I really enjoyed The Marvels, as did most fans who saw it. The problem for Disney is not enough people have seen it. The film’s box office is currently the lowest in franchise history. The lackluster response is part of a bigger problem for the MCU. It’s no longer the bulletproof entity it was just a few short years ago when Avengers: Endgame was a worldwide phenomenon. What can the MCU do to reach those lofty heights again? Ms. Marvel herself Iman Vellani has some ideas, and it’s hard to imagine anyone who loves the MCU will disagree with her.
Vellani recently spoke to The Direct’s Russ Milheim about the MCU’s current status in the world of pop culture. During their talk she offered suggestions on what the franchise can do to get back to its former heights. She started with talking about what Marvel Studios doesn’t have to do. She said it’s not “about just getting bigger and bigger and bigger.” Instead she thinks the focus should be “about making the audience care about their characters.” And Iman Vellani believes that will be easy since the last Phase of the MCU introduced “so many wonderful” new ones.
Of course, it’s hard to make us care about even great characters when the MCU doesn’t have them show up for years. Remember Shang-Chi? It’s not clear that Marvel does!
Vellani’s other big suggestion would solve that problem, too. Like many viewers, Vellani also thinks more team-ups will draw people back in. She offered a hypothetical Kamala Khan and Red Guardian combo as an example that would entice people. To that we say YES AND PLEASE. Considering her character also just put the Young Avengers in motion, she might soon get what we all hope to see.
Know what else would help the MCU get back its mojo? Putting Kamala Khan in more shows and movies. She was the best part of The Marvels and will be a big reason why the MCU will eventually recover from this dip.
