Marvel Studios may have skipped San Diego Comic-Con 2023, which was hindered by a lack of big name talent and productions being halted (a result of last summer’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes), but Kevin Feige and his crew are back this year trying to sell the idea that Marvel films and TV are still top-tier entertainment. In 2022, Feige broke down the shift from the illustrious Phase 4, which included films such as “Spiderman: No Way Home” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” as well as TV series like “Wandavision” and “Moon Knight,” into the underwhelming Phase 5. Many of the projects announced for Marvel’s latest era have struggled to come to fruition.
While 2023 saw the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and “The Marvels,” this year has only one Marvel release with “Deadpool & Wolverine” in theaters the same weekend as Comic-Con. Many can lay the blame on the production shut-downs that came from the strikes, but quality issues and poor box office performance also seem to be a factor in the slow down. The studio’s reinvention of the “Blade” property starring Academy-Award winner Mahershala Ali has cycled through a number of writers and directors at this point and production still hasn’t begun, while other projects like “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” have had to undergo reshoots and casting changes, but at least have release dates for 2025. The studio also had to deal with the fallout from the conviction and sentencing of Jonathan Majors, who played Kang and was, at one point, supposed to be a longterm standout of upcoming MCU projects.
The biggest positive news Marvel has had to share recently was this past February’s announcement of “The Fantastic Four” joining the MCU with a cast that features Pedro Pescal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch. Production has already begun on the film with a slated release date of July 25, 2025 and many are hoping it will reignite the “Avengers” glory that has been lost in the wash of new characters and overcooked narratives.
