Why Marvel’s Disney+ Day News Fell Flat (Should Fans Be Worried About The MCU?)

Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Day presentation was disappointing and underwhelming — does this mean that fans have to worry about the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward? In celebration of its streaming platform’s second anniversary, Disney hosted a virtual event looking at the service’s past year and teasing what’s ahead. The MCU had a big presence in the Disney+ Day reveals, with the streaming service highlighting its upcoming small screen endeavors. 

With theaters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Marvel Studios kicked off Phase 4 with WandaVision, which was also its first show for Disney+. This was followed by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and the animated show, What If…?. Given the success of these projects, Marvel Studios has no plans of slowing down, with a string of upcoming series on their slate. Some of them are designed to highlight long-existing MCU characters, like Hawkeye and Armor Wars, while others will function as origin stories for up-and-coming heroes such as Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. All of these narratives will have an impact on the franchise’s ongoing story, effectively making them essential viewing for fans. 

To hype up what lies ahead for Marvel Studios’ Disney+ slate, a special presentation was shown during Disney+ Day 2021. But, unlike previous events for the MCU, this one felt underwhelming and bland. Does this mean that fans should be worried about the MCU’s future? Not necessarily. The problem with it wasn’t because their upcoming shows aren’t exciting. The promotional clips for Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk were all intriguing. Even the brief shot of a much older Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) without an eye patch for Secret Invasion was more than enough to get the public talking about that show.

So, what was the issue? It boils down to how Disney actually executed it. The presentation ran for 13 minutes — eight minutes of that was basically just recapping what happened in previous Marvel Disney+ shows. And then suddenly, it cuts to a shot of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) for Hawkeye — which would’ve been fine, but the transition felt off. The Watcher’s (Jeffrey Wright) narration about the multiverse was used for this changeover, but Kate isn’t tied to that concept — at least at this point. Even the Hawkeye segment felt clunky. It began with a barrage of shots from the show, then a whole action sequence. Admittedly, it was cool, but, once again, the transition was done poorly. 

Marvel Studios tends to stage great presentations, so the bar was high for the Disney+ Day promos. Marvel Cinematic Universe Hall H panels are a lot of fun. Fans were excited when Marvel laid out its plans for Phase 4 back in 2015 via a standalone event. Granted that Disney+ Day happened online, the studio proved that it can make virtual gatherings exciting with Disney’s Investor Day 2020. What’s missing in its Disney+ Day offering is the showmanship that Disney and the MCU usually have. Without Kevin Feige to provide commentary and introductions for each project, the whole thing felt impersonal. Hopefully, the MCU will go back to its usual approach with future events.