After a continuous stream of content, it was only a matter of time
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are feeling tired, according to a new study. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of 2020 releases were delayed, but after that, Phase 4 started rolling in, starting with Black Widow. 2021 and 2022 saw a steady stream of theatrical releases and shows on Disney+. The last release was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The New Study
A new study conducted by Fandom has revealed that one-third of the fans are now tired of the constant stream of releases by the MCU. Oversaturation is something the MCU has still not figured out as they line up releases. Meanwhile, it is less seen in content from the DC Universe since they have just a couple of releases at most per year. The study was conducted by surveying 5000 gaming and entertainment fans between the ages of 13 and 54, which the Fandom considers “proprietary insights.”
The fatigue has likely come up after the release of Endgame in 2019, which led to the franchise hitting the reset button and bringing up new heroes, which comic fans are familiar with, but not the others. Out of all the projects, Shang-Chi and Spider-Man: No Way Home were considered successful, while other projects took some hits, like Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder. Phase 4 is still considered to be the worst by many of the fans, but it did manage to end in a high note with Black Panther.
What can be done?
The heart of the issue seems to be the quantity of Marvel content, but quality plays a role as well. Aside from the series and movies, the MCU also has specials like Werewolf by Night and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Even so, Marvel has already announced its next phase and will be returning with the same amount of projects.
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