While some viewers might be concerned about the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems that Captain America: Civil War has already proven these fears wrong. With six films and seven Disney+ series released since WandaVision in January 2021, the current phase of the MCU has more hours of content than each of the previous phases combined. The sheer amount of superhero action has left some fans experiencing Marvel fatigue and many are wondering how Phase 4's disconnected projects can lead towards the promised Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

After the emotional climax of the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the MCU's Phase 4 started strong straight out of the gate with WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki receiving positive reviews and getting viewers excited for the prospect of a shared universe of MCU films and series on Disney+. However, recent fixtures such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love & Thunder, both expected to be received with high acclaim, have been considered to be flops by many die-hard fans. Some believe this mirrors the state of Phase 1, with several projects at the beginning of the MCU receiving criticism, however, there's an even closer similarity that could point to a brighter future for Marvel.

Related: Phase 5 Can't Repeat Phase 4, No Matter What The Russos Think

Despite sharing similarities with Phase 1 (which included low-rated projects such as The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor) the MCU's Phase 4 is actually more closely related to Phase 2. While it may appear that there have been a diminishment in the following of Marvel releases thanks to a slight lull after the Infinity Saga, the connection between Phases 4 and 2 should fill people with hope for the future. All Marvel need do is carry on with their tried-and-tested formula.

The MCU Phase 4 Isn't Like Phase 1, It's Phase 2

The connection between Phases 4 and 2 are difficult to ignore. For starters, both were produced after a huge Avengers team-up film: The Avengers and Avengers: Endgame, meaning that the projects that made up these Phases had big shoes to fill. Both have also included films that feel completely disconnected from one to the next and don't seem to be building towards a clear project, and not all of them have been highly received. Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and even Avengers: Age of Ultron were all met with criticism. On top of all this, both Phases have been setting up huge storylines for the future of the MCU, with Phase 2 properly introducing the Infinity Stones, and Phase 4 unraveling the concept of the multiverse, and even officially debuting the mutants in the MCU. These similarities should put to bed all of the long-term audiences' concerns about Marvel's future.

Phase 2 is widely regarded as the weakest link in the MCU's chain, however, the disconnected projects included between 2013 and 2015 set up many important aspects of the franchise that came after, including Captain America: Civil War and eventually the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. This should provide some hope that, even though Phase 4 doesn't seem to be leading anywhere and the projects aren't the most well-received, something much bigger is just around the corner for Marvel Studios. With the first appearance of Kang the Conqueror's variant He Who Remains in Loki and the introduction of mutants in Ms. Marvel episode 6, Phase 5 and Phase 6 are already set up to fulfill the big checks the release names are writing. Throughout the duration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios have kept their cards close to their chest, but with more recent news about the full Multiverse Saga, it's clear that Phase 4 is just the Civil War to the Multiverse Saga's big payoff for the franchise.