Ms. Marvel Star’s MCU Criticism Exposes Marvel Phase 4's Worst Trick

Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4's worst trick is exposed by Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani, who criticizes the franchise's storytelling scheme. Before she was cast as Marvel Studios' Kamala Khan, Vellani had already been closely monitoring the franchise being a die-hard supporter. However, that doesn't mean that she doesn't have any questions regarding certain events in the MCU, including how the Multiverse Saga is shaping out. This also indirectly highlights Marvel Studios' sly Phase 4 storytelling trick that is sadly not working.

After the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios gradually rebuilt the universe by building up familiar characters who are stepping into leadership roles, such as Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Man, while also introducing new MCU Phase 4 heroes. For the latter, the franchise properly debuted fresh players with a string of origin stories like Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Eternals, but it also utilized its signature post-credits scene to make additional introductions, which is how Starfox first appeared in the MCU. In the stinger, Harry Styles' character joined the remaining Eternals alongside Pip the Troll.

MCU Phase 4 Featured Too Many Post-Credits Stunt Castings

Marvel Studios marked the end of the Infinity Saga with the departure of several MCU founding heroes, and while they can never be replaced, the franchise needed to introduce new key players that will be heavily involved in the Multiverse Saga — some of them only appeared in post-credits scenes. While this isn't necessarily bad, most of them continue to have bleak futures following their respective cameos. This issue is perfectly summed up by Vellani questioning Harry Styles' MCU future as Starfox. After debuting in the Eternals post-credits scene, it's still uncertain where or when Thanos' brother may pop up next.

Aside from Starfox, characters such as Clea and Hercules, who were introduced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scenes, respectively, continue to have bleak futures in the franchise. Considering that Marvel Studios have its slate planned up until 2032, per Kevin Feige, it's certainly possible that they have a long-term ploy for the aforementioned players. However, between their brief appearances and the long wait time for their MCU returns, it's easy to forget that they even exist now in the franchise. This makes their introductions feel like stunt castings, almost like they were done purely for shock value.

Why Marvel’s Post-Credits Character Reveals Shouldn’t Be Repeated In Phase 5

Captain Marvel, Daredevil, He Who Remains, Adam Warlock, and Contessa de Fontaine in the MCU.

Debuting new characters in stingers benefits Marvel's interconnected storytelling. However, Iron Man's Nick Fury end-credit debut effectively set up the MCU's future because they were able to immediately see through it with his involvement in Iron Man 2 and the rest of Phase 1. Now, there's an uncertain wait time for Starfox and his fellow MCU newbie characters to show up again. Given this, Marvel must not repeat its Phase 4 post-credits trick in Phase 5 and instead prioritize following through on those characters that they have introduced first. Otherwise, the franchise risks cramming up Phase 6 in this regard, further putting pressure on Marvel Cinematic Universe's next culminating phase.

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