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2021 has been a full-grown class for theMarvel Cinematic Universeand here are some of the studio ’s biggest winner and mistakes . Marvel Studios sit out 2020 , with both production and release schedules disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic . They ’ve made up for misplace time in 2021 , though , with four movies and multiple Disney+ television show that have transformed theMCU Phase 4 into a true multimedia dealership .
The final result have been sundry , however . 2021 has let in some of Marvel ’s greatest successes ; for illustration , WandaVisionwas both democratic and critically acclaimed , whileSpider - Man : No Way Homeis the most successful movie Sony has ever put out . Not everything has gone so well , though , with lessen returns on the Marvel Disney+ boob tube series , while bothBlack WidowandEternalsstumbled in the box office ( the former in large part because of a controversial hybrid release ) . Marvel ’s leadership have upright reason to look back at 2021 with a sense of satisfaction , but they also call for to recognize their mistakes and unsuccessful person as well .
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Marvel Studios has a report for play the long game , but in truth , Kevin Feige and his team have always been unforced to course - correct and instruct . That means it ’s worthful to look back and critically valuate both the success and the failure - fromSpider - Man : No Way HometoHawkeye , fromBlack WidowtoThe Falcon & the Winter Soldier . Here ’s our breakdown of what work for Marvel and what did n’t quite hit the home run in 2021 .
Worked: Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Three Spider-Men
doubtless , No Way Home ’s reveal was the worst - kept secretin Hollywood . No matter how many time Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire denied it , everyone know they were sure to come out inSpider - Man : No Way home plate . What could have been nothing more than a nostalgia slip turned into a sincerely prominent multiversal team - up , however , shining a light on how each of the three different depiction of Spider - Man differed from the others . Tom Holland ’s belated iteration was the rookie only just at the kickoff of his journey , Andrew Garfield ’s was the Spider - Man who had learned the damage that comes with being a hero , and Tobey Maguire was the seasoned superhero who had find peace at last . Even better , somehow director Jon Watts managed to keep his focal point on Holland ’s Spider - Man , and on the way of life , his fictional character arc was affected by interaction with other version of the wall - crawler . It really could n’t have been handled better .
Didn’t Work: The MCU’s Farewell To Black Widow
Black Widowwas intended as a finale to Scarlett Johansson ’s Natasha Romanoff , after the character ’s forfeiture inAvengers : Endgame . TheMCU had always failed Black Widow ; she was eye - candy inIron gentleman 2 , with subsequent writers struggle to give her consistent portrayal and Joss Whedon introduce an ill - receive love story with the Hulk inAvengers : Age of Ultron . Black Widow ’s death inAvengers : Endgamefelt arbitrary and unearned , coming at the terminal of a by - now - traditional scrap between Black Widow and Hawkeye . In theory , the solo movie should have been a chance to pay off her . unluckily Cate Shortland ’s movie could n’t quite adjudicate whether it was presuppose to focus on invite Natasha Romanoff a tender farewell or on put back her . What originate out as an incredibly versed family drama was lamentably undermined by Marvel ’s typical CGI extravaganza third act , and a minute of grief and reflection in the post - credits view was ruined by the Contessa . Audiences had been clamoring for aBlack Widowsolo motion picture since 2010 , but this was too little , too late . It was depart toHawkeyeto truly reflect on Black Widow ’s sacrifice and bring import to her death .
Worked: WandaVision
The first official MCU TV series , WandaVisionwas doubtless one of Marvel ’s adult successes this yr . Stylistically , otherMarvel TV shows have been film - similar , structured like six - hour moving-picture show , and as a result , there have been illustrious pacing issue . That was largely not the cause withWandaVision , which was essentially a superhero sitcom , a love letter of the alphabet to the TV show of yesteryear . The true villain was not Agatha Harkness , but grief itself , with Elizabeth Olsen ’s Scarlet Witch create a fantasy world in an attempt to escape her heartbreak after the death of Paul Bettany ’s Vision in a series that artfully blended decades of sitcom with the MCU . Meanwhile , the show featured one of the best songs of the year , " It Was Agatha All Along , " which garner a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics .
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Didn’t Work: Eternals' Cosmic Stakes
Although they were create by the fabled Jack Kirby , the Eternals have never been one of the more well - get it on superhero franchise . That made Chloe Zhao’sEternalssomething of a gamble for Marvel Studios , and regrettably , it did n’t quite make up off . The core job repose in the third number , which pass into a moderately stock " fate of the macrocosm " CGI - fest that sadly clashed with the intimacy of Zhao ’s yield during the first two act . It meantEternalsfelt oddly mismatch , as though the issue and the general style were play off to one another rather than get together . It was a bold vision with a fascinating premise , but Zhao ’s realistic set clashed with the outrageousness of the cosmic taradiddle being tell .
Worked: Eternals' Druig & Makkari
Eternalsmay not have been one of Marvel ’s big success , but the persona study was brilliant . The moral force between Barry Keoghan ’s Druig and Lauren Ridloff ’s Makkari was peculiarly enjoyable , leaving TV audience eager to see more of the unexpected couple . Incredibly , theMakkari - Druig Romance language was n’t in the original script . " I do n’t know if , Lauren , you recollect , " Zhao call in when discussing the film with Ridloff , " It was your first fourth dimension fill Barry [ Keoghan ] , the two of you start to just flip . You know , you come out to improvise . And I go , what ’s materialise ? I see arc everywhere ! Because initially , that was not the purpose . I think really it was from you bozo meet that we saw that and belong , peradventure we should let play into it ? " Zhao undoubtedly made the right call , and while the time to come of the Eternals franchise seems to be up in the air right now , Makkari and Druig should most certainly riposte .
Didn’t Work: Falcon & Winter Soldier’s Power Broker Villain Twist
There ’s a gumption in which theMCU goggle box display seem to have the same plot – namely , a " surprise " scoundrel twist . The best have been unforgettable , such as the introduction of Agatha Harkness inWandaVisionor He Who Remains inLoki , but , deplorably , The Falcon & the Winter Soldierfeatured the speculative to date . Captain America ’s sure-enough flameSharon Carter has become the Power Broker , taking a turn for the dark side after she helped the Avengers duringCaptain America : Civil War . The problem , though , was that the heel turning was signpost too apparently for too long , and she was literally the only campaigner who could have been the titulary Power Broker in the show ’s narrative . All of which meant the season 1 stopping point - which treated the news as though it was a shocking disclosure - was honestly underwhelming . What ’s more , her reasonableness for becoming the Power Broker never quite made sense and undermined everything the grapheme had antecedently stood for . Hopefully , Marvel will go on to redeem Sharon Carter as a character by using her more effectively down the product line .
Worked: Shang-Chi’s Wenwu
Marvel has sought a way to bring the Mandarin to living on the big screen since the MCU was launch in 2008 , and they finally found a way to introducethe real MandarininShang - Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings . Tony Leung was utterly drop as Wenwu , the ancient quasi - immortal warlord who had animate the legends of the Mandarin in the MCU . He portrayed a complex and advanced character , a man whose grief and regret had torn apart his family and who was miss in his desperate desire to recover his loved 1 . Although Leung was give multiple exposition dumps , the sheer timbre of his performances elevated them and invested them with a deep sense of emotion , not only redeeming the Mandarin debacle ofIron Man 3 , but also resulting in a legendary , if too brief , MCU execution . Wenwu truly rifle down as one of the best villain in the MCU to date .
Related : Spider - Man : No style Home Debunks Shang - Chi ’s Wong Theory
Didn’t Work: Hawkeye’s Kingpin Reveal
Hawkeyedelighted audience when it revealedVincent D’Onofrio ’s return as the MCU ’s Kingpin , seemingly a protraction or multiverse rendering of the baddie he play inDaredevil . unluckily , the reveal was obviously foreshadowed from the very beginning , meaning everybody have sex full well Kingpin was destined to seem . Marvel ’s decisiveness to obligate Kingpin back for the cliffhanger of instalment 5 meant his relationships were developing , and his betrayal of his adopt niece , Maya Lopez , miss any emotional punch . Marvel would have been impudent to have let the Kingpin uncover take place in Hawkeye episode 2 or 3 , which would have give the show and theMarvel Cinematic Universemore sentence to search him .
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