It’s official. We are five years post Avengers: Endgame. If you remember, that’s how much time passed between killing the original Thanos and Tony Stark snapping everyone back into existence. That reveal of “Five Years Later” got an audible gasp from the audience I was in. A louder gasp came from my face, realizing we are exactly five years from the release date of the last great entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sadly, the state of the MCU is as gray and grim as the post-snap world.
The state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
It’s hard to argue that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has thrived in the past five years. The Disney Plus shows have not delivered in any meaningful way. Many new and interesting characters have debuted, including Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Mobius’ jetski.
Unfortunately, the stories they are a part of have left fans wanting. To this day, we have no idea what the plan is for all these new characters, sans Kamala Khan, in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe. Worst of all, there isn’t a healthy fanbase who cares enough even to ask anymore.
The films are more formulaic and forgettable than ever. You only need to look at entries like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania to get a sense of where they have ended up.
Light at the end of the tunnel
There is hope. The most recent X-Men ’97. The animated series is doing well, tugging at old nerds’ heartstrings with nostalgia bait like original voice actors and that sweet, sweet theme music. On the film front, we have exactly one Marvel movie this year, which is somehow a good thing at this point. Deadpool And Wolverine is looking like a fun time, which is the first time in a while any MCU fan can claim that.
Five Years Later
It’s weird to think it’s five years after Avengers: Endgame. These past 4 have run by with blazing speed. I still haven’t regained my mental footing after all the unpleasantness we’ve endured since March of 2020. The bleakness of that opening act really set the tone for the next few years, eh? But with that came a lot of hope. I choose to believe the MCU will bounce back. I hope we all bounce back. Before this gets too melodramatic, I want to say that this post exists only because I wanted to use this as the featured image.
