What once was a major red flag for Marvel now seems to be the least of its worries. The year started with the release of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania — the grand opener to the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Phase Five, spruced up by the big, majorly anticipated reveal of Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror, aka the Avengers’ new worst nightmare. The movie flopped, both critically and at the box office.
Following other disappointments like Black Widow, Eternals, Thor 4, and Multiverse of Madness, the scenario painted by Ant-Man 3‘s performance wasn’t boding well at all for the future of Marvel, but fast-forward about a month and the superhero studio would be going through what might very well be its most hellish week yet, to the point where the commercial viability of future projects has become almost an afterthought.
On March 20th, the news that trusted exec Victoria Alonso would be exiting Marvel Studios came out of nowhere. Alonso had been at the company for 17 years and was one of the main creatives behind the inception of what is now largely regarded as the greatest superhero franchise of all time. Five days later, Jonathan Majors, the face Marvel chose to headline the Multiverse Saga, and frankly, the only salvageable aspect of Quantumania, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman. Fans instantly called for a recast, but Marvel has yet to comment on Majors’ future in the series.
While we’re yet to get to the bottom of both Alonso’s firing and Majors’ arrest, to be hit with two blows as scandalous as these, at the same time as the reports that Quantumania is unlikely to break even at the box office start coming through, could prove to be more than the comics giant can handle. Not even the pandemic painted a picture as bleak as this, and 2023 is shaping up to be the MCU’s most problematic year yet.
The good news is that — although Alonso was someone who had a complete understanding of the MCU identity, and her firing could be indicative of the cracks in Marvel’s wall — as the former President of Physical, Post Production, VFX, and Animation at Marvel, considering the scrutiny the franchise’s latest visual effects have come under, maybe a change in leadership might just be a blessing in disguise.
Jonathan Majors’ situation, on the other hand, is still very much up in the air, with conflicting reports coming through from the authorities and the actor’s legal team. Majors was set to play a vital role in season two of Loki, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and probably Avengers: Secret Wars. Many were banking on Majors to carry the MCU through the rut it is currently experiencing, considering how talented of an actor he is, and how well he embodied the menacing Kang.
At this point, Majors’ case looks like it will be yet another questionable incident with an ambiguous conclusion, as cases like this often are. However, even if all charges are dropped, unless there’s undeniable proof that he is innocent, keeping Majors around could possibly alienate a chunk of the audience that was still hanging on to the MCU despite subpar recent installments. Paradoxically, firing the actor without him being found guilty first, might not sit well with a different portion of Marvel’s viewership. It’s a lose-lose, and all eyes will be on Marvel to see what it chooses to do.
As for Quantumania likely becoming the MCU’s biggest money-loser ever, the slate of movies and series to come should leave fans feeling somewhat more relaxed. Not only are the hugely requested Daredevil: Born Again and Deadpool 3 approaching release, but there’s also the fabulously cast Secret Invasion and Agatha: Coven of Chaos coming up. Not to mention Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Sam Wilson’s big debut as Captain America in New World Order, Armor Wars, Ironheart, Thunderbolts, Echo… Need we go on? All of these sound fantastic in theory, and it’s entirely up to Marvel whether they live up to the hype in reality, too.
Right now is a crucial moment for Marvel to decide whether it’s going to let the ship sink, or take up the reins to prove once again that it can weather any storm. The studios are already making sound decisions like spacing out releases to allegedly ease the pressure on the post-production team and casting mouth-watering talent like Olivia Colman, Steven Yeun, Matthew Macfadyen, and Aubrey Plaza. The tools are all there, Marvel just needs to adjust its focus in whatever setting it had going on during that legendary last stretch of the Infinity Saga.
