The latest episode of our podcast is out. Season four has begun. That means that you are either earlobes deep in the latest episode, or you are finally finished with it and fueled with rage at our opinions on the future of the MCU, or at the very least in complete agreement with everything we have ever said.
To you, then, i introduce the A&D PodBlog. This is a place where YOU can chime in and join the conversation. After each episode, and possibly a few times in between on unrelated topics and rants, we are going to post a blog entry and ask for you to connect with us.
We want to hear from you.
In connection with the blog post, and your subsequent comments, we will be looking at these when we record future episodes and are looking to have a segment where we continue our discussion from previous episodes by reading and discussing YOUR comments.
SO COMMENT AWAY!
Quick P.S.A. When you do comment please keep in mind that we are a family friendly show and would prefer your comments take that into consideration. Bear in mind that we will not use comments that are rife with foul language, so KEEP IT CLEAN.
Ok, now that the introduction is complete, lets dive into this first episode.
We don't know if you are like us and share our general distaste for the current output of the MCU, but to say we are unimpressed would be a bit of an understatement.
First let me start by saying that if you haven't listened to the first episode yet you should hop over to the podcast page and take a listen. All of our latest thoughts on the present and future of the MCU are on full display in the cast, and we encourage you to get up to speed before chiming in.
Or don't. Your call.
Either way, here is a link to the episode for your convenience:
So, the gist of our thoughts boil down to one fairly simple statement. We think Marvel needs a break.
In my opinion the last truly great movie they put out was the Spiderman: No Way Home masterpiece that was a true love letter to the fans of Spiderman. In the eyes of my cohost that movie, though good, was still riding high on the coat tails of the success of the previous films in the franchise as it closed out the Infinity Saga with Endgame and Spiderman: Far From Home.
We both agree, however, that the output from the studio of late has been mediocre at best. With entries like the much maligned Black Widow solo feature, and The Eternals debacle, we are just not retaining any of the excitement that we had at the end of the first three phases.
Endgame left us wondering "what's next?" And we can honestly say that if THIS is what we were waiting for, they have certainly let us down.
That is not to say that everything Marvel has put together has been a complete disaster. Many of the Disney + series that have been release have been quite good. The Shang Chi movie wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen. And the rumor for the future inclusion of the X-Men is exciting but the whole situation begs the question: Has franchise fatigue finally caught up the the media mogul Marvel Studios?
For so long it has seemed that they could put out nearly anything and, as long as they slapped the marvel logo on it, it would succeed. I think we have seen the day that that is no longer the case.
There is still plenty of hope for the future of the MCU, yes. But if they don't start making the necessary changes now they may not survive to see what they could become.
What do you all think? Have they finally lost their luster?
Is franchise fatigue to blame?
What can they do to improve the, in our opinion, disappointing outings they've given us so far in phase 4?
And, finally, the most pressing question of all; when will the rest of the MCU acknowledge the giant marble head and hand sticking out of the ocean? I mean....its been like two shows, and three movies since it happened and no one has said anything about it....c'mon Marvel. Get it together.
Comment your thoughts below, and we will continue this discussion in the next episode!
Written by:
David Kennedy
Co-host of The A&D Show
Mcu has really been putting out some stinkers lately. I think there is still hope for some good stories but it really feels like they have been struggling to make ground. Granted it was always going to be a challenge to follow up the infinity saga but they seem to be putting out hot garbage worse than a leaky sewage pipe as of late. I think the wokeness of disney has a lot to do it but even if you set aside the awful scripts and story lines, the special effects are unbelievably lacking compared to what we have seen in the past. This to me has to he one of thr saddest parts of phase 4.