The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around since 2008, when the franchise launched with the release of Iron Man, and there are some clear lessons Marvel can learn from some of their less-well-received films. While that first film remains among the best-reviewed Marvel movies, the franchise has had some major ups and downs throughout its run. Reviewing the details of the worst-reviewed Marvel movies, which include some surprising films, shows that there is still an excellent path forward for Marvel if they learn from their mistakes.

Some of the more recent Marvel movies have failed to ignite audience interest. Six of the worst-reviewed Marvel movies were actually released in the last five years. Fortunately, the Thunderbolts* first reactions suggest that Marvel’s shape may be returning to where it used to be. With big recent wins like Daredevil: Born Again and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, and with excitement high after the cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, there is reason to hope Marvel may have already begun to learn from the following mistakes.

10

Sequels To Major MCU Movies Still Aren’t Automatically Successful

Several Disappointing Sequels Are Near The Bottom Of The List

While Marvel has had some of the best sequels throughout their franchise, some of the worst-reviewed MCU movies were actually sequels to big hits. Iron Man 2 is probably the most glaring example here. The film brought back the team behind the first film, and worked hard to replicate what worked then, banking on Iron Man’s success to bolster the sequel. This resulted in a project that failed to connect with most audiences.

Other Marvel sequels were also not given enough consideration in this manner, releasing a sequel for its own sake. Films like Thor: Love and Thunder and Avengers: Age of Ultron failed to connect with audiences for similar reasons. Every film in the MCU must justify itself, and sequels to big hits are no exception.

9

Introducing New MCU Hero Teams Requires Great Care

Marvel Teamups Need To Be Approached With Purpose And Respect

While films like Iron Man 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spent a great deal of their runtime introducing new characters and expanding their rosters, it was The Marvels, especially, that failed to connect in creating a new team. Rather than working to bring together complementary figures, the movie mashed a few intellectual properties together and hoped for the best. This resulted in a disappointing film.

Team-ups in the MCU need to be given great care. Stakes and motivations for characters being drawn together are incredibly important. Throwing cosmic events that tie the characters together, like The Marvels, which saw the heroes swapping places in a strangely conceived, unsuccessful gimmick, does not work. While many characters can stand on their own, more thought needs to be given to team dynamics moving forward.

8

Thor’s MCU Movies Are Some Of The Franchise’s Most Volatile

The God Of Thunder Can Really Be Hit Or Miss

Thor is one of the most beloved characters in the MCU, but looking at all of the Thor movies suggests that the MCU needs to be very careful with how they use him moving forward. While Thor: Ragnarok is among the best films in the entire franchise, both Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Love and Thunder are among the bottom 10 MCU entries. It seems that Thor either really connects, or really misses.

Marvel has talked about a Thor 5 with George Miller for some time. While another installment in the God of Thunder’s story could be an excellent addition to the franchise, history shows that it is just as likely to hurt the MCU. Marvel needs to be careful about how they use Thor to ensure that the character remains beloved.

7

Huge Villains Like Kang And Red Hulk Need To Justify Their Presence

Just Because The Villains Work In Comics Doesn’t Mean They’ll Work In The MCU

Some of the best and strongest MCU villains have been surprising choices, connecting in unique ways by adapting them well for the screen. Others, like Kang, have banked on the success of the villains in the comics to be enough to make them imposing threats in the films. This has not been successful, and led to a major pivot on Marvel’s part for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

Other threats like Red Hulk have been interesting visually, but have not done enough to justify their place in the franchise. Throwing in villains like these may be a good way to get audiences out on opening weekend, but if they are not used effectively, audiences will quickly lose interest. Marvel needs to ensure their villains serve the right purposes, and are not just included because they existed in the comics.

6

Deviating Too Much From The MCU Formula Can Be Detrimental

The MCU Has A Consistent Tone Across The Franchise

While Marvel movies outside of the MCU have seen various tones and styles used to both failure and success, the MCU has a specific tone that is important to include in any MCU film. While deviations in style and structure can change to an extent, this core is important to the Marvel brand. Films like Eternals failed to connect with audiences because they went too far outside of their usual realm.

Eternals was a strange film about supernatural powers, sH๏τ on location and helmed by an Academy Award-winning director. While the film was interesting enough on its own merits, it did not feel like the MCU. This caused it to fail to connect with audiences and critics alike. Marvel needs to recognize the importance of having its films feel connected.

5

… But Being Too Similar To Previous Works Can Also Cause Issues

The Franchise Still Needs To Feel Fresh With Each Installment

While Eternals was too different, other films in the bottom 10 felt too similar to previous entries. Iron Man 2 was certainly guilty of this, but the most glaring example is actually the controversial Avengers: Age of Ultron. While the film is strong in many ways, audiences found that it did not do enough new to justify its inclusion in the series. Ultron felt less like a sequel to The Avengers and more like a copy-and-paste remake.

Marvel needs to ensure that their films do change and evolve with time. There is a fine balance that must be made between feeling familiar and feeling new, and it’s certainly a difficult one to find. Still, Marvel has shown they are clearly able to learn from their mistakes, and there is reason to believe they can do it.

4

Angstier Hulks Make For Less Well-Received Stories

Smart Hulk Might Actually Be The Best Path Forward

While many have become frustrated by the persistence of Smart Hulk in the MCU, looking back on the franchise’s history shows that this may be the safest option for the character. Several of the darker, angstier looks at a vengeful Hulk actually fell into the franchise’s bottom 10 films. This included Age of Ultron as well as the hero’s only solo film, The Incredible Hulk.

Many wish to see a return of the rageful Hulk to the MCU, but there is a pained side to that character, and his duality that has proven unsuccessful within the MCU. If the franchise ever reverts Hulk to his violent form ever again, these entries suggest that they will need to be careful with how they use the character. Audiences seem to want fun and humor from their Hulk rather than deep, difficult emotion.

3

Each Director Dies A Hero Or Lives Long Enough To Become A Villain

Even The Best Filmmakers Lose Their Touch After Too Long

Jon Favreau is one of the best filmmakers working today, but staying with the Iron Man franchise for a second film did not work out. Similar cases were true for other great creatives, like Taika Waiтιтi, Joss Whedon, and Peyton Reed, who made some of Marvel’s best movies before following them up with some of their worst. Even the best creatives are not guaranteed to continue finding success within the same franchise.

These filmmakers must be given the room to explore other characters and stories. Staying too long within one franchise will often cause it to stagnate or to veer in strange directions. Thor: Love and Thunder followed the incredible success of Thor: Ragnarok, but it swung too hard into comedy. Marvel must be careful about staying with the same filmmakers for too long, which may coincide with some fears about Avengers: Doomsday.

2

The Marvel Brand Is Bigger Than Any Star

Star Power Can Only Go So Far In The MCU

In Marvel, the biggest star is always the IP itself. While the franchise has lured in some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Harrison Ford, Angelina Jolie, and Christian Bale, the inclusion of these stars has not made a major impact on the reception of their films. Marvel needs to recognize that the heroes are their stars, and big Hollywood names are just an extra.

Eternals leaned hard into excellent casting, also bringing in other great names like Kit Harrington, Gemma Chan, and Richard Madden. Still, that film failed to connect in the most meaningful ways. It is important that Marvel recognize where their star power actually comes from and put focus on casting the right performers, like Simu Liu, rather than the biggest ones.

1

Connecting Disney+ Series To The Films Makes Too Much Homework

Marvel Movies Need To Stand On Their Own

For Marvel to remain the biggest franchise, they need to be careful not to alienate new or casual audiences. Adding Disney+ series to the franchise has been a lot of fun, but tying those stories in too much has been an issue. The Marvels failed at the box office, and one of the reasons for this was that casual audiences felt they would have to do the homework of watching Ms. Marvel and WandaVision for the film to make any sense, so they skipped it.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a big box office success, but responses to the film showed that audiences there were confused as well. The film connected too directly to the events of WandaVision, a Disney+ show that not everyone saw. For many audiences, Wanda’s heel turn felt quick and confusing, especially as her motivations were explained in a television show, rather than in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. It is clear that Marvel’s TV and movies need to be standalone moving forward.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Created by

Kevin Feige

First Film

Iron Man

Upcoming Films

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Blade (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars

First TV Show

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Upcoming TV Shows

Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Vision Quest

Cast

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors

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Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

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  May 1, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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