Why 2024 Is The Most Important Year For The MCU Since Endgame

With audiences being especially critical of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lately, 2024 will be the franchise’s most important year since the year of Avengers: Endgame. When the culmination of the Infinity Saga premiered in 2019, it was a cinematic moment in the MCU that would be hard to top in the future. The entirety of the MCU had been building up to that moment, and many were unsure of how the franchise would move forward with introducing a whole new saga.

Unfortunately for Marvel Studios, the build-up of the Multiverse Saga hasn’t been as successful as the Infinity Saga so far. The MCU notoriously had some major missteps in 2023, with disappointing review scores and low box office numbers. The studio undoubtedly hopes to regain their momentum in 2024. With some big decisions happening this year, 2024 will be the MCU’s most important year since 2019.

MCU TV Shows Need To Prove Marvel Studios’ Restructuring Actually Worked

Since Deadpool 3 will be the MCU’s only theatrical release in 2024, the franchise’s big focus will be on its television series. The first years of Disney+ proved huge for the studio as they finally had a platform to release television content consistently. However, the MCU’s shows have been decisive thus far. Shows like WandaVision and Loki were praised for being great content, while shows like She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and Secret Invasion were some of the MCU’s biggest targets of criticism.

The discourse led to Marvel Studios promising to revamp their approach to television production starting in 2023. MCU television shows will now have dedicated TV writers, and the focus will be on developing multi-season shows rather than limited series. With Echo currently airing, there are a whopping four more Disney+ series slated to premiere in 2024. This will be the year that Marvel Studios proves that they are living up to their promises of restructuring and that the improvement efforts are actually evident in the slate of upcoming MCU shows.

Kang’s Future Will Have To Be Addressed In The MCU

After Jonathan Majors was arrested in March 2023 and allegations arose, the Kang actor was officially dropped from the MCU in December. Considering that Kang and his variants were being built up as the core of the Multiverse Saga, many will be watching to see how the MCU pivots in 2024. The Multiverse Saga must go on at this point with or without Kang, and since he almost definitely won’t appear in any future projects, news of the MCU’s plans will surely be announced in 2024.

A recast of Kang actually wouldn’t be too difficult, as plenty of characters have inexplicably been recast in the MCU before. However, 2024 may also be a chance for the MCU to pivot from Kang completely. A new villain could become the center of the Multiverse Saga such as Doctor Doom or Galactus, or the Multiversal War could be a fight among MCU variants without an overarching villain altogether. The new title of Avengers 5 will also have to be decided soon, so all eyes will be on Marvel Studios in 2024 to see what they make of the situation.

Marvel Studios Will Cast The Team That Could Anchor Its Future

With a 2025 release date for Fantastic Four, Marvel will surely have to announce the film’s cast this year. The Fantastic Four has been highly anticipated ever since it was confirmed back in 2019 that the team would officially be joining the MCU. Rumors have swirled about casting news ever since, especially with the fan-favorite casting of John Krasinski’s Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but 2024 is the last year that Marvel Studios can milk the uncertainty.

Besides the reported casting of Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, the roles of Sue Storm, Human Torch, and The Thing are up in the air. The eventual casting news will likely garner huge attention from die-hard Marvel fans, casual MCU fans, and even general audiences. 2024 will determine the trajectory of the Fantastic Four depending on how well-received the final casting is as the Fantastic Four seems set to be one of, if not the main group of the MCU moving forward along with the X-Men. Especially with such a long build-up to the announcement, Marvel will be under immense pressure in 2024 to get the casting right.

The MCU’s Schedule Slowdown Will Either Re-Invigorate Audiences Or Lose Them

In 2023, Marvel Studios pushed back the premiere dates of nearly all of its upcoming films, with Deadpool 3 being the only film to get pushed forward. That means that only one MCU film will be released this year, which is a first for Marvel Studios since 2012 with The Avengers. Starting in Phase 3, the MCU has consistently put out three films per year, with even four being released in 2021. Though three Sony Marvel films are being released this year, 2024 will be a crucial break for the MCU to regroup and reorganize the franchise.

The MCU is coming off of a hard year, as the franchise had its highs in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but also some of its lowest lows in Secret Invasion and The Marvels. Slowing down the upcoming release schedule could be just what Marvel Studios needs to rework some future projects. Especially with the recent superhero fatigue in film, a slow 2024 may be what audiences need to actually look forward to the MCU again. However, the studio still risks losing audiences altogether if the lack of content means casual audiences move on from the franchise completely.

DC has always been Marvel Studios’ biggest direct competitor. With former MCU talent James Gunn taking over the new DCU, the revamped franchise will undoubtedly make headlines in 2024. Though no DCU films are releasing this year, DC Studios is getting new life breathed into them at a time when Marvel Studios is lagging behind. The MCU will seriously have to compete against the new DCU this year in terms of content quality, talent acquisition, and evident commitment towards fans.

2024 will be a year unlike any other for the MCU. Though the film slate has slowed down immensely, TV projects are at an all-time high. Seeing how Marvel Studios handles the change-up in content will dictate the studio’s reputation going forward. Especially with the anticipation of big casting news and a potential entire Multiverse Saga rework, audiences will be watching the MCU closely in 2024, making this year the most important for the franchise in a long time.

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