If Marvel Knows What’s Good for Them, They Won’t Reboot the MCU

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Ever since it was announced that the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s final film in the Multiverse Saga would be Avengers: Secret Wars, there has been a growing assumption online that the MCU would get primed for a reboot. After all, the 2015 Secret Wars that Marvel Studios seems to be pulling from did a small reboot in the comics, though not to the extent fans think. Particularly following Captain America: Brave New World‘s mixed reaction from fans, many seem to be on board with a reboot. It appears that the weight of the cinematic universe is starting to pile up, which is the reason for the mixed reactions from critics and audiences. A reboot would restore the MCU to its former box-office glory.

To an extent, the idea of an MCU reboot makes some sense. By the time Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters, it will have been 19 years since Iron Man kicked off the shared universe. With 41 films by the time Avengers: Secret Wars arrives and countless Disney+ series, that makes up hours of continuity that can make the franchise seem daunting and nearly impossible for audiences to keep up with or newly enter. A high school freshman in 2008 would now be in their mid-30s and likely have a family of their own. There is an entire demographic born after the MCU’s start, with a younger audience born towards the end of the Infinity Saga, and may have no interest in their parents’ or older siblings’ franchise, instead embracing series that have started within their lifetime. Starting over with a clean slate invites new audiences back.

Yet, for some fans, the idea of a reboot is more about reviving characters like Tony Stark’s Iron Man and Steve Rogers’s Captain America so they can interact with characters like The Fantastic Four and The X-Men. To reset the character arcs of Hulk and Thor and do them over again at the expense of the new diverse cast of heroes, Marvel has introduced Phases 4 and 5. Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum has discussed the troubles of rebooting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we are one to agree with him. An MCU reboot would be a terrible idea, and they shouldn’t do it for plenty of reasons.

‘Secret Wars’ Didn’t Actually Reboot the Marvel Universe

One common misconception that fans throw around is that the 2015 Secret Wars rebooted the Marvel Universe in the comics, hence that is why Marvel Studios is adapting the storyline. Yet that isn’t exactly what happened. The reboot at the end of Secret Wars is to restore the original Marvel 616 Universe after it was destroyed at the beginning of the event and Battleworld was created. The “reboot” is bringing back the Marvel Comics Universe as it was, with some minor elements changed, notably the inclusion of Miles Morales and the villain The Maker into reality. It did not rewrite the history or origins of Marvel heroes the same way the DC reboot Crisis on Infinite Earths did.

This means that Avengers: Secret Wars likely won’t end with a full-on reboot of the MCU, where a new Tony Stark as Iron Man and Steve Rogers as Captain America are walking. If anything, the “reboot” element of Avengers: Secret Wars will just be to merge The Fantastic Four with the MCU reality, either claiming they were always there or that they are just now living in the MCU sacred timeline (or if the fan theory pans out, they were initially from the MCU but were stranded in the reality of The Fantastic Four: First Steps when they got their powers).

Marvel Comics’ attempt at a “reboot” in the comics, Heroes Reborn, was poorly received by fans and critics alike and was shortly retconned within a year. Even with Franklin Richards confirmed to be a major player in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and him being the character responsible for the Heroes Reborn-style reboot, it is doubtful Marvel Studios will adapt that storyline.

Rebooting a Long-Running Franchise Is a Short-Term Gain for a Long-Term Loss

From a business standpoint, attempts at rebooting a long-running franchise might pay off immediately, but they tend only to be a problem in the long term. The closest comparison the MCU might have at the moment is Star Trek. In 2005, when Enterprise had gone off the air, there was undoubtedly a level of Star Trek fatigue, as there had been multiple television series and films with hours of continuity that made it difficult for a general audience to get into. The franchise had fallen far from the popularity it experienced in the 1980s, with the live-action films led by the cast of the original series and The Next Generation being a mainstream hit.

J.J. Abrams’s 2009 Star Trek was the revamp the franchise needed, but Paramount’s failure to capitalize on that specific revamp led to delays in films and the next two films underperforming critically (Star Trek Into Darkness) or financially (Star Trek Beyond). Now, the franchise film division is in a state of limbo, waiting on Star Trek 4, while the television side of the franchise returns to the original continuity that the reboot tossed out years prior.

Casino Royale was what the James Bond franchise needed in 2006, but the series immediately hit a speed bump with its follow-up, Quantum of Solace, and fluctuated between great (Skyfall), awful (Spectre), and finally ending on a moderately okay note (No Time to Die). Now the series needs to do ANOTHER reboot, one that Amazon MGM is in full control of and likely not looking good.

Meanwhile, Marvel’s big splashy relaunch in the 2000s, the Ultimate line, did have a few years of major successes that eclipsed the popularity of the mainline Marvel 616 titles. However, the Ultimate Universe eventually collapsed and started to lose fans by the start of the 2010s. While the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the one that was designed to attract new readers due to not having as much continuity, faded away, the original Marvel Comics universe continued. That sense of shared history gave iconic titles like Civil War, Planet Hulk, Secret Invasion, or character-redefining stories like Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye, Tom King’s Vision, and James Robinson’s Scarlet Witch…many of these storylines became the basis for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A Reboot Tosses Out the Countless Interesting Stories the MCU Can Now Offer

The biggest issue with rebooting the MCU is that it potentially tosses all the interesting developments the franchise has built over the years. Some fans want the franchise to reboot so that the films can be even closer to the comics, offering a world where Iron Man and Captain America can interact with the Avengers and the X-Men. Yet that comes at the cost of abandoning all the unique storytelling opportunities the MCU’s unique circumstances grant them.

The fact that the MCU uses actors who will eventually age out of these roles and leave them not only gives those characters a journey with a finality that the comics never can, but it forces Marvel, by necessity, to put the spotlight on new characters. Instead of making Sam Wilson share the title of Captain America with Steve Rogers, like in the comics, the MCU allows Sam Wilson to be Captain America for his era of stories. Moreover, the MCU has barely scratched the surface of interesting new heroes like Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Namor, which can now exist and carve out their own space in the franchise that they otherwise wouldn’t have in favor of bigger names. Why toss that all out to redo what has been done before?

How great would it be to imagine the MCU’s future now focused on significant team-ups between distant heroes like Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, The Fantastic Four, and Daredevil? That sounds more exciting than reviving the previous Avengers. The MCU should be defined by eras. The Infinity Saga was the era in which Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor were the central heroes. The Multiverse Saga has struggled to find its new core heroes, but moving forward, there is nothing to say that heroes like Daredevil, Shang-Chi, The Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Sam Wilson, and Doctor Strange could not be the main focus. Then, in a decade, the MCU could have a new core group of heroes, like the X-Men, Excalibur, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Luna Snow, Squirrel Girl, and many more.

The MCU is successful because it took lesser-known heroes like Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Ant-Man and made them A-listers. The common comic book fan critique of “nobody wants this” is ludicrous when one considers that not even hardcore comic book fans knew who the Guardians of the Galaxy were when their film was announced in 2012, but now they are one of Marvel’s biggest brands.

The MCU doesn’t need to reboot its franchise; it needs to return to its roots. That involves investing in heroes like Shang-Chi, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and others if they want to survive. The MCU needs to embrace the future, not retreat to past glories. Marvel Studios needs to stop being so reactive and return to the formula that made it successful. Putting faith in their characters, knowing that audiences will get on board with them if you give them a chance.

“}]] Let’s hope they’re paying attention to this.  Read More