The MCU has had really great concepts in its history, but some did not get the treatment they deserved. Some Disney+ series were able to introduce ideas that could have been hugely significant for the broader Marvel universe, but the franchise never got around to developing them.
That’s why it got frustrating. The issue was not the idea, but rather the execution. In some instances, Marvel had the makings of something great but didn’t go through with it.
Marvel Introduced Massive Ideas Without Exploring Them
‘Secret Invasion’ is likely the most obvious one. The concept of Skrulls infiltrating humans gave rise to a myriad of possibilities. If the governments were infiltrated and no one knew the truth, the MCU could have been in a new age of paranoia.
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Envision Avengers questioning whether their allies had been swapped out, or governments falling apart because of the distrust. Instead, the ramifications were limited to the series. ‘She Hulk’ also had potential. Jennifer Walters wasn’t simply another superhero.
She was a lawyer in a world where superheroes, aliens, and magical beings were common. Her fourth-wall-breaking powers also provided Marvel with an opportunity to test the rules of the MCU. However, the series never really made that concept a reality.
There was so much potential in seeing superhero-related legal cases become an actual part of MCU world-building. Then there’s ‘Ironheart’. Riri Williams was introduced as one of the brightest young inventors in the MCU, and of course, comparisons were inevitable with Tony Stark.
Riri might have been an interesting continuation of Tony’s technological legacy after his death. However, the emotional bond between Stark’s legacy and Riri’s rise as an armored hero felt somewhat underdeveloped.
The Blip Deserved A Much Bigger Story
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ also had an amazing premise in their face. Billions of people had disappeared for five years and then suddenly returned. Families had been reunited, jobs had been taken, governments had changed, and entire communities had moved on without people who suddenly came back.
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It should have been one of the trickiest events in MCU history. The series did cover some of this with the Flag Smashers, but the overall story focused on Sam Wilson coming to terms with his role as Captain America. It was significant. But the fallout from the Blip could have been the basis for years of storytelling.
That’s the real disappointment with these series. Marvel was not lacking in imagination. It introduced huge ideas with the potential to reshape the MCU, then moved on before allowing those ideas to truly change the universe. And sometimes, the possibilities left unexplored are more frustrating than a bad story.
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