This Marvel Data Shows the Real Reason the MCU is Failing… & How to Fix It

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I have to admit, things haven’t been quite the same for the MCU since Avengers: Endgame. That movie was a massive hit – earning almost $3 billion worldwide! – and it felt like a natural ending for a lot of fans. While movies like Deadpool and Wolverine and Spider-Man: No Way Home still draw huge crowds, those big wins have been rare in the last few phases. Now, the marketing for Avengers: Doomsday is really leaning into nostalgia, and it’s pretty obvious they’re hoping that will bring people back.

There’s a lot of discussion online about the recent struggles of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney CEO Bob Iger thinks the amount of content released on Disney+ happened too fast and weakened the brand, and he’s likely right. However, looking at the viewership numbers shows there’s more to the problem than just an overabundance of content. Marvel made some significant errors in its approach, and the data backs that up.

Crunching the Numbers, We’ve Never Spent Enough Time With New Heroes

The trailers for Avengers: Doomsday are intentionally highlighting the original Avengers team, starting with Chris Evans as Captain America. This seems to emphasize that newer characters haven’t quite resonated with audiences as strongly. Looking at how quickly heroes from different phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe returned for follow-up appearances, this makes sense. Characters introduced in Phases 1 through 3 generally reappeared much sooner than those from Phase 4. Here’s a breakdown of the data (this doesn’t include quick cameos in post-credit scenes, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are counted as a single group):

MCU Phases Gap between 1st and 2nd appearance (years) Gap between 2nd and 3rd appearance (years)
Phase 1 2.00 2.00
Phase 2 1.75 1.50
Phase 3 1.86 1.50
Phase 4 3.14 2.50

As a huge movie fan, it’s always struck me how quickly the first wave of heroes – the Phase 1 characters – came back for sequels. There were usually only about two years between their first and second movies, and the same gap between their second and third! But honestly, the heroes from Phases 2 and 3 were even faster to reappear, and a big reason for that was Captain America: Civil War – it felt like an Avengers movie in between the main Avengers films. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the rule, and those are the characters I find most fascinating – the ones who break the pattern.

Character Gap between 1st and 2nd appearance (years) Gap between 2nd and 3rd appearance (years)
Hulk 4 3
War Machine 3 2
Wasp 3 1
Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier 3 2

The story of who owns the rights to the Hulk is famously complicated, which is a big reason why we don’t see the character as often. There was even a change of actors between his first movie in 2008 and when he joined The Avengers. Beyond the Hulk, other heroes introduced early on, like Bucky Barnes and War Machine, have felt more like supporting characters. Unfortunately, newer heroes from Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are appearing just as rarely – sometimes even less. For example, there will be a six-year gap between Simu Liu’s first appearance as Shang-Chi and his next one in Avengers: Doomsday.

It’s difficult to predict storylines for characters in Phases 5 and 6 because not enough new heroes have been reintroduced yet.

The Problem Isn’t Just That Marvel Has Introduced Too Many New Heroes

As a big Marvel fan, I’m starting to worry about how they’re handling new heroes. It’s not just that there are so many coming out now, it’s that Marvel introduces these awesome characters and then… doesn’t really follow up on them. We barely get to know them before they move on to the next big thing, and it’s hard to feel invested that way. It’s been frustrating to see characters like Kathryn Hahn’s Scarlet Witch in WandaVision and Dominique Thorne’s Ironheart take years to get their own proper stories. It’s especially weird with Ironheart – they actually finished filming way back in November 2022, but the show didn’t come out until June 2025! It feels like they’re losing momentum because we’re forgetting about these heroes before they even get a chance to shine.

It’s been a while since some heroes have reappeared. Simu Liu, who played Shang-Chi, is set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, six years after his first film. Despite Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings being a big success for Marvel – earning $432.2 million and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes – he hasn’t been featured in many projects since. Hailee Steinfeld debuted as Kate Bishop in the Hawkeye series in 2021, which also received a strong 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but there’s still no news about when she’ll return to the screen.

Out of all the new characters introduced in Marvel’s Phase 4, Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, has received the most significant development. After appearing in both Black Widow and Hawkeye in 2021, she’s had time to become a fan favorite. Although it took four years, Marvel finally gave her a central role in this year’s Thunderbolts. This gives Yelena a more complete character journey than anyone else from that phase.

Marvel Needs to Relearn the Lessons of Phases 1-3

Disney is worried that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is losing its impact because of too many projects. Marvel has been told to make fewer movies and shows in the coming years, which is a sensible move. However, there’s a real risk that Marvel will keep introducing new characters and storylines without properly developing them. This seems likely, as the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars will quickly be followed by the start of the ‘Mutant Saga’ and a new version of the X-Men.

Building lasting connections with audiences doesn’t happen automatically; it requires effort. If Marvel wants characters to become as popular as Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor – the original stars of the MCU – they need to focus on developing those characters over time. Announcing sequels soon after a movie’s release, like they did with Shang-Chi years after its success, would be a better strategy. It’s more effective to nurture existing characters and franchises than to constantly introduce new ones.

It’s understandable that some long-time comic book fans might be disappointed. Everyone has a favorite hero they’re excited to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, a more gradual introduction of characters will ultimately benefit the MCU, helping Marvel recapture the level of excitement and audience interest its movies once had.

Hey everyone, I’m really curious to hear what you all think of this new game! Let’s chat about it – head over to the ComicBook Forum and share your thoughts with me and the rest of the community!

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2025-12-23 19:44