6 Years Ago, This Thanos Quote Nailed Avengers: Doomsday Before It Even Existed

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When Avengers: Endgame came out in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed unstoppable in popular culture. After eleven years of carefully building a connected universe of films, Marvel delivered the epic conclusion fans had been waiting for: a final battle between the Avengers and their allies against Thanos, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Endgame wasn’t the Avengers’ first attempt to defeat Thanos, though – he’d already succeeded in eliminating half of all life at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Most of Endgame focuses on the Avengers trying to reverse Thanos’ actions before a final showdown with the villain himself.

When Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor confront Thanos, determined to finally defeat him, he taunts them, reminding them of their loss in Infinity War. He points out that despite their efforts, they’ve ended up back where they started – facing him again. This line perfectly captured the story of Endgame, but with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, it now feels different. It seems to reflect the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, rather than just the events within the film.

Marvel Could Not Live With Its Own Failures Post-Endgame

As a huge Marvel fan, I remember how incredible it felt when Endgame smashed box office records and everyone loved it! It felt like Marvel could do anything. Saying goodbye to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers was tough, and we all knew things were changing. But after ten years of amazing movies, we were still so hyped to see what came next. Losing characters like Black Widow and Iron Man definitely hurt, but Marvel has so many great heroes that I was ready to see a new team step up and take the lead.

Marvel hasn’t quite recaptured the magic it had before the Infinity Saga. While the 2010s were a golden age for the studio, consistently delivering high-quality blockbusters, recent films have been more hit-or-miss. Although the Multiverse Saga has had some successes, many projects haven’t lived up to expectations. A big part of the problem is that Marvel tried to create too much content too quickly, especially with the launch of Disney+. This focus on quantity over quality seems to have stretched the studio too thin.

With so many new Marvel movies and shows coming out, even dedicated fans struggled to keep track of everything – and that’s why Kevin Feige is planning to release fewer projects in the future. The constant stream of content also made it hard to figure out which stories really mattered. Unlike the previous saga focused on the Infinity Stones, the current Multiverse Saga felt scattered, and some Marvel projects didn’t feel essential. This led to lower box office numbers, as general audiences became pickier about which Marvel films they saw. While Spider-Man and Deadpool were huge hits, movies like Thunderbolts and Captain America didn’t perform as well.

As Marvel concludes its Multiverse Saga, it’s facing a challenge: it lacks the strong, established team that powered the previous storyline. The original six Avengers were central to the Infinity Saga’s success, but no new group of characters has captured the same audience connection in recent years. Some newcomers haven’t been successful, while even popular ones, like Shang-Chi, haven’t been used to their full potential. To regain audience interest, Marvel is leaning on familiar faces. The teaser for Avengers: Doomsday revealed Chris Evans will return as Captain America, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. (now playing Doctor Doom). While nostalgia can be a powerful strategy, it remains to be seen if this is the right path for Marvel’s future.

Returning Marvel Stars May Be Good for Doomsday, but Bad for the MCU Long-Term

Even before it was official that Evans was returning, Doomsday was planned as a way to get the Marvel Cinematic Universe back on track. Marvel was looking to move quickly past the struggling Kang the Conqueror storyline, and they brought back directors Joe and Anthony Russo to successfully conclude the Multiverse Saga with Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The biggest news, however, was Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Doctor Doom. While his reveal at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 was exciting, it also signaled that Marvel’s attempt to replicate the success of the Infinity Saga with another large-scale storyline hadn’t worked. As audience interest in the MCU began to decline, they needed to bring in a major star to revitalize things.

This plan should work well for now. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed a lot in the last six years, but fans still love the stories and characters from the Infinity Saga. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are particularly popular, so audiences will likely be thrilled to see them return in a Marvel film. Featuring them prominently in the movie’s promotion will build excitement for Doomsday, which should translate to strong ticket sales. As a new Avengers movie released during the holidays, Doomsday is already expected to be a big hit, but bringing back these iconic actors could make it even more successful – potentially rivaling or even exceeding the box office numbers of Marvel’s biggest films ever.

The real question is whether this is the best direction for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the long run. Successful film franchises need to change and stay innovative, and making an Avengers movie without the original heroes would have been a bold move for Marvel. It would have demonstrated that the franchise can thrive with its new characters, without relying on stars like Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Hemsworth. While it’s exciting to see those familiar faces return, it makes it harder for Marvel to move past them and introduce something new. The brief glimpse of Steve Rogers suggests Marvel still feels it needs those classic heroes to succeed—and that’s a worrying sign for the future of the MCU.

Watching Doomsday, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about where Marvel is heading. It feels like they’re relying too much on nostalgia, and honestly, after their first attempt to move on from Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. stumbled, it’s hard to be confident this time will be different. Scaling back the number of projects is a good start, but quantity won’t matter if the quality isn’t there. What Marvel really needs to do is build a new team of heroes—a solid core group—that can carry the franchise forward after Secret Wars. Let’s be real, nobody expects another Endgame overnight, and that’s okay. But constantly leaning on Downey and Evans isn’t a sustainable solution – they can’t keep saving the day forever! The pressure is on Marvel to truly forge a new path after Secret Wars shakes things up, and establish characters we can genuinely invest in.

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2025-12-23 23:42