6 most disappointing MCU movies since Avengers: Endgame

It’s possible to be a fan of something and still acknowledge when they missed the target. That's especially true in the case of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvel Studios franchise is still the biggest in Hollywood but hasn't felt like it all that much these days. Its movies haven't been hitting the same, and quite a few of them haven't been hitting at the box office either.

A lot of this is probably due to fans being spoiled. After a decade of amazing films and performances, the Infinity Saga came to a close. So it's easy to forget the new phase, the Multiverse Saga, is almost a rebirth. Not only is this the beginning of an entirely different story, but new heroes and villains are being introduced too. Thankfully, in spite of the highs and lows of Phases Four and Five so far, not all of the MCU movies produced during this time have been bad.

However, these six MCU movies were the most disappointing, but not all of them were for the reason you may be thinking.

Black Widow 

Black Widow was a much better movie than people give it credit for. One of the main reasons that it works well is that it features many of the elements that were successful in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The espionage, backstory of secret family/friends, and even a floating structure that comes crashing to the ground; it was all there in Black Widow. The 2021 movie may have imitated some of what came before (to less success) but it did its own thing with it too, which should have earned it more respect.

You’re thinking “If it’s so great, why is it on this list?” The disappointment comes from the lack of attention that it got. Honestly, Black Widow was one of the better post-Endgame movies, but the movie was quickly overlooked, partially due to its streaming release. Scarlett Johansson had her best performance as Natasha Romanoff and it felt like no one noticed, and that's a shame considering this was the character's long-awaited send-off.

Black Widow also introduced Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh), who is now one of the most integral parts of the MCU's next generation of heroes. More people should be talking about this project.

Eternals

This writer enjoyed Eternals. It's definitely a bit of an underrated movie, but that doesn't mean that I don't understand some of the complaints that audiences had. Among those complaints is the lack of backstory on the characters. There were ten members of the Eternals and we, the viewers, were expected to follow, understand, and accept their backstory with little explanation. Yes, Eternals was long but it wasn't that long.

Honestly, Eternals would have been better if Marvel Studios chose to develop it as a Disney Plus series instead. The format would have allowed for slower, but more consistent pacing, allowing us to understand more about the group of new heroes, which would would have led to people caring about the characters more. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was one of the better-received Marvel movies after Avengers: Endgame, it didn't live up to expectations.

Shuri becoming the Black Panther and defeating K'uk'ulkan, a.k.a. Namor, should have been the best part of the movie. Instead, the moment falls flat. I was given no reason to care about this moment. It could be because of Angela Bassett’s stunning performance; she was so amazing that she overshadowed everything else. Also, in a moment of honesty, Letitia Wright was the worst part of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Not that she was bad, but she wasn't what we needed.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Where to start with Thor: Love and Thunder? How about overdoing the comedy? Yes, we all love goofy Thor, but there’s a limit. At some point, he needs to remind everyone that he’s the greatest comic book god ever. How about its decision to focus on the children of Asgard? People didn’t buy tickets to see them fight. They wanted to see two Thors fight.

Despite all of that, the one unforgivable part was what they did to Gorr the God Butcher. Jason Aaron’s story was the blueprint and they missed the mark. They cast the perfect actor in Christian Bale and let his talent go to waste. Yes, he did a great job with what he had, but oh he could have been so much more. It was utterly disheartening.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

It’s one thing for a project to be bad. Viewers can find a way to be entertained by something awful. Believe it or not, "so bad, it's good" is a real thing. The problem here is that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is boring and that’s much, much worse. 

Quantumania is the first movie of Phase Five of the MCU. It was supposed to be the one to steady the ship after an uneven fourth phase, giving Ant-Man a main event storyline in the process. Instead, it has become the movie that turned people off of the MCU. It was a bad story with some good performances (particularly Michelle Pfeiffer). You may have missed them because you fell asleep.

The Marvels

The Marvels was a huge box office disappointment. It significantly underperformed and failed to recreate the $1 billion success of its predecessor Captain Marvel.

This writer doesn’t like to point fingers at the audience, but he will today. This movie is disappointing because of the people who didn’t go to see it. I get it. Sometimes you’re on the fence about seeing a project and leave your decision to a trusted source. However, how biased was your trusted reviewer?

The worst part was after it was released on Disney Plus as a lot of people ended up saying they wished they saw it in theaters; which was frustrating to hear. Fun fact, I wish you did too. If you did, there could have been a sequel. This was one of Marvel Studios' most uplifting projects and people missed being on the ground floor of its ascension to stardom.

What do you think of this list? Are these accurate descriptions of why these movies were disappointing? Let us know on Bam Smack Pow's Twitter and Instagram.