, Shang-Chi, and Spider-Man

After three Phases with less than a dozen films, the MCU Phase Four surprised fans with seventeen different projects between series, movies, and specials. This was almost one per month since mid-2021. Throughout all these new storylines, Marvel Studios introduced new characters like Yelena Belova, the Eternals, She-Hulk, and Namor.

All these characters have helped expand the Marvel universe, but so far, nothing is connecting them. By the end of Phase One, the OG Avengers were already on their way to becoming a team, but Phase Four is about to end without the audience knowing if Moon Knight will ever hang out with Shang-Chi.

8 There's Little Connection Between Phase 4's Movies & Shows

Captain Carter holding her shield in What If...?

Thanos was teased in Avengers back in 2012, and the following films in the MCU built up the villain as the big threat. Although Loki has teased Kang the Conqueror as the next major villain, he remains to be seen.

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Fans have been impatiently waiting to see what the movies and shows are building up to, but not enough has been established about Kang or what his plan will be. At the moment, it seems Phase 4 focused on introducing new heroes, but fans are impatient to see how the stories will connect later.

7 The Multiverse Might Be Too Ambitious For The MCU

The Sacred Timeline dividing in Loki

The multiverse feels too ambitious of a project. Many fans were let down by Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness solely because they expected more multiverses or cameos in the film. At the same time, if Marvel keeps shoving cameos into their films, people will feel like the studio is too pandering.

Fans were upset at the mistreatment of the Illuminati, making the characters look less intelligent by revealing Black Bolt's weakness. The film also killed off Professor X when he had already died cinematically before.

6 Older Characters Aren't Getting Natural Development

Thor Odinson with lightning and planets in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow have all concluded their arcs in satisfying ways. They grew as people and became heroes that everyone respected. Unfortunately, not all the older MCU characters have been so lucky.

Both Thor and Wanda have gone through horrible things, constantly losing people that they love. They recent went through satisfying character arcs that led them to accept their mistakes and cope with their losses for the greater good. Their Phase Four films have undone this, making these characters re-learn lessons they have already learned.

5 The MCU's Villain Problem Is Here To Stay

Najima looking disappointed in Ms. Marvel

The MCU has received criticism that its villains are weak and underdeveloped with few exceptions. Phase Four hasn't done much to alleviate this issue. Najima in Ms. Marvel failed to hit the mark. Even Gorr in Thor: Love And Thunder didn't have much time to do some God-killing on-screen, despite that being what he was known for. It makes no sense that Najima's story was so prominent if it ended up feeling like filler.

4 Mutants Have Been Teased, But Not Announced

Namor smiling in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Fans have always been excited to see how mutants will fit into the MCU. As of November 2022, Marvel Studios has treated fans to an incredible cameo by Patrick Stewart in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as well as two very aloof utterances of the word “mutant” in Ms. Marvel and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to describe Kamala and Namor. Fans are eager to know more about the mutants in the MCU. The door to other storylines has been opened thanks to the Multiverse, but Marvel Studios isn’t fast enough for the fandom’s wishes.

3 The MCU Hasn't Lived Up To Endgame's Expectations

Captain America, War Machine, Rocket Raccoon, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor ready to fight in Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame told a two-part story that brought all the fan-favorite Avengers together in a battle with extremely high stakes. The fan hype that came with seeing the heroes together on the big screen for the first time isn't something that can be replicated.

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This was partially why Avengers: Age Of Ultron didn't impress nearly as much. Now fans are waiting to see how the MCU will be able to top the most recent Avengers movies, which is something Marvel Studios hasn't been able to do with single movies.

2 The MCU Is Too PG-13

Daredevil in his original black costume from Season 3

When Disney announced Moon Knight, comic fans were particularly hyped about the idea of getting a more mature version of the MCU. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Something very similar happened in Thor: Love and Thunder, which toned down Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr. This situation is bound to happen again with other characters, like Daredevil or even Wolverine at a given point. In their attempt to keep things family-friendly, Marvel Studios is holding back its main cast.

1 The MCU's Emotional Moments Aren't Landing

America Chavez running in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Marvel has been criticized for inserting humor in places where it doesn't belong. Even when there isn't humor barging into an emotional scene, recent emotional beats haven't worked as well as they could have. It was hard to feel sorry for America Chavez when her backstory was so forced.

Rather than confiding in Doctor Strange, America stood on a platform that replayed her memories. Given the many crimes she committed, it was impossible to feel sorry for Wanda who was rejected by children that weren't her own. Phase Four wants the audience to sympathize with its characters, but it doesn't want to put in the work and give them a reason why.

NEXT: Everything We Know About The MCU Phase 5 (So Far)