The MCU has found itself on unexpectedly shaky ground in 2023. The year began with the distinctly underwhelming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, whose release was shortly followed by Jonathan Majors’ arrest in New York. Things picked up with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, though even that failed to join the billion-dollar club as expected. Then came the Writers’ Strike, which resulted in delays to the entire Marvel Studios slate.
So it’s understandable that some fans are asking for the brakes to be slammed on 2026’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. After all, a huge crossover movie named after a character whose actor is suffering deep reputational damage doesn’t exactly scream box office gold:
The replies agree, with some naming Avengers: Age of Ultron as a model to follow. Though that was a big team-up movie the events within were relatively self-contained. It’s now been four years since Endgame and we have a lot of new heroes who seem ready and waiting to team up, so why not bring them together to face a mid-size planetary threat that can be mopped up in under three hours?
Others simply say it’s very hard to get excited about The Kang Dynasty, particularly after the lackluster Quantumania and everything going on with Majors. While he’s clearly a threat, Kang just isn’t as intimidating and powerful as Thanos. Let’s face it, being defeated by Ant-Man doesn’t exactly establish him as a huge threat.
It’s probably too late for the Marvel Studios ship to alter its trajectory now, but come May 2026 Kevin Feige may be wishing he’d taken a different course.
Published: Jul 4, 2023 07:51 am