MCU Phase 4 Misused Almost All Of Its Most Powerful Heroes

Many of Marvel Studios' most powerful superheroes were seriously misused during the MCU's Phase 4. In the wake of the epic ending to the MCU's Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios continued the ambitious expansion of the MCU with a jam-packed Phase 4, not only delivering feature-length films, but also TV shows and Special Presentations on Disney+. However, the sheer volume of content released during Phase 4 meant that it quickly became a question of quantity over quality, leading Phase 4 to become the most divisive era of the MCU since its inception in 2008.

MCU Phase 4 kicked off on Disney+ with the release of WandaVision, Marvel Studios' first long-form show for the new streaming service, and came to a close with the releases of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Since Avengers: Endgame had seen several of the MCU's original heroes sacrifice their lives, or retire from their superhero roles, MCU Phase 4 introduced many new heroes to the franchise, including the likes of Moon Knight, the Eternals, Shang-Chi, and She-Hulk. Even so, in an ocean of new storylines for the MCU, a lot of the franchise's most powerful superheroes were forgotten.

WandaVision Ruined Its Quicksilver Twist

evan peters as pietro maximoff aka quicksilver in wandavision

WandaVision set the MCU's Phase 4 off on a very strong footing, reintroducing audiences to Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff who was revealed to have inadvertently created her own reality, bringing back her lost love, Vision, and imprisoning a small New Jersey town in a sitcom-style nightmare. WandaVision featured several twists, including the return of Wanda's brother, Pietro, who previously met his demise at the hands of Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. While played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the MCU, Pietro, a.k.a. Quicksilver, was portrayed by Evan Peters in Fox's X-Men franchise.

In an extraordinary twist, it was Evan Peters who showed up as Pietro in WandaVision, leading many to theorize that the MCU and Fox's X-Men franchise were being merged after Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. However, this was revealed to be a ruse cast by Agatha Harkness, confirming Peters' MCU character to simply be an actor named Ralph Bohner. The partnership between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch is usually incredible, and this turn of events would have been fantastic had it been followed-through, but the Ralph Bohner reveal completely wasted any potential with this exciting twist.

Black Widow Wasted An Original Avenger

scarlett johansson as natasha romanoff in black widow

Natasha Romanoff had been one of the MCU's longest-running characters, introduced back in 2010's Iron Man 2, so there was an outcry for her to receive her own solo film. Even so, Scarlett Johansson didn't get the chance to star in her own MCU film until after Black Widow's death in Avengers: Endgame, with Black Widow releasing as a part of the MCU's Phase 4, detailing the retrospective story of Romanoff's actions in the time between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Unfortunately, Black Widow didn't give Romanoff the MCU farewell she deserved.

Instead of providing an emotional send-off for Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow's only true purpose was to introduce other characters to the MCU who are set to become more important in Phase 5 and beyond. This includes Yelena Belova, Romanoff's adoptive sister, Red Guardian, the pair's father-figure, and Taskmaster, a former Black Widow, all of whom will be members of the MCU's first Thunderbolts team. While she might not have been one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU, she was certainly the most wasted, especially since she had been a founding member of the Avengers, and sacrificed her life to save the universe.

The Eternals Were A Big MCU Disappointment

One of Marvel Comics' lesser-known properties, the Eternals had the potential to be the most substantial superhero team in the MCU following the apparent disbandment of the Avengers after Endgame. Chloé Zhao's Marvel Studios debut, Eternals, introduced ten new heroes to the MCU, and that is exactly where the pitfalls lie. The Eternals are such huge entities in Marvel lore that not one of them received the screen-time or development that they deserved, so while Eternals did expand the MCU's cosmic side, the more grounded human interactions were missing.

There have been questions over whether Eternals would have perhaps fared better as a Disney+ series, allowing more time to focus on each individual member of the team before bringing them together. Eternals also significantly changed the origins of the godlike heroes from Marvel Comics, as in the source material they share an intrinsic connection with the mutants, but this is no longer the case in the MCU. The Eternals could have also helped to explain some of Thanos' MCU backstory, as he himself is an Eternal in the comics, but this was also completely forgotten in the film. Hopefully the Eternals will return for a chance to redeem themselves.

Dane Whitman's MCU Introduction Was Lackluster

kit harrington as dane whitman in eternals

Another casualty of Eternals jam-packed storyline was Kit Harrington's debut as the MCU's Dane Whitman. In Marvel Comics, Dane Whitman follows in his ancestors' footsteps and becomes the superhero known as Black Knight, equipped with the cursed Ebony Blade, which received a cameo in the post-credits scene of Eternals. However, Harrington's portrayal of Whitman is nothing like his comic counterpart, who is American.

Whitman's comic storyline even sees him eventually leading the Avengers and the Defenders, something which is difficult to imagine after Harrington's portrayal of the unassuming, love-obsessed Dane Whitman. The Black Knight wasn't the focus of Eternals, but perhaps the character should have been introduced in a different project, or even a project of his own, as he faded completely into the background of Eternals despite being one of the most formidable heroes in Marvel Comics. Eternals teased the Black Knight's involvement in Phase 5's Blade, but after major rewrites, it's unclear if this will come to pass.

Doctor Strange 2 Butchered Scarlet Witch's MCU Arc

elizabeth olsen as wanda maximoff aka scarlet witch in doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

Since her debut in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wanda Maximoff has only grown in strength and understanding of her power, fully embracing her identity as the Scarlet Witch in WandaVision. Her MCU Phase 4 Disney+ adventure led directly into the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which saw her trying to travel the Multiverse in search of her children. Though she was a powerful adversary to Doctor Strange and MCU newcomer America Chavez, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness completely ruined the Scarlet Witch's exciting arc in the MCU.

Wanda has been through the ringer in the MCU, which has informed her intricate characterization, but all of this was practically ignored in Multiverse of Madness in favor of her simply trying to be with the kids that she created in her Westview Hex. Her personality and moral ambiguity was completely lost to make her seem like nothing more than a monster, quickly dispatching Earth-838's Illuminati team. To top it off, Multiverse of Madness ended with the Scarlet Witch's apparent death in Mount Wundagore, so it's unclear whether Wanda will actually get redeemed in the MCU's future.

Doctor Strange Himself Was Letdown By Multiverse Of Madness

benedict cumberbatch as doctor strange in doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was packed with a lot of promise, with promotional material suggesting that Sam Raimi's film would seriously crack open the concept of the Multiverse in the MCU. Even so, only a few alternate realities were explored during Multiverse of Madness, with extra time given to investigate Earth-838 and the Illuminati team. This exploration added to the Scarlet Witch's rampage across the Multiverse meant that the Doctor Strange sequel didn't feature much of Doctor Strange himself.

MCU Phase 4 not only robbed Doctor Strange of his title as Sorcerer Supreme, but also made him something of a secondary character in his own film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness felt like a good continuation of WandaVision, but neglected to put Doctor Strange in the spotlight, aside from a few moments towards the end of the film which saw him dream-walking into his own variant's corpse, or having a musical battle with his sinister counterpart and gaining a mysterious third eye. Doctor Strange's MCU journey will surely continue now Clea is in the picture, so hopefully future projects can repair some of Multiverse of Madness' damage.

Love & Thunder's Comedy Failed Thor

chris hemsworth as thor in thor love and thunder-1

Potentially the most divisive project of the MCU's Phase 4 was Taika Waititi's Thor: Love & Thunder, the follow-up to his revolutionary Thor: Ragnarok, which debuted a more comedic Thor in the MCU. What worked for Ragnarok, however, fell flat during Love & Thunder, with many criticizing the relentless use of comedy during the Phase 4 project, while some of the deeper themes were completely lost. Thor should have been significantly changed by his experiences in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but Love & Thunder didn't demonstrate any of this remarkable growth.

Comedy worked against Thor in Love & Thunder, as all the dramatic textures of his character were forgotten, even though this balance was struck brilliantly in Waititi's previous MCU installment. The introduction of characters such as Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor, Gorr the God Butcher, and even Hercules in the post-credits scene, were overshadowed by the humorous tones of Love & Thunder. It's likely that Thor will be returning as some point in the MCU's future, so perhaps future Thor projects can learn from Thor: Love & Thunder's dire mistakes.

Hulk Was MIA For Most Of MCU Phase 4

bruce banner and jennifer walters in she-hulk attorney at law

There's perhaps no other character in the MCU that has seen the level of development that Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk, has seen. Portrayed by Mark Ruffalo since The Avengers (Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk), Banner has wrestled with the two extremes of his personality throughout his entire MCU journey, though these two conflicting personas were merged in Avengers: Endgame into "Smart Hulk". She-Hulk: Attorney at Law brought Bruce Banner back to the MCU for the first time since Endgame, training his cousin, Tatiana Maslany's Jennifer Walters, in how to be a Hulk after she is exposed to his blood and transforms into She-Hulk.

Aside from some questionable visual effects, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law did demonstrate the great chemistry between Ruffalo and Maslany as cousin Hulks. However, it also brought into focus just how far removed Marvel Studios seems to have become from the Hulk, who is supposed to be one of the most powerful and ruthless heroes, often seen as an antihero by many. A rumored World War Hulk project could certainly help to bring back the angry Hulk that audiences are desperate for, but until then, future projects need to try and gloss over some of the mistakes in the MCU's Phase 4.

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