The MCU is proving, once and for all, that too much of a good thing can apply to the cinema.
The franchise keeps pumping out content, but its focus on quality seems to be slipping. Rare is the occasion, these days, in which an MCU flick actually earns acclaim. The rare example, usually carried on the back of a particularly talented director, isn’t enough to keep the franchise going. Which could point to its ultimate downfall, if things don’t turn around, and fast.
The issue behind many of the MCU’s biggest recent failures appears to be a lack of cohesive vision, along with the paired culprits of oversaturation and diminishing quality. Those MCU flicks still look great — and their three shades lighter than anything DC can scrounge up — but they simply aren’t as watchable as their predecessors.
One recent exception serves as a perfect example of both the franchise’s failures and its successes. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is easily the MCU’s best recent flick, but that doesn’t shield it from criticism. And I do have criticism, in this case aimed directly at one of the film’s more unnecessary inclusions. I’m not saying Adam Warlock was a mistake — in fact, I was quite tickled by the character’s inclusion — but he was, without fail, an absolute waste.
Warlock’s presence in Guardians Vol. 3 seems to serve exactly two purposes. First, to injure Rocket and introduce the strife that will drive the team onward, through the remainder of the plot, and later to save Peter from his latest repetition of (apparently) James Gunn’s favorite space-themed plot point. He redeemed himself by saving Peter from a gruesome death in the vacuum of space, but truthfully he was hardly needed in the film. Plenty of other, more necessary, characters could easily have played his part, which begs a vital question: Why was he included in the first place?
James Gunn already answered that particular question for us, noting a good while back that he felt pressured to include Warlock in the third volume, despite his own lack of interest in incorporating the character. As such, he was a side note throughout the story — something that’s expected, considering the story isn’t about him, but still a disappointing waste of a highly-anticipated character.
Which finally brings me to Hercules. The incoming Marvel character was introduced in the same way as Warlock — as an end-credits scene to a major MCU release, and linked back to an important, but non-central, existing antagonist. In Warlock’s case, it’s the Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign, and in Hercules’ case, its Zeus. In both instances, the actors behind the characters were revealed, which means they already signed contracts. They’re locked into some kind of future MCU release, for better or worse.
Unfortunately, in Warlock’s case, this might have bit him in the ass a bit. Due to Gunn’s lack of interest, what could have been a compelling character was relegated to the sidelines, and I have a sneaking suspicion Hercules will get the same treatment. There’s not a soul out there — at least not a soul who’s seen Ted Lasso — who isn’t thrilled at the prospect of Brett Goldstein entering the MCU, but his timing isn’t great. The franchise is already on a downturn, it sports far too many characters and branching storylines for any but the most dedicated fans to keep track of, and — importantly — Thor: Love and Thunder wasn’t a great movie. It wasn’t awful, but it was broadly considered a flop, and Goldstein’s entrance at the end of such a lackluster release already bodes poorly for his character.
Which will almost certainly lead to exactly what we don’t want: The utter wasting of one of the franchise’s most exciting new characters. I’ll be honest with you here — I honestly don’t care a lick about Hercules as a character, but you can bet everything in your Marvel-themed piggy bank I’ll show up to watch Goldstein at work. The man’s a legend, and I want to see what he brings to a franchise I’ve long enjoyed — even if I enjoy it less these days.
So please, Marvel, don’t waste him. Goldstein deserves better, as Warlock’s actor Will Poulter deserved better, and the MCU still has a chance to treat his character right. Or, more likely, it can repeat the mistake its made with increasing frequency in recent years, and ignore his potential in favor of another tired, repetitive release.