10 things Marvel needs to do to save the MCU

3. Build out the Disney Plus shows as their own corner of the MCU

I said earlier that keeping up with Marvel Cinematic Universe since the arrival of the Disney Plus shows has been a commitment, and when I say that I mean it's a commitment. For general audiences, staying up to date on the 23 movies in the Infinity Saga was quite the tall task, but now spreading yourself across almost 50 films and TV shows is something else entirely.

However, there is a solution to that: Make the Disney Plus shows their own standalone saga within the MCU. Like a shared universe within a shared universe. Yes, the events would still take place in the confines of the MCU - which would still allow for cameos and post-credits scenes galore - but they would be their own little subsidiary of it, telling their own story parallel to the movies' Multiverse Saga.

Take Netflix's Defenders saga. Before it was welcomed into the Disney Plus fold as being canon to the MCU, it was very much its own thing, building up its own storyline while making little nods and potential references to the events of the Marvel Studios movies. So couldn't we do the same thing again?

Echo is a great example of this. It features a character who appeared in Hawkeye but has taken her into darker, more serious territory more akin to the Netflix shows. Daredevil: Born Again will likely do the same, channelling its Netflix predecessor to give Marvel Studios that gritty, compelling crime drama fans have been longing for. So why don't we just capitalize on that and build a storyline within the storyline involving more grounded characters like Daredevil, Echo, and the Kingpin. Heck, even throw in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist again.

Not only would separating the two mediums allow for fans to be more selective about which projects they need to watch (while also sticking with the MCU as a whole), it could allow the Disney Plus shows to appeal to a wider audience as a general viewer could tune into them without feeling ike they have to have seen all of previous titles leading up to it.

And then, when the next big Avengers movies come, Marvel could finally cross them over, justifying both franchises' existences.