Phase 5 Of The MCU Was Actually Good But It Was Too Disjointed

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Let’s be honest, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been as consistently strong since Avengers: Endgame. They even acknowledge it themselves – there’s a funny bit in Deadpool & Wolverine where Deadpool shows up at what he calls a “low point” for the MCU. While most of their films still do pretty well with critics and at the box office, it’s not the guaranteed smash hit factory it used to be. We’re not seeing every Marvel movie get that “Certified Fresh” stamp anymore, and that’s a noticeable shift.

Phase 4 kicked off the Multiverse Saga, following the hugely popular Infinity Saga. However, this is where things began to falter, as films and shows like Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier didn’t quite meet expectations or the established quality of the franchise. Phase 5 faced even bigger problems when plans to build storylines around the villain Kang the Conqueror had to change after Jonathan Majors was arrested on domestic violence charges.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly adapting, which has resulted in some inconsistent quality. While many viewers haven’t been thrilled with Phase 5, it actually offers a lot of enjoyable content if you can look past its lack of a cohesive storyline.

Phase 5 Of The MCU Is Better Than People Say

Let’s be honest, Phase 5 of the MCU had some issues, though it wasn’t all bad. Some projects really shined. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gave a great conclusion to many fan-favorite characters like Rocket, Nebula, and Gamora, especially if they won’t be appearing in future movies. And Loki season 2 was a huge success, with an ending that was one of the best the MCU has offered, and perfectly set up what’s next for the character.

While Thunderbolts didn’t generate a lot of initial buzz, it turned out to be crucial for setting up the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and helped audiences connect with characters like Yelena, Bucky, and Ava. They now seem like a strong team to take the lead in future stories. Agatha All Along also surprised many, offering a compelling continuation of the story begun in WandaVision. And even though The Marvels didn’t perform well in theaters, it actually plays a significant role in the larger Multiverse Saga.

The Few Misses Of Phase 5 Were Big Problems

Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has struggled because its failures have been significant. The issues began with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which relied too heavily on poor special effects and didn’t showcase Paul Rudd’s signature humor. The villain, Kang, didn’t feel like a credible threat to the Avengers. Then, Captain America: Brave New World unexpectedly tied into the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, a storyline fans weren’t anticipating and which ultimately didn’t serve Sam Wilson’s debut as Captain America well.

Phase 5 of the MCU faced some challenges with its TV shows. Secret Invasion was largely considered a low point, with issues ranging from its cheaply made opening credits to a confusing plot and weak writing. Echo, a series connected to Hawkeye, didn’t gain much of an audience or positive attention. While Ironheart was decent, it didn’t feel like a significant addition to the overall story. These kinds of issues were less common in previous phases of the MCU.

Phase 5 Felt More Disjointed Than Any Other MCU Phase

Phase 5 of the movie series had some hits and misses, but its biggest issue was a lack of overall connection. The first three phases felt like one big story: Phase 1 introduced the heroes, Phase 2 developed them, and Phase 3 led to the epic battles against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Each phase clearly built towards a unified conclusion, something that was missing in Phase 5.

It was expected that the Multiverse Saga wouldn’t feel perfectly connected, but that’s not unusual for big movie and TV franchises. Often, these stories are all set in the same world but still don’t feel very linked. Regardless of their quality, projects like Agatha All Along, Echo, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania don’t feel particularly connected, or even like they take place in the same universe.

While The Marvels has ties to the X-Men and briefly hints at a future Young Avengers team, it mostly works as a separate story. Similarly, Captain America: Brave New World only lightly sets up future events. It’s fine for Marvel movies to be self-contained, but when you’re building a connected universe, some level of connection is important. A good example is Ironheart, which introduced the character Mephisto with a lot of fan interest, but he hasn’t reappeared since.

Changing the main villain from Kang to Doctor Doom also caused problems. Although the Kang storyline wasn’t perfect, he had already been established in both the shows and movies, creating connections between them. Doom, however, hasn’t really been introduced on screen yet – we’ve only seen him from behind – but he’s now supposed to be the next big threat. Without building up this new, Avengers-level villain during Phase 5, the overall story feels disjointed.

Where Phase 5 Ranks Compared To Other Phases

It’s hard to definitively rank the different phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Most fans consider Phase 1 the weakest, as it was focused on introducing characters and the series hadn’t found its footing yet. Phases 4 and 5 have received mixed reviews and are generally seen as slightly better than Phase 1. However, Phases 2 and 3 are widely regarded as the MCU’s peak, consistently delivering both popular and critically acclaimed movies like never before.

The current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase 5, feels like a continuation of the mixed results seen in Phase 4. Both phases have released some very popular movies and shows, alongside others that haven’t resonated as well with audiences. However, early signs suggest Phase 6 might be different, with projects like The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Wonder Man, and Daredevil: Born Again receiving positive attention.

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2026-05-25 16:39