The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one film away from ending its divisive Phase 4. Recent projects such as Thor: Love and Thunder, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel haven't been as successful as previous entries in the franchise, leading many to believe the Marvel formula is beginning to show cracks.
Fans still love the MCU but are becoming more aware of its flaws. Indeed, not all projects can be winners, but some movies and television shows in the franchise are particularly unpopular among fans. Some of them take to Reddit to express their opinions about these disappointing chapters in the ongoing MCU.
Captain Marvel is one of the most controversial projects in the MCU. The project stars Brie Larson as the title character, featuring Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury as the co-lead. Fans remain divided about the film's quality, with many considering it weak. Redditor sosad234 is one of those, claiming the writing for Carol is "mediocre, boring, and unattractive" while claiming the film wastes Jude Law and makes a joke out of Nick Fury's eye patch.
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The choice of words makes the Redditor's comment seem a tad sexist. Carol is not the typical female lead. She's stubborn, stoic and perhaps even unlikable, but that's precisely what makes her interesting. However, the user does have a point about the film's misuse of Jude Law and the choice to have a cat be responsible for Fury's eye accident.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was one of the first MCU Disney+ shows. It was the first project to showcase Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, putting them front and center in a story about duty and justice. Not all people are fans of the show, though. Redditor WassupSassySasquatch has plenty to say about it, describing "the pacing, writing, and direction" as "bad or inconsistent," calling the Flagsmashers "boring," and saying the politics were "simultaneously too on the nose and muddled."
The show is far from perfect, but it had pretty consistent writing throughout, and the direction was far from uninspired. However, the Redditor makes a good point about how the plot features too many storylines and fails all of them, thus diminishing its otherwise strong message.
Scarlett Johansson waited years for her solo movie, but the result disappointed many. Black Widow came out in 2021 as the first motion picture in Phase 4, and some fans were not very pleased with it. Redditor ProjectDarkInfinity chastised the film for having "none of the grittiness the opening credits promised" and lamented that Natasha will "never get her time in the sun."
Black Widow is one of the most quotable characters in the MCU, and she has one of the most mysterious and tragic backstories. The Redditor is right about the film failing to delve deeper into her traumatic past, instead settling for a relatively straightforward storyline that provided no new insight into her character.
The MCU's first incursion into animation was uneven at best. What If...? featured beautiful animation and intriguing concepts but felt ultimately unnecessary. Redditor Slippery_boi calls it "rushed and watered down by flimsy writing that didn't know how to keep a good pace."
What If...?'s first season is far from perfect. However, a few episodes are so good that they single-handedly elevate the finished product. Still, there's room for improvement. Hopefully, the writers will learn from their mistakes in season 1. Reddit fans know what they'd like to see in season 2 of What If...? and it's only a matter of time to see if they'll get it.
Some fans agree that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a fine film but pales in comparison to its much superior predecessor. Redditor ValhallaAtchaBoy says the "humor was hit or miss" and calls the film a constant reminder of "how much better the original was."
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The Redditor's words are harsh, but there's truth to them. Vol. 2 feels less original than its predecessor, which was a breath of fresh air for the MCU. The sequel is the perfect example of a first film that's so good it sets up massive expectations that no sequel could ever meet.
Doctor Strange is one of the most quotable characters in the MCU. His first film came in 2016, introducing magic and mysticism to the ever-growing franchise and featuring the best visual sequences in the MCU (up to that point, at least). However, some fans found it disappointing, like Redditor MrClamhands42, who called the script "very weak" and called out "the lack of variety in the magic."
The Redditor makes several good points, particularly his comment about how uninspired Strange's powers are in his first big-screen adventure. Luckily, the MCU got more creative with his abilities in future entries, taking advantage of how versatile his magic is to deliver some of the most creative fights in the Infinity Saga.
Even the biggest movie in the MCU has its haters. Avengers: Endgame was the epic culmination of the Infinity Saga, bringing every major character together in a crossover for the ages. However, some fans found it disappointing. Case in point: Redditor zappafrank2112 called it "thrown together" and criticized it for having "no stakes at all."
The film indeed features too much fan service and a plot that falls apart the minute anyone tries to make sense of it. However, it also brings a ten-year story to a narratively satisfying ending that delivers one showstopping sequence after the next. Avengers: Endgame has many flaws, but having "no stakes" isn't one of them.
Phase 2 of the MCU featured some great twists, but the Mandarin surprise in Iron Man 3 was not one of those. Many fans are still upset about it to this day. For example, Redditor JonzoNYC420 calls it "the stupid Mandarin twist," claiming the film "dropped the ball" and echoing the sentiments of millions of other angered fans.
Iron Man 3's treatment of the Mandarin bordered on insulting, reducing the titular character's arch nemesis into a walking joke. The choice was so bad that the MCU eventually retconned by introducing the real Mandarin in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, thus restoring the villain's reputation.
Iron Man launched the MCU, but its sequels are among the most divisive entries in the franchise. Iron Man 2 often ranks among the worst entries in the sage, thanks to its mediocre plot and how unlikable Tony is throughout. Redditor Delicious-Tachyons acknowledges the script's flaws and calls it "a damn mess."
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Truly, Iron Man 2 was shot without a finished screenplay (per Collider), and it shows in the finished product. It's tonally uneven and even unsatisfying, featuring cardboard villains and a storyline that showcases all of Tony's worst qualities. It might not be the worst film in the MCU, but it's certainly at the bottom of the barrel.
Redditor Guillermo160 pulled no punches when expressing his opinion. He expressed his disappointment at all the 2021 Disney+ shows, saying he "expected more" out of the "lackluster finales."
Although a harsh opinion, the user makes a good point about the final episodes of most Disney+ shows. WandaVision didn't stick the landing, Hawkeye's finale felt ridiculously small-scale, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's final episode was surprisingly anticlimactic. Only Loki's finale succeeded in crafting and delivering a genuinely surprising climax, and it's only because it needed to set up its upcoming second season.
NEXT: Every MCU Disney+ Series, Ranked By Whether They Need A Second Season