When the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched in 2008 with ‘Iron Man’, it offered the world something they hadn’t experienced before. It was a world where every movie and character would contribute to a grand narrative.
And for a solid decade, it worked like magic. Every post-credits scene was a breadcrumb. Every crossover felt exciting and earned. From ‘The Avengers (2012)’ to ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Marvel Studios built a web of storytelling that drew fans. However, post-Endgame, the story’s connective tissue seems to be fraying.
Marvel Is Failing At Keeping The Characters In The Same Universe
Despite having over 25 projects, including films, shows, and specials, released since 2019, only a handful truly felt like they were working together to drive the MCU forward. Yes, we’ve had some efforts to bring things back into a cohesive structure with films like ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Captain America: Brave New World’. However, for every one of those, there are three others that feel isolated and tonally out of sync.
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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is the latest example. It brings back beloved characters from Netflix’s gritty corner of Marvel and finally makes them canon. But at the same time, it barely acknowledges the broader MCU beyond a couple of name-drops. And when New York City is plunged into chaos, and major players like Mayor Wilson Fisk are reshaping the future of superheroes in the public eye, how are none of the other New York-based heroes involved?
It’s disorienting for longtime fans. And kind of frustrating, too. At this point, it’s affecting the storytelling. At the end of the day, fans don’t need every hero to appear in every project. No one’s asking for every Marvel film to become ‘Endgame’. But when major world-changing events take place, it’s reasonable to expect at least some crossover, even just through dialogue or background reports. Maybe ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars’ will reset everything. Maybe the MCU will find a way to patch up its narrative gaps. Only time will tell.
Where Is Everyone, And Why Is Modern Marvel So Disorienting?
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ had a lot of promise. It was meant to bridge a gap, finally tying the Netflix shows to the main MCU and delivering a street-level story that felt grounded amid all the multiversal madness. And to some extent, it succeeds in that mission. The return of the characters was a triumphant moment for fans. It felt good to see familiar faces. But the series still suffers from what’s becoming a troubling pattern in the MCU.
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The stories still don’t feel like they exist in the same world as one another. Sure, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man get mentioned. But when Mayor Fisk is literally waging a war against vigilantes in NYC, where are they? Why isn’t Captain America, now Sam Wilson, at least putting this on his radar? He’s supposed to be reforming the Avengers. And this is happening right in the city he’s based in.
It’s even more jarring when you consider the timing. ‘Thunderbolts*’ is set to arrive soon, and it, too, takes place largely in New York. Will the events of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ even be acknowledged in that movie, or vice versa? Probably not. And that’s a shame because when you’re dealing with such a meticulously built shared universe, every missed connection feels like a wasted opportunity.
The same can be said for the other Defenders. Where are Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing? Not even a mention? For a series that goes out of its way to reference scenes from the original ‘Daredevil‘ series, the absence of these characters makes the world feel smaller. That’s the opposite of what the MCU used to do so well.
