10 Ways 2023 Proved The MCU Needs To Reset

The many releases into the Marvel Cinematic Universe throughout 2023 have proven exactly why the franchise may simply need to be reset. 2023 saw the release of multiple movies and TV shows in the MCU, expanding and elaborating upon the franchise’s sprawling and ever-growing narrative. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released in February, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in May, and The Marvels in November, as well as Disney+ series Secret Invasion in June and Loki season 2 in October. However, the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has fueled rumors that the franchise may opt to reboot in the near future, and 2023 indicates this may be for the best.

Marvel could opt for any of several avenues should they choose to reboot or reset the MCU. Naturally, the multiverse narrative comes with massive potential for such a canon-bending event, but the MCU could also simply undergo a hard reset, reintroducing its central characters with new actors and stories. As 2023 has revealed several ongoing problems with the franchise, the MCU’s movie timeline may well need to be refreshed entirely rather than continuing to add to an ever-increasing number of projects. Whether Marvel will choose to do so remains entirely speculative, but here are 10 ways that 2023 proved the MCU should be reset.

Related

Every Upcoming Marvel Movie: Full MCU Phase 5 & 6 List (& Beyond)

Between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, here is every upcoming Marvel movie release date and what we know about the projects so far.

10 Marvel’s 2023 Box Office Returns Are Wildly Inconsistent

2023 Hinted That The MCU’s Future May Not Be Financially Viable

One of the biggest ongoing concerns for the MCU is how 2023 highlighted a concerning financial trend for the franchise. The Marvels ended its theatrical run having grossed just $197 million at the box office, making it the MCU’s lowest-grossing movie to date. The previous holder of that title was 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which earned considerably more than The Marvels with a $264 million box office take. Another 2023 release, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, also joined the 10 lowest-grossing MCU movies after earning $476 million at the box office. This demonstrates a clear concern regarding how financially viable the MCU’s current future may be.

9 Marvel Admitted They Needed The OG Avengers For The Marvels

Existing Heroes Could Solve Practically Every New MCU Problem

One of the issues with the MCU in 2023 is that the franchise’s general popularity has begun to dwindle. It has even been suggested that there was a need to add other heroes to The Marvels’ cast, highlighting another issue with the current franchise. As the MCU has already introduced a wealth of heroes with an array of powers, there is already a character able to rectify practically any problem that arises within the MCU within the existing cast. This effectively renders most MCU conflict redundant without an explanation as to why other heroes are absent, hinting that perhaps the franchise has become oversaturated with heroes.

8 Secret Invasion Was The Worst MCU Show Ever

Even Important MCU Stories Are No Longer Impressing Audiences

2023 saw the release of the much-anticipated Secret Invasion, but the disappointing response to the show indicated yet another issue for the MCU. The series proved to be the franchise’s worst-rated show by a considerable margin, with Secret Invasion’s ending in the series finale earning the ire of critics and audiences alike. Secret Invasion’s ratings suggest that the MCU may be facing a downward trajectory, as even promising storylines such as the introduction of Super Skrulls are failing to impress audiences.

7 MCU Shows Don’t Even Matter To Wider Lore

The MCU’s Many TV Shows Aren’t Impactful Enough

The movies of the MCU and the series released to Disney+ have long been criticized for their lack of connections with one another, and 2023 saw perhaps the worst example of this to date. The Marvels made no mention of the events of Secret Invasion, despite following on from the series and featuring both Skrulls and Nick Fury, who served as the backbone of the show’s narrative. The scope of the MCU has widened to the point that connectivity is increasingly difficult, further proving the need for a reset.

6 New Characters Aren’t Landing Like The Old Avengers

The MCU Has Already Used Up Its Most Popular Characters

As the stories of the MCU have continued to unfold, a concerning trend for the franchise’s future has begun to develop. With most of the original Avengers either dead or retired, the MCU has introduced many new heroes to lead the franchise. Unfortunately, new characters aren’t receiving the same warm response as previous Avengers, perhaps as the result of an increasing number of heroes, projects, and stories within the franchise. As the likes of Monica Rambeau, Adam Warlock, Cassie Lang, and G’iah failed to capture the hearts of fans as the original Avengers did, there could be trouble ahead for the MCU.

5 Too Many Loose Ends Were Ignored In 2023

2023 Failed To Answer Many MCU Questions

There is another major issue plaguing the nature of the MCU’s wider narrative, and that is that the franchise now takes far too long to deliver on teased developments. 2023 was perhaps the worst year for this, with most of the MCU’s loose plot threads remaining unanswered. Many of these, such as Eternals’ cliffhanger ending and Doctor Strange being corrupted by the Darkhold, have no answers in sight, with many MCU releases delayed until 2025 or later. The franchise has become so narratively swollen that it can no longer deliver on its teases in a timely fashion, causing fans to become frustrated with the MCU.

4 Sequels To Popular MCU Movies Are No Longer Working

Newer MCU Releases Can’t Recapture The Success Of Their Predecessors

2023 saw the release of three movies, all of them sequels to popular MCU releases. However, of the three, only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earned a respectable sum at the box office, hinting that even continuing the stories of previously popular heroes such as Ant-Man and Captain Marvel are no longer dependable options for Marvel. It’s a concerning trend, as the MCU’s ability to rely on the popularity of its heroes is paramount, but even movies following beloved characters appear to be struggling at the box office, further hinting that a franchise reset may be needed.

3 The MCU’s Current Stories Are Getting More Disconnected

The Scope Of The MCU’s Narrative Has Grown Incredibly Wide

Much of the MCU’s success was built upon its status as a shared universe throughout the Infinity Saga. However, with its Multiverse stories, the narrative scope of the MCU has grown considerably, with stories of cosmic, quantum, and more Earth-based heroes all unfolding at once. This in turn has led to far less connectivity between MCU stories, causing the franchise to lose some of its appeal as a series of interconnected narratives. The increasingly complex MCU timeline is only going to become harder to tie together with each new release, meaning that a reboot of some sort would likely be the only solution.

2 Multiple 2023 Retcons Were Needed To Keep The MCU’s Story Alive

The MCU Keeps Retconning Its Own Past

One of the more unfortunate MCU trends noticed in 2023 was the franchise’s ongoing need to retcon previous stories and ideas to maintain its continuity. The Marvels, Loki, and Secret Invasion all featured significant MCU retcons, hinting that the franchise’s newer stories are often being contradicted by its established canon. The only real answer to the MCU’s retcon issue appears to be resetting the franchise, wiping its continuity and allowing the franchise to start anew with a simpler canon to follow.

1 The Multiverse Causes Huge Issues For The MCU’s Future

Following Up A Multiverse Narrative Will Be Incredibly Difficult Without A Reboot

Perhaps the biggest narrative issue with the MCU’s future stems from its current multiverse narrative as expanded upon in 2023. As the Multiverse Saga has introduced a seemingly infinite amount of alternate realities, closing off the multiverse in order to pursue new narrative avenues will be incredibly hard to do. The simplest and most logical way to do so is to move the franchise’s story into a separate and self-contained timeline, effectively rebooting the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in the process.