I don’t think that I am blowing anyone’s mind when I admit that I’m a huge nerd. I’m a five-foot-six zoomer studying engineering that writes about Superheros online. Needless to say, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a massive part of my childhood ever since Robert Downey Jr. walked out onto the big screen as the bombastic, annoying, yet charismatic hero Tony Stark- AKA Iron Man.
The success of that film launched a franchise unique in cinematic history, which built up a massive story that hit its climax with Avengers: Endgame, which became the second most financially successful movie ever, and deservedly so. It was only beaten out by James Cameron’s “Avatar” (which I personally think is highly overrated, but whatever).
Part of what made the MCU so unique was that it successfully tied together a massive cast of characters from over twenty different films into a single, cohesive story and successfully stuck the landing in Endgame, where they miraculously were able to tie off all the major plot points and characters arcs in a narratively satisfying way.
Which leads to the question, what now? Online blackjack? The main story is over. The original avengers team is dismantled, with the leaders being either dead or retired. Cap, Widow, Stark, and Hawkeye are all dead / retired, with only Thor is still adventuring around in space. The plot is over, with the big bad evil guy finished for good in a climactic conflict so good I still get chills when I watch it over on YouTube.
Aside from a few loose ends, the main story is over. Sure, there are all these side characters with their own character arcs to close up, but that’s it. Right? Right?!
Of course not. Disney still wants to crank their money-making machine for all it’s worth, which is why Marvel’s Phase 4 is even a thing. The MCU was so successful, yet instead of winding things down after Endgame and moving on, Marvel is just churning out content like a sprinkler hooked up to a sewer tank.
Aside from Spiderman, everything post-endgame has ranged from mediocre to terrible. Some, like Wandavision, had their moments, but overall, these shows have been poorly written, with unlikable protagonists, ham-fisted political messages, and seeped in condensation of the franchise they are a part of.
The latest example of this is She-Hulk, the trailer for which just recently dropped online. The facade, at long last, has been thrown off, and now She-Hulk exemplifies everything phase 4 has been denying so far: That it’s a soulless, corporate money-grab, using the shell of a franchise now abandoned by the people who had actually cared.
Allow me to elucidate you:
She-Hulk is… a jerk
The trailer introduces us to the character of Jennifer Walters, a lawyer now assigned to work superhero cases, dealing with stuff like (presumably) the Sokovia Accords. She is related in some way (cousin?) to Bruce Banner, the Hulk, and somehow ends up with the ability to transform like he does. Actually, I’m not exactly clear on what their relationship is here or how Jennifer got her powers (Only the teaser has dropped so far, after all). The comic explanation is that she needed a blood transfusion, and her cousin was the only one around who was compatible. I have no idea whether or not they’ve changed any of that for the show, though.
Off the bat, though, I do not like Jennifer. The teaser introduces her with this masterclass of narration, “I’m Jennifer Walters. I’m a lawyer. I have great friends, a demanding job, and a frustrating family.”
Because “show, don’t tell” is such an outdated concept these days.
The “frustrating family” she is apparently referring to is Bruce Banner himself, who insists (if even) that he help her learn to control her transformations. He tells her the transformations are triggered by anger and fear, to which she so wittily responds, “You know that anger and fear are, like, the baseline of being a woman, right?”
Kill me. Please.
It doesn’t get better as she goes on to mention how depressing dating in her thirties is, and then, when asked if she’s going to be an avenger, gives this condescending remark, “Oh, I’m not a superhero. That is for billionaires and narcissists, and adult orphans… for some reason.”
What an entitled piece of work. She’s talking about the people that saved the entire freaking universe. While the first two are pretty applicable to Tony Stark, I have no idea who the third applies (Captain America, maybe?). What a condescending thing to say about all superheroes everywhere! Is that what she really thinks about Spiderman, Black Panther, Vision, Captain Marvel, Falcon, and her own cousin?!
I can’t get over this line. It’s such a condescending, small-minded thing to say. It would be like painting all first responders- police officers, firemen, doctors, nurses- as stuck-up state enforcers or retarded or something. It’s completely unjustified and out of the blue and is indicative of the trend for Marvel’s phase 4.
Nothing to Look Forward To
With no overarching plot or character arcs to work with, and with the best and brightest minds behind the MCU leaving for bigger and better things, the only people left are the wokescold dunces that infest Marvel. It might not be so visible in the cinematic side of things, but Marvel comics have been on life support for decades now, kept alive by the movies.
The writing has become preachy, with blue-haired writers emasculating popular characters and writing entitled psychos to replace them (look up some of the criticisms of “Ironheart” if you don’t believe). This is where I fear that the MCU is headed.
The remaining superheroes, like Dr. Strange, Thor, and Bruce Banner, have to be shown up by unliked sidekicks in the name of diversity and empowerment. Remember in The First Avengers when Bruce Banner was smart, cunning, with an edge of darkness? When he so masterfully pierced through Black Widow’s manipulations because he knows that nothing can really harm him? Yeah, the writers don’t seem to.
Every character has become a punchline, but nobody’s laughing.
