Knee-jerk reactions are an inevitable part of the culture, so there was always going to be panic in the streets in the immediate aftermath of the Marvel Cinematic Universe announcing that almost the entirety of the Multiverse Saga’s remaining projects were being delayed.
Deadpool 3 stands tall as the sole survivor, and has even been moved up by six months, but everyone is just going to have to wait a little longer for everything else. The initial pain may cut deep for many fans, but you don’t have to put forth much of an argument to suggest that it might just be the best thing to happen to the flagging franchise’s upcoming slate.
After all, critical and commercial returns have been trending downwards since the beginning of Phase Four, and the uptick of content caused by the Disney Plus expansion has led to all of the MCU’s lowest-scoring film and television titles releasing since the back end of 2021. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania under-performing was the icing on a very sour cake, so a breather could be just what Kevin Feige and his team needed.
There’s also the Jonathan Majors situation to consider alongside the dwindling reactions from critics and crowds, never mind the fact that working to so many pre-ordained release dates in such a short span of time is a disaster waiting to happen.
If Marvel Studios can take a step back, breathe, and invest more time into ensuring it doesn’t repeat the myriad of mistakes to have dogged the superhero series for the last couple of years, then it can explode back onto the scene with renewed creative vigor to remind everyone exactly why it’s the biggest and most successful IP the industry has ever seen.