It’s a good thing that Marvel has Deadpool & Wolverine, perhaps its most hyped release since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, to get fans distracted, because behind the scenes there’s a lot of major restructuring happening when it comes to future plans for the MCU.

Deadpool 3 will no doubt make a killing at the box office this summer, but the last Marvel movie to release was The Marvels, which infamously went down as the worst-performing MCU film of them all. And it’s just possible that its failure was so embarrassing it immediately killed plans for a spinoff.

Monica Rambeau series was reportedly cancelled in the wake of The Marvels bombing

The Marvels‘ post-credits scene was perhaps the most memorable thing about it, as it brought back Kelsey Grammer as Beast. It was also interesting that it was Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau who ended up in the X-Men’s universe not Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. According to new rumors, that’s because this was supposed to lead into a Photon series set for Disney Plus… However, this is 100% canned now due to the film falling flat. We’ve been assured that Monica’s story will now continue elsewhere, although it’s anyone’s guess where that could be.

Scarlett Johansson’s first MCU project since Black Widow could be a Disney Plus show

Don’t forget, while Marvel no doubt scrambles to tempt Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans into returning to the fold for Avengers: Secret Wars, Scarlett Johansson is already back in bed with the MCU for an upcoming project. The only thing is she’ll be serving as a producer rather than appearing on screen. For the longest time we’ve had literally zero information about the form of this mystery project, but the latest intel indicates that it will be a Disney Plus series. Given Johansson’s name behind it, presumably this show will be set in the Black Widow universe. Maybe it could be some kind of follow-up to Thunderbolts, which features Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster.

Mahershala Ali needs to get his ice skates on as Wesley Snipes’ Blade could be coming soon

Here’s your periodic reminder that Mahershala Ali was announced to be playing Blade in summer 2019… and we still haven’t seen him on screen?! Currently the Blade reboot is scheduled for November 2025 but it’s all but confirmed it’ll get pushed into 2026. Ali might want to hurry up and show his face, though, otherwise he might just be beaten to the punch by Wesley Snipes, who — rumor has it — is in talks to reprise his iconic ’90s role somewhere in the Multiverse Saga. For context, this is like if Tom Holland was cast as Spider-Man in 2016… and then never showed up before Tobey Maguire came back in 2021. What is going on, Kevin?!

Deadpool & Wolverine could not be coming at a more opportune moment. Although Marvel’s current 2024/2025 schedule is only the result of the strikes messing with the studio’s plans, having the much-anticipated Ryan Reynolds threequel be the one to restore the MCU to its former greatness after an extremely taxing 2023 is the perfect turn of events.

While The Marvels may go down as a perfectly respectable and solid entry in the Marvel canon, going by the surge of support it’s received since hitting streaming, it’s hard to entirely scrub away the stain of the Brie Larson sequel going down as the worst-performing MCU movie of them all last fall. Not only does Captain Marvel 3 now seem like a distant possibility, but it suggested that whole corner of the cinematic universe might be locked away and ignored forever more.

That’s why it’s so intriguing that one all-important moment in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer has spawned a compelling theory that the aftermath of The Marvels might be about to be explored in this very next film, thereby immediately cementing it as a key entry in the Multiverse Saga — haters be damned.

How could Deadpool & Wolverine cross over with The Marvels?

The climactic moment of the trailer sees DP and Wolvie LFG their way into a mystical multiversal portal. We currently have a lot of questions about said portal, as we don’t know which Master of the Mystic Arts conjured it (if it’s just Ned, I swear to God) and we don’t know where it might lead. As per one convincing theory, pitched by Redditor OneAboveAll0 among others, this portal could lead to a universe we’ve already visited…

Previously on the MCU: The Marvels ended with Monica Rambeau getting sent to another universe — one where a variant of her mother, Maria Rambeau/Binary, was a pal of the X-Men, who seem to be variants of the Fox characters — as seen by Kelsey Grammer returning as Beast. We’ve been trained of late to expect Marvel post-credits scenes to take an age to pay off — where art thou, Harry Styles and Hercules? — but in this case Deadpool 3 could pick up what The Marvels put down less than a year later.

Whether Monica appears or not, going back to this universe could allow for DP and Wolverine to interact with various familiar X-Men characters from the original Fox films — which would otherwise be impossible due to Deadpool hailing from the prequel timeline and this version of Logan coming from an Earth where all the X-Men are dead. Who knows, maybe some kind of incursion could occur — perhaps caused by Cassandra Nova — and result in this universe bleeding together with Earth-616 19999 and that’s how we get mutants in the MCU.

From a more holistic perspective, it would also be pretty meaningful for this ostensibly more bro-y MCU movie to respect and play ball with the Captain Marvel films in this way, considering the whole “M-She-U” backlash of it all. Those kind of fans may claim him, but Wade Wilson himself wouldn’t support such Carol Danvers slander (they were lovers in one comics timeline, FYI).

Basically, don’t skip The Marvels when you do your Disney Plus MCU marathon before Deadpool & Wolverine gets here this July 26.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 6.

X-Men ’97 might not be as flashy as the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, but it’s quietly knocking it out the park every single week on Disney Plus and increasingly providing a roadmap for exactly how Marvel Studios should use these characters in live-action to help fix the MCU.

Case in point, episode 6 follows up on the utter devastation of episode 5 by taking the narrative into space, catching up with Professor X for the first time since the series finale of X-Men: The Animated Series. Although the show so far has treated Charles as if he had died, X: TAS viewers knew that he’d actually been taken into space by his alien lover, Empress Lilandra, and revived using advanced tech. In episode 6, we find out that Charles is now living among the people of the Shi’ar Empire. Not only that, but he’s getting married!

This marks a huge twist in the professor’s story, obviously, but it also presents Marvel with the perfect way to fix its confused cosmic mythology following The Marvels. But first, who exactly are the Shi’ar, anyway?

Who are the Shi’ar in X-Men ’97?

The Shi’ar, debuting in the comics in 1976’s X-Men #97, are conspicuous in their absence from the MCU at present as they are one of the three greatest empires in the galaxy in Marvel lore. Arguably, they are even more advanced and expansive than either the Kree or the Skrulls, however, as the Shi’ar comprise various planets and cultures across the cosmos. The Shi’ar people are human/avian hybrids, who appear mostly humanoid barring their feathered heads.

The most notable Shi’ar character is undoubtedly Empress Lilandra, whose unlikely romance with Charles Xavier has threatened her position of power and the safety of her empire at numerous points. Her two treacherous siblings, vicious brother D’Ken and duplicitous sister Deathbird, have often attempted to seize her throne, and on occasion have succeeded.

Lilandra and the Shi’ar played a key role in the Dark Phoenix saga, with the X-Men having to fight to protect Jean Grey from execution when Lilandra decreed she must die for her crimes. Because of this, it was heavily rumored that Jessica Chastain was going to play Lilandra in 2019’s Dark Phoenix, but the character has yet to make her live-action debut.

In recent comics, Xandra, the genetically engineered daughter of Charles and Lilandra, has been introduced and she has risen up to become the current Majestrix (aka Empress) of the Shi’ar Empire following her mother’s death.

The Shi’ar’s introduction into the MCU could undo the damage done by The Marvels

Personally, I liked The Marvels, and hopefully you did too (whether you saw it in theaters or were one of the converts who caught up on streaming), but there’s no use denying that it was the least successful MCU movie to date. Clearly, audiences are still interested in cosmic Marvel movies — hence the popularity of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just a few months prior — but the familiar plot of the Captain Marvel sequel just turned audiences away.

The general consensus seemed to be that The Marvels came across as “just another MCU film,” and maybe that’s because it was dealing with an alien threat that has been hanging around the franchise for a full decade at this point: the Kree. Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, a whole bunch of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes… The Kree have arguably worn out their welcome as Marvel’s premier cosmic baddie at this point so it’s high-time their reign was toppled.

Of course, X-Men ’97 isn’t Earth-19999 canon but episode 6 proves that the MCU needs to introduce the Shi’ar into live-action fast, with its opening scene demonstrating exactly how to do it. Deathbird, Lilandra’s aforementioned sis, is depicted as bringing the mighty Ronan the Accuser to his knees, proving how much more fearsome the Shi’ar are than the oft-used Kree.

With ties to the X-Men and a much more complex and nuanced civilization, the Shi’ar would certainly be a much-needed jolt in the arm and injection of fresh ideas into Marvel’s cosmic side, so let’s hope their X-Men ’97 appearance is just a tease for bigger things to come.

Take a bow, The Marvels! The Brie Larson sequel was routinely riled last November when it earned the dishonor of being the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time at the box office. Miraculously, however, it managed a full 180-degree turn once it hit streaming.

Now that folks could catch it from the comfort of their own homes, Disney Plus users gave the movie a try and, surprise surprise, realized that they thought it was a totally fun slice of superhero cinema and they were sorry for being so dismissive of it when it was in theaters — causing those who were singing its praises all along to face palm like Captain Picard. Not only did The Marvels manage to knock the immortally popular Moana from the Mouse House platform’s top spot, it’s also been confirmed as the most popular movie on streaming period over the week of its release.

This is an impressive shift of fortunes for the Nia Da Costa movie, turning it into the little Marvel film that could and maybe even dispelling the notion that the MCU is done for. Unfortunately, when you put The Marvels‘ streaming success in a larger context, it suddenly seems much less impressive.

The Marvels‘ chart-topping figures pale in comparison to Guardians 3

As per data covering Feb. 5-11, The Marvels was the world’s most-watched movie on all of streaming that week, earning 558 minutes watched in its first seven days on Disney Plus. A resounding success, no? Well, yes, in microcosm. However, once you compare it to how the previous Marvel production to hit streaming did, the power of its achievement is suddenly decimated by a full two thirds.

Prior to The Marvels landing in November 2023, the last MCU film to release was May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s no surprise that, when that film eventually debuted on Disney Plus in September, it likewise topped the streaming charts worldwide as well. In its case, though, Guardians 3 had a much grander figure to show for it. The cosmic threequel is known to have accrued a whopping 1.6 billion minutes viewed across its first seven days.

The Marvels may have topped the streaming charts too, but clearly the week of its release was far less competitive overall. For instance, in the runner-up positions for movies streamed the week of Feb. 5 were 2017 thriller American Assassin (515 minutes), animated film Orion and the Dark (389 minutes), and perennial family favorite The Super Mario Bros. Movie (356 million minutes), all available on Netflix.

As for whether its streaming win will really affect its reputation, it’s worth pointing out that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also topped the charts last year and yet it just doomed the MCU to its first ever Razzie nominations (although it thankfully didn’t win any). The Marvels certainly doesn’t deserve all the hate it received, but sadly we can’t start calling it a redeemed success or claim that the Marvel curse is over just yet.

A funny thing happened on The Marvels‘ way to streaming. Despite releasing in theaters to widespread disinterest in November, once the MCU sequel hit digital people suddenly started giving it some much-needed positive attention.

Sure enough, upon its arrival on Disney Plus, the film that seemed destined to become the most forgotten and least-viewed Marvel Studios production earned itself a surprising groundswell of popularity and some enduring chart-topping powers. “Hey, I wish I saw this in cinemas,” said a whole bunch of folks, while those that did and enjoyed it glared at the camera like Jim from The Office.

Speaking of John Krasinski, he definitely won’t be reprising his role as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four, which promises to carve out an exciting new corner of the MCU. Marvel’s First Family have one of the richest rosters of associated characters in all of comics, so Kevin Feige and company will no doubt be hoping to fuel years’ worth of storylines based around them. But could the rise of the Silver Surfer lead to the crushing downfall of Carol Danvers?

Silver Surfer spin-off claims could be bad news for Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel

Hot on the heels of The Fantastic Four announcement, a rumor has emerged that a Silver Surfer spin-off is in the works at Marvel Studios. As has been suspected for the longest time, Norrid Radd is said to be making his way to the MCU in The Fantastic Four, with Marvel supposedly on the hunt for an actor as you read these words. This is totally uncorroborated as yet, but it does come from insider Daniel Richtman, who claimed that Pedro Pascal was playing Reed Richards before that was officially confirmed.

Silver Surfer is easily one of the most important characters Marvel inherited from Fox because, despite only making the one movie appearance to date, he’s one of the most integral cosmic characters in Marvel’s canon. You could even argue that he’s Marvel’s single most integral cosmic character. And that’s why the studio apparently being keen to promote him to leading status could be bad news for Carol Danvers, who currently stands as the MCU’s top-tier extraterrestrial tentpole.

As The Marvels made clear, by pairing her up with heroes from Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, and Secret Invasion, not to mention using her movie to set up the coming of the X-Men, Carol certainly was viewed as an anchor for the entire MCU. However, with the film underperforming so drastically there’s every chance that Marvel is working on pivoting focus away from her. Just look at how we’ve learned that Kang’s role was already being decreased after Quantumania bombed, before Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles came to light.

Larson herself remains cagey about her Marvel future, but even if she does end up returning for Avengers 5 and Secret Wars, there’s a decent chance that, in a few years time, space might not have enough space for both Captain Marvel and Silver Surfer.

You know the worst thing about The Marvels and Madame Web flopping financially? It gives those people who possess a weird problem with female-led superhero movies more fuel to whine about women clogging up comic book cinema. Sure, the aforementioned Sony bomb is, let’s be kind and say, a unique enterprise but one of its best traits is its ensemble female cast. Likewise, the unapologetic female energy of The Marvels is what made it stand out from the crowd.

So while it remains a bummer that the Brie Larson vehicle is tragically locked in as the biggest box office bomb in MCU history, at least its fortunes have done a complete 180 degree turn on streaming. Although it can’t quite dislodge the dismay of earning a mere $200 million worldwide (that’s just 1/5 of what Captain Marvel made), at least The Marvels is finally finding its audience on Disney Plus. Since its digital and streaming releases, social media has been stuffed with reactions from those who’ve been pleasantly surprised by its quality and wished they’d given it a go on the big screen.

The ultimate proof that the superhero sequel has gone from tanking in theaters to ranking on streaming? The Marvels has managed to dethrone perhaps the Mouse House’s hottest property right now on Disney Plus.

The Marvels‘ Disney Plus dominance cements its streaming redemption arc

According to FlixPatrol, The Marvels is the number one most popular film on Disney Plus the world over at present, managing to knock Moana into second place. This is a huge deal as the 2016 animated film had an enormous surge of popularity last year and became the most streamed movie on the platform for 2023. That no doubt had a lot to do with the fact that Disney is now fast-tracking Moana 2, set to bring back Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, releasing in theaters this November.

So for The Marvels to knock it from the top spot says a lot about how much streaming audiences are taking to it. Clearly, then, despite the knee-jerk antagonism towards the movie in November, the problem was not with The Marvels‘ quality but the marketing surrounding it. For whatever reason, people just weren’t incentivized enough to go see it in theaters. Now that they’re watching it from their own homes, however, it’s proving just as successful as any prior MCU flick.

So that’s one super-powered princess tag-teaming the streaming top spot from another super-powered princess. Cue incels everywhere losing it like the aliens from Mars Attacks! You love to see it.

Cassandra Webb’s superpower might be receiving visions of future events, but even those without fancy Spider-Senses predicted how Madame Web would turn out long before we heard Dakota Johnson talk about how her mom studied spiders in the Amazon before she died. So it’s no surprise that Deadpool 3 is already making numbers the Sony bomb-in-the-making will never see at the box office. But, first, it turns out The Marvels could’ve been a whole lot darker…

The Marvels nearly ending on Captain Marvel’s combustion snuffs out hopes for Captain Marvel 3

Now that it’s on streaming, Marvel folks are loving how fun and light-hearted The Marvels is (it’s about time, people!), but the film’s original ending no doubt would’ve left us stunned and picking our jaws up off the floor along with our spilled popcorn once the credits rolled. Dar-Benn actress Zawe Ashton has revealed that the movie’s climax initially had Carol Danvers and her nemesis “combust together,” which apparently confirmed that Captain Marvel was supposed to die in this film before reshoots changed the ending. Suddenly Brie Larson’s hedged bets about her MCU future make sense… Marvel can’t be keen on a Captain Marvel 3 if they nearly killed her off. Right?

Deadpool 3 is officially YouTube’s most-viewed trailer ever…

Who says nobody cares about Marvel movies anymore? Following its premiere on Super Bowl Sunday, the internet is still buzzing from our first glimpse at Deadpool 3, or Deadpool & Wolverine as it’s properly called. Whether because it marks Ryan Reynolds’ return as DP for the first time in six years or because this year’s Super Bowl was the highest-rated television event since the 1969 Moon Landing (!), DP3‘s trailer has gone down as the most watched trailer on YouTube, beating fellow multiversal Marvel threequel Spider-Man: No Way Home to the top spot on the back of 365 million views at launch. That bodes well for its box office figures this July!

… While Madame Web is officially the worst Marvel movie since Morbius

You know what doesn’t bode well for a movie’s box office figures, though? Launching on Rotten Tomatoes to a critics score that’s almost not old enough to drive. At the time of writing, Madame Web is sitting at a mere 17% on the reviews-aggregate site, after shockingly scathingly reactions that tell us exactly why Sony waited until the day before its worldwide release to lift the review embargo. With its Sony predecessor Morbius sitting at 15%, the Dakota Johnson vehicle is in real danger of falling even lower than the Jared Leto meme machine. We didn’t know that was possible until now, which proves that despite rampant superhero fatigue, at least Marvel is capable of setting new records.

It’s no secret that Marvel movies change a lot over the course of their production — reshoots are par for the course for the MCU, as the studio adjusts story developments in response to test screener reactions or to better tie into other upcoming projects. It sounds like The Marvels went through an even bigger metamorphosis than most, however, as the film’s own villain has admitted that she originally had the distinction of succeeding where Thanos and Yon-Rogg failed before her: killing Captain Marvel.

Typically, details about Marvel’s deleted scenes and alternate cuts are top-secret, but Dar-Benn actress Zawe Ashton came clean about a surprising cut ending to The Marvels while speaking to ComicBook.com. Ashton admitted that the movie originally ended with Carol Danvers and Dar-Benn killing each other in an epic, tragic climactic sequence, one that would’ve deprived the MCU of arguably its most powerful hero. According to Ashton:

“There was another ending that we did film where Brie and myself are kind of in space still having it out, and they kind of combust together, which was really amazing, and that was just a day on wires hanging out with Brie, which is surreal and fun. But yeah, there were a few different plans, I think.”

Ashton went on to add that an “epic death” for Carol was thought to be the way to go to conclude her character arc and absolve the heroine of her lingering guilt from what she had done to the Kree planet, Hala.

“There was always going to be an epic death just because in terms of, I just think in terms of just bringing that story psychologically for Carol to a close I think was always the best thing,” Ashton continued. “You don’t want to think, did she defeat her? Is this over? Is she going to be kind of doomed to this life of feeling guilty about this whole thing forever and ever?”

The specifics of what this alternate ending consisted of are a little hazy, but Ashton teased that it would’ve been more ambitious than Dar-Benn’s demise as depicted in the theatrical version. “I will say I did a day’s diving training because there was going to be a lot of water involved in the original death,” she revealed.

The Marvels alternate ending is just the latest evidence that Captain Marvel 3 is cancelled

On the one hand, hearing that The Marvels almost killed off Carol is hugely shocking. And yet, on the other, it also makes more sense of what else we’ve heard about the production. For instance, in The Making of The Marvels documentary, Brie Larson is curiously reflective and conclusive about her time in the MCU, indicating she might be done with the franchise. This attitude would be completely in keeping with the fact her soundbites were recorded during shooting when the original ending would still have been in play.

It certainly sounds like setting up a Captain Marvel 3 was never the intention during the production of The Marvels, with the decision being made to have the second film conclude Carol’s adventures. That said, Marvel perhaps changed its mind in post-production, hence the decision to relocate Captain Danvers to Earth, allowing her easier crossover access in future. Nevertheless, the story may come full circle anyway as the sequel only making 1/5 of the first film’s box office gross suggests a threequel is a far-flung dream. Especially given Bob Iger’s new approach to Marvel filmmaking.

It’s hard to imagine Larson vanishing completely as Carol, with some kind of role in Avengers 5 and 6 surely a given. But maybe we can infer that her Marvel career is drawing to a close. Then again, Zawe Ashton’s own IRL partner Tom Hiddleston was once killed off in the original ending for Thor: The Dark World and now, 10 years later, Loki is the God of the Multiniverse. Captain Marvel could still have a long MCU life ahead of her, even if Captain Marvel 3 never happens.

It’s always one step forward, two step back for Marvel‘s Multiverse Saga. The step forward? The Marvels is finally on Disney Plus, and it’s leading to some exciting developments that may suggest it’s going to go down as something other than the MCU’s worst ever movie. The two steps back? Its streaming release also has us worrying about Brie Larson’s franchise future more than ever. And it turns out the Marvel universe isn’t as entirely out from Jonathan Majors‘ shadow as it may appear.

Jonathan Majors still haunts the MCU as latest developments in his sentencing coincide with key Marvel releases

Jonathan Majors may have been fired by Marvel immediately upon his domestic assault conviction in December, but the MCU still apparently can’t avoid being overshadowed by the latest twists and turns in the actor’s legal troubles. Just as his initial trial coincided with the releases of Loki season 2 and The Marvels in theaters, Majors caused waves by failing to turn up to court for his sentencing on Feb. 6, the eve of The Marvels hitting streaming. Majors’ sentencing has now been rearranged to April 8. And it just so happens that predictions indicate X-Men ’97 will arrive on Disney Plus across March and April. In short, we might not see him on screen again, but the impact of Majors is sure to be felt on the MCU for a long while to come.

The Marvels hits Disney Plus, wins widespread adoration, and teases Brie Larson is done as Captain Marvel

So The Marvels is now on Disney Plus, and there is a lot to unpack. First of all, the recent flurry of newfound support for the film from when it debuted on digital has continued and then some following its streaming arrival. What’s more, its apparent importance to the future of the Multiverse Saga has just been massively hyped up thanks to The Making of The Marvels special that just dropped alongside the movie. Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and roses as that same documentary features Brie Larson casting doubt on whether she’ll even be back as Carol Danvers at all. The good news is The Marvels might not be the last MCU movie fans will rewatch, but it might turn out to be Larson’s last MCU movie period.

Daredevil: Born Again is either very bad at keeping its secrets or very good at misleading us

Marvel is either playing a very discerning or dumb game with Daredevil: Born Again. With production taking place on the streets of New York, set photos have flooded social media revealing everything from Daredevil’s new suit to Wilson Bethel finally in a Bullseye costume. The thing is, though, Marvel fans are smart and it’s not taken much to put two and two together and speculate that a major, and controversial, moment from the comics could be about to be adapted. I mean, they’re really laying the evidence on thick. But is Marvel employing some ingenius subterfuge here, deliberately planting supposed spoilers in order to get the fans talking and paying attention at a time when the MCU really needs it? Or has poor production planning resulted in secrets being spilled far too soon? Maybe the show’s new investigative journalist/potential Spider-Man pal can discover the truth.

Kumail Nanjiani has shocked his fans by revealing that he had to go to therapy following the release of his so-far single Marvel movie, Eternals, in November 2021 due to the intense backlash the Chloe Zhao-directed film received. On top of people being concerned for his mental health and sympathetic to his experience, Nanjiani’s revelations also shocked people as many had completely forgotten Eternals ever existed, even if they were among those scathingly reviewing it at the time.

For Marvel commentators and critics it’s easy to lay into the latest piece of subjectively disappointing MCU content online and then move onto the next thing to get annoyed about, but Nanjiani’s discussion of his own personal experience reminds us that internet chatter can have a longer-lasting effect in the real-world. Given the impact it had on his mental health last time, the actor would be forgiven for turning down the opportunity to return as Kingo in the future.

In this regard, Nanjiani’s situation is recalling the equally unsavory treatment of another Marvel star. Ever since Captain Marvel released in 2019, Brie Larson has faced endless hate from some quarters online. To date, the actress has yet to publicly address the toxicity or if and how it has had an impact on her, but rumors abound that it has dampened her enthusiasm for playing what should be the role of a lifetime. Her own future in the franchise is equally as in doubt as Nanjiani’s, going by comments from the Oscar-winning actress’ own mouth.

Obviously, toxic fandom is not exclusive to the MCU, far from it, but a community that used to be full of positivity has certainly become typified by vitriol in many instances over the past few years. Clearly, it would be beneficial to remind folks that these packages of Marvel content are made by real people with real feelings and not simply developed by Kevin the robot from She-Hulk just to irritate us. If only there was the perfect series sitting on Disney Plus ready to binge to educate us all? Oh, wait, there is…

Brie Larson and Kumail Nanjiani’s experiences prove one underrated Disney Plus series should be compulsory viewing

The backlash that both Larson and Nanjiani and sadly many other cast and crew members of the MCU have faced, particularly across the Multiverse Saga, makes it all the more necessary for fans to check out Marvels Studios: Assembled on Disney Plus. A fresh hour-long special is released anytime a new movie or TV show lands on the streamer that dives behind the scenes of the production, allowing the viewer unique insight into how the project came to life.

Even if you’re not a fan of the project in question, every episode of Assembled is an essential watch as it reminds you that this movie, no matter how flawed you might find the finished product, was put together by a huge and very dedicated team full of passionate and talented people who made every creative decision with the best of intentions. It’s easy to come out of one of these specials with a newfound appreciation for the film or show, now that you’ve seen the hard work that went into it.

For example, The Making of The Marvels showcases the moment when Larson wrapped on the sequel, at which point she was overwhelmed by emotion. As the star makes clear in a voiceover, she isn’t sure where her character goes from here and therefore if she’ll get to play her again. That’s pretty meaningful for an actress who once signed a seven-picture deal with the studio. For context, she’s only appeared in four films to date. Who knows what may have happened to cause this uncertainty, but the fact that these movies haven’t gone down as Larson was no doubt hoping they would must be a factor.

Likewise, Eternals had one of the finest casts Marvel has ever assembled, Nanjiani very much included, and yet its poor reception has seemingly blocked the way to all of them from returning — even Harry Styles, at present. Both Brie Larson and Kumail Nanjiani, and many more, deserved better from the MCU fandom, and perhaps even from Marvel Studios as a whole. We know all too well that it’s not easy being a superhero within the Marvel universe. It turns out it’s not so easy being one in the real universe either.

The Infinity Saga was marked by its ability to keep a core cast of heroes around for a full decade-stretch, with the constant presence of Robert Downey Jr., Chrises Evans and Hemsworth et al ensuring the MCU once felt like one big interconnected story. Sadly, the Multiverse Saga hasn’t quite been able to recapture that due to its expanded scope. Still, at least we can rely on the continuing involvement of such tentpole characters as Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, right? Right??

For the longest time, even before The Marvels released and ended up bombing at the box office, there has been heavy speculation that Brie Larson could be on her way out of the MCU. Whether just because the actress is ready to embrace new challenges in her career or else because her experience has been soured by toxic backlash, depending on the rumor. That’s why it’s curious that Disney Plus’ The Making of The Marvels documentary ends on such a note of uncertainty, with Larson herself hedging her bets on her MCU future.

“Where this film ends, there’s a big question mark there with what this means for Carol,” Larson ruminated, when discussing what’s next for Captain Marvel. “There’s a lot in her heart that’s settled. There’s a lot in my heart that feels settled.”

Having said that, the actress stressed that she adores inhabiting the character of Carol, both in a personal sense and in being touched by how much she means to others.

“Every other character, when it’s over, I’m like ‘get it off!’ And this is the one where I’m like ‘I think I’m gonna keep this on a little bit longer,'” she explained. “And I’ve seen how this star, this symbol, has meant so much to so many people. And I would love to carry on that tradition of being able to be a part of it.”

Moreover, Larson then admitted that she’s aware the mantle of Captain Marvel will not end with her, which may simply be an indication that Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel is out there now or perhaps a hint that she’s open to another actress playing the role.

[But] also I understand that it’s not all mine, you know. Anyone can take that mantle,” Larson concluded. “And I also feel at peace with the fact that we’ve got this new school coming in. There’s new faces, new superheroes coming in and so I don’t know where Carol’s place is. I feel like I can rest in the fact that we got some amazing people to help take care of this universe.”

Could The Marvels really be Brie Larson’s final MCU appearance?

At present, there are no upcoming Marvel projects to have Brie Larson officially attached, although there’s obviously a big elephant in the room here — everyone’s expecting her to return for Avengers 5 (formerly known as The Kang Dynasty) and Secret Wars. Still, rumors indicate both multiversal and Multiverse Saga heroes could bear the brunt of these movies — e.g. Shang-Chi, She-Hulk, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine — rather than older players like Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange.

On the other hand, in the run-up to Captain Marvel, it was reported that Larson had signed a seven-picture deal with Marvel Studios. To date, she’s only appeared in four MCU movies and one TV show, including Larson’s very brief cameos in Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel. By that logic, even a small role in both Avengers 5 and 6 could technically conclude her contract and mean that she will not helm another Captain Marvel sequel, which would explain Larson’s reflective comments in the behind-the-scenes documentary.

It does seem almost unfeasible that we could never see Carol on our screens again, but there may be some truth to the fact that she’s closer to the end of her MCU journey than its beginning. Don’t forget, Larson was actually announced as Captain Marvel at Comic-Con 2016, and Secret Wars releases in 2027. So the actress could easily match Robert Downey’s 11-year Iron Man stretch after all.

It’s unfortunately a statement of fact, not opinion, that every single other MCU movie has flown higher, further, faster than The Marvels. The Captain Marvel sequel even struggled to earn back $200 million at the global box office, which is a mere fifth of what the first film made in 2019. Speaking as someone who actually enjoyed the film more than most, it’s unclear how the studio could view this one as anything other than an embarrassing failure.

For those who did like the team-up outing for Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau as much as myself, however, I have some good news. And for those that really did not get along with the movie, I have some mystifying news. Along with The Marvels streaming release, The Making of The Marvels behind-the-scenes documentary is now available on Disney Plus. Towards the end of the hour-long special, screenwriter Elissa Karasik makes a bold claim which seems to confirm that The Marvels will prove intrinsically important to the future of the Multiverse Saga as it heads ever closer to Avengers 5 and 6.

“This movie is a tone-setter, I think, for the MCU going forward in terms of how it does bring disparate characters together across space and time,” Karasik teased. “How that can really escalate or upgrade the storytelling. There’s more of a cosmic community, whether or not characters know that.”

The Marvels is (or, at least, was) intended to be the template for Avengers 5

Going by Karasik’s comments, it certainly sounds like she’s suggesting the story of The Marvels has much to tell us about how the Avengers will re-assemble in the MCU’s next big team-up event. Just like the three heroines are pulled together in the midst of a big threat to the cosmos, even though they haven’t necessarily met before, so too might the Avengers when the next big threat to the universe comes a-knocking. This isn’t too surprising, of course, as this could also be a description of Infinity War. Still, it’s notable that The Marvels and its wider importance is being hyped up in such terms.

Of course, the big caveat here is that Karasik was interviewed on the set of the film, so long before Avengers 5 was completely retooled. Since The Marvels closed production, Jonathan Majors has been removed as Kang and screenwriter Jeff Loveness has been replaced with Michael Waldron. As such, it’s not even called The Kang Dynasty anymore. It’s entirely possible that, among all these other changes, any thematic or narrative links the movie might have to The Marvels have been excised as well.

Nevertheless, repeating the sequel’s trick of getting the heroes together and putting them in the thick of the action would still be a smart move for an event film that has an abundance of incident to squeeze into its runtime. It’s just possible that, in the long-run, The Marvels could be exonerated and remembered as a key installment in the Multiverse Saga rather than one the studio would prefer got swallowed up by a Flerken.