5 Ways To Fix The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Despite the finale of "Loki" being praised across the board, it's undeniable that the MCU is currently a fucking mess. It really does make me sad. I've talked about this before: no matter how many bad movies or shows Marvel puts out, I'm always going to route for them to turn it around. The Infinity Saga was a huge part of my life. Those movies were impactful for many people, and it's a shame that things have gone downhill. I always like to complain about things, but I rarely ever offer ways to fix what I don't like. I'm going to do that here. The MCU is in brutal shape, but they need a sharp mine to be able to fix it. That sharp mind may be Chris Castellani. I hope they listen. 

5- Stop making TV shows

This is probably wishful thinking, but I think Marvel made a huge mistake going to television. It devalued the event-style field of their movies. I know that the Loki series is really well-received. I watched season one, I thought it was good, but that's the exception, not the rule. These TV shows have generally felt like DLCs to video games. Go back to what you did best: making movies meant to be seen in theaters with a crowd. 

4- Don't you dare bring back the original Avengers

One thing about the Infinity Saga that gets way overlooked is that they flawlessly handled death. When a character died, there was legitimate weight to it. Even though you knew the characters who got snapped at the end of "Infinity War" were going to come back, within the context of the universe, they went five years without them. The dead stayed dead, and it made Tony Stark's sacrifice at the end of the "Endgame" that much more special. Don't ruin that. I know there's a temptation because you have the Multiverse and time travel now, but that was my generation's Avengers. Don't try to recapture that magic.

3- Make "Spider-Man 4" a soft reboot for the entire MCU

Sometimes, you have to go back to go forward. In a lot of ways, the MCU has gotten too big. I wasn't crazy about the ending to "Spider-Man: No Way Home," but the way it wrapped up set things up so you can go smaller with your setup. If you make "Spider-Man 4" the beginning of a New Age of Marvel with Peter Parker reincorporating himself back into the world of the Avengers, I think that it could give the MCU a fresh coat of paint. The current crop of Avengers is severely lacking Robert Downey Jr.'s undeniable charisma as Tony Stark. That's impossible to recapture, but Tom Holland as Spider-Man should be at the forefront of this. 

2- Give Thor a proper sendoff

Chris Hemsworth will always be Thor. Even during his lowest points, he always delivers a great performance. I can't imagine anybody else playing that role, but having him in the MCU right now kind of feels like the 20-year veteran who is still playing for the organization he started with in the hopes of winning a ring. "Thor: Love and Thunder" was a fucking disaster. I can't believe that there are people who like that movie. Hemsworth as Thor is the last remaining of the original Avengers. I don't know if this would be something that would be better suited for a fifth Thor film or in another Avengers movie, but he deserves a proper sendoff. It feels like his character has changed the most throughout the MCU. He struggled to stay consistent. Having him take his final bow would be emotional but necessary. 

1- Break the emergency glass and fast-track "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four"

A part of me sometimes wonders if the MCU is running out of characters. Let's be honest; does anyone give a shit about the Eternals? Is anyone there interested in any character in "The Marvels?" You're reaching a point where you're making C and D list characters key pieces of the Avengers when you have A-Listers on the bench. It baffles me that they haven't gotten a "Fantastic Four" movie right yet. Stop waiting. It's time. The Fox X-Men movies definitely deserve credit for being some of the first comic book movies to really take themself seriously, but I want to see a more colorful, brighter mutant universe within the MCU. I'm fine with re-casting. Start from scratch with no multiverse connection, and while you're at it, make Dr. Doom the next big villain in the Marvel universe.