Where next for the MCU?

[clearspira]

I think the aftermath of Avengers Endgame is going to be interesting - not because the film is going to be bad, but because it will in all likelihood be awesome. And as the saying goes ''the only way once you reach the top is down.'' I hope a downturn doesn't happen, but, I not do not see when Marvel can go from here. And this is compounded by the fact that the true fan favourites like Chris and Rob are getting older and won't want to be doing this much longer.

What stories do you think they have left? They have done the Infinity Gauntlet, they have done Ultron, they have done Civil War, they ruined the best opportunity they had for Secret Invasion. I suppose there is Galactus and the Beyonder but I do not see how execution wise that would be much different to what we have seen already. I would like to see the Exiles done right but that needs to be done in a Sliders format to do right, the Exiles would not work on film.

[Yukaphile]

Here's a question. Why haven't they brought in the Living Tribunal? He's like the coolest character in Marvel.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Relevant:


youtu.be/nxLflgI3A1U

[MixedDrops]

A downturn in viewership is going to happen no matter what, that's what happens after you close a story arc. I mean, they've already laid the groundwork for where they're going next- they're going back to what they did at first, building the base with their new roster of heroes. It's true they're losing their big names of Iron Man and Cap, but we know they're working on:

-Spiderman: Far From Home
-Black Panther 2
-Black Widow standalone
-Doctor Strange 2
-Shang-Chi
-GotG3
-Blade (?)

Of these, I think Black Panther, Spiderman, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are already big enough draws to keep interest as long as they keep the quality of the movies up, which is what will bring people to see the most obscure characters like Shang-Chi. I mean, people saw a frikkin' Dr. Strange movie. How many people, even casual comic fans, knew anything about Strange before the MCU movie came along?

We also know the X-Men will probably get integrated at some point...all kinds of stories that can be done there.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Don't forget the Disney+ shows.

[Robovski]

The Annihilation event is a fairly natural next overall arc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilation_(comics)

[MissKittyFantastico]

To my mind they need an antagonist who is:

1 - As much of a threat as Thanos - whether that means strategically outmanoeuvring heroes or straight up smacking them down in a fight. Doesn't matter whether you're a genius inventor or megaton-punch-throwing rage monster or arcane master, you wet your pants if you find out the guy in your way is Thanos. I'm not saying our new foe has to be the antagonist of every film Marvel does (I mean, Thanos wasn't secretly backing the Vulture), but you cannot have a situation where there's a hero, whatever their abilities, who is not in mortal danger when we get to Endgame 2: End Gamier.
2 - As understandable as Thanos - while his solution was full of holes (I mean, the dude is mad, that's why he's called that) I think we all saw that Thanos was acting to solve a legitimate crisis, and believed (falsely) that the finger snap of doom was the best option for as many people as possible. 'The villain is the hero of his own story' has to ring true, not just be lip service to some maniacal goon who's wrecking the place for no even-slightly-logical reason.
3 - Different to Thanos - even a casual moviegoer who's never picked up a comic in their life and is still kind of wondering why Wonder Woman never appears in Avengers films should be able to see that our new foe is not just Thanos Mk2. To me, that says homegrown - not an alien warlord, or frankly anything from outer space, but a human being.

I plug those numbers into my calculator, it says Doctor Doom.

[ProfessorDetective]

I'm calling it now, the next arcs going to be bringing in the Fantastic Four with the arc villain being Doctor Doom. They have them back now, there is no way they're just going to sit on them for too long.

[Yukaphile]

Oh I'd love the Fantastic Four!

[Cylus]

That could be great. I think it's important that they avoid going too dark with the Fantastic Four though. That was a big problem with the previous film adaptations, because they didn't quite sell me on the family dynamic. Before you start raising the stakes, you need the basic chemistry to be solid.