Phase 4 of the MCU might be delayed, but fans are still extremely excited to see what the next chapter has in store. There was a time when the success of the MCU was not a sure thing. It wasn’t until the beginning of Phase 2 when people really started to understand how big this could be.
Phase 2 was an exciting time for the MCU. Obviously, it had its ups as well as its downs so it’s worth looking back now and revaluating how it feels as part of the overall MCU. Here are some reasons why Phase 2 is the best era of the MCU, and some reasons why it is not.
Best: Opening The Universe
It was pretty amazing the different tones and characters Phase 1 managed to pull together effectively. There was the tech world of Iron Man, the wartime heroism of Captain America and the fantasy element of Thor. as it turns out, that was barely scratching the surface.
Guardians of the Galaxy opened up the cosmic side of the universe which has always been a big part of the comics. This opened up so many exciting possibilities for the MCU, so of which we’ve seen already and some of which lie ahead.
Not: The Ant-Man Debacle
Back when it was announced Iron Man would be getting his first solo film from Marvel Studios, it was also announced that Edgar Wright would helm an Ant-Man solo movie. by the time Iron Man 3 came around, Ant-Man had yet to be filmed. Eventually, the inevitable happened and Wright walked away from the movie just as it was finally ramping up.
Given how long it took to develop the movie, it makes sense that Wright’s original vision didn’t fit into the MCU that had been built. But it gave further strength to the feeling that the MCU was dampening the creative freedom of talented filmmakers.
Best: Taking Risks
The MCU was one big risk from the beginning, but it’s hard to deny that those Phase 1 films played into a certain formula. With the massive success of The Avengers, Marvel seemed to gain more confidence and begin to take risks.
They began to play around with the comic book legacy, including the fake Mandarin storyline in Iron Man 3. They told bold stories, like in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And everything about Guardians of the Galaxy was just a big risk. It felt like a more exciting MCU.
Not: Villain Problem Continues
As the MCU continued, the hero characters were developing more and getting more interesting. However, the villain characters seemed to get worse in Phase 2. This was a problem that people noticed about Phase 1, but now it was becoming impossible to ignore.
Phase 2 featured such forgettable baddies as Yellowjacket, Ronan the Accuser and Malekith. Even promising villains like Ultron felt wasted. It was beginning to become a major flaw in these movies.
Best: Genre Fun
As fun as the films of Phase 1 were, they felt like they fit squarely into the superhero genre. By Phase 2, Marvel seemed to realize that they couldn’t do the same thing over and over again. They also realized that these amazing characters could be used to tell a variety of genre stories.
The best example of this was Captain America: The Winter Soldier which was fashioned after 70s conspiracy thrillers. It gave the film a new energy. The same goes for Ant-Man that felt like an homage to heist films. The opened up a whole new style for the MCU.
Not: Thanos Problem
Fans first got a glimpse of Thanos at the end of The Avengers and he was promised as a looming threat for our heroes. As it turns out, the MCU was not quite ready to fully unleash the Mad Titan so he was instead peppered throughout Phase 2.
With various hints and glimpses of him in cameos and post-credit scenes, the idea seemed to be that his presence would be felt until his full reveal. However, throughout Phase 2, Thanos just came off as another ineffective villain.
Best: Captain America
Captain America was a big question mark before his MCU debut. Though an iconic character, it was hard to picture how he could be taken seriously outside the pages of the comics. The First Avenger wisely embraced the pulpy quality of the character while Avengers made him part of an ensemble. But it still wasn’t clear if the character worked.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier answered that question definitively. Chris Evans continued to shine in the role but the writers really began to understand the charm and tragedy of the character. They also presented a take on this man who knew patriotism sometimes meant questioning those in charge. Suddenly, Cap was the most interesting Avenger.
Not: Thor
Thor was another character that was hard to get right as he might seem too over-the-top sharing the screen with other heroes. Chris Hemsworth really sold the character in Phase 1, but in Phase 2, it became clear he was the only one who had a handle on the character.
Joss Whedon gave Thor less screen time than the other Avengers while Thor: The Dark World failed to add anything interesting to the character. As other heroes grew in Phase 2, Thor was stunted.
Best: Making Connections
The standalone adventures in the MCU have always been so important, but Phase 2 began to have some fun with the fact that these stories were all connected. Without disrupting the individual stories, the shared universe began to form.
They started to include in-jokes and references to other characters. Heroes began popping up in quick cameos in each other’s movies. They even started hinting at future heroes like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. It began to feel like a comic book come to life.
Not: Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Phase 1 ended with the movie everyone had been waiting for. The Avengers was the epic culmination of Phase 1 and the first time all these characters would share the screen. It was a hugely satisfying payoff.
The fact that Phase 2 did not have the same payoff is a huge letdown. Avengers: Age of Ultron was the anticipated follow-up that brought the team together again. Sadly, it was a messy, overstuffed adventure that made fans wonder if the magic of the first film could ever be recreated.
