The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a powerful force in the entertainment industry, one spanning both theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While there have been some box office disappoints lately, the studio is hoping that upcoming Marvel movies end up being more consistent money-wise. The Marvels’ Iman Vellani explained how the MCU can find Endgame-level success moving forward, and she's definitely got a point.
Those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that something changed after Avengers: Endgame. A ton of movies and TV shows have been produced, but there hasn't been the same fan frenzy. What's more, titles like The Marvels failed to perform at the box office. Vellani made her transition from TV to movies as Ms. Marvel, and spoke to The Direct about what the studio can do to increase excitement around the MCU. In her words:
I don't know. I don't know if it's about just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Because then, like, what's left? You know, I think it's just about making the audience care about their characters. And I think they've established so many wonderful characters in the last phase of the MCU that it would be nice to see them all again and see them team up. I think, because there are so many new characters people want to like, start shipping people together and be like, 'Oh, seeing Kamala and like the Red Guardian together.' Like imagining all these pair-ups, and I think that would definitely pay off. It'll be like, you know, the next Avengers.
There you have it. From one of the MCU's heroes herself. It sounds like Vellani wants to see the shared universe focus more on big crossover events like the Avengers movies. She thinks that seeing all new character pairings and epic group fights might renew the same excitement that was around the universe during Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
Iman Vellani's comment in many ways echo what fans have expressed online (and at the box office). The first three phases of the MCU were all building to Thanos' arrival, and the eventual collection of the Infinity Stones. But Phases Four and Five have been lacking that overall building narrative.
While there are ongoing concerns about superhero fatigue, Iman Vellani makes a solid point about why certain MCU projects have been failing. Namely because fans don't feel the need to watch (and re-watch) every new release in theaters. Instead they'll wait for movies to stream, especially since the shared universe seemingly isn't moving toward a larger narrative.
Of course, it did look like the MCU was offering building blocks to Kang's battle with the heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. We saw a few variant of the character in Loki and Ant-Man 3, but Jonathan Majors' conviction and firing may have put a wrench into those plans. There were some reports that the next Avengers movie was dropping that title, which could indicate that the studio is abandoning the villain as a whole. Although I will say there are 5 actors who could replace Majors as Kang.
Fans will have to patiently wait to see what comes next in the MCU, and if Vellani's advice is heard. In the meantime, check out the 2025 movie release dates.
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Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor
Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.
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