Lost in the MCU Timeline? Marvel Has a Solution for You
Finally, there will be something to watch for those who can't wrap their heads around the studio's complex storytelling.
Summary
- Marvel has been in decline lately due to its overbearing presence on the market.
- The studio is starting a new line of projects to attract viewers unfamiliar with the MCU.
- A new show will premiere at the beginning of 2024.
Since it's almost over, 2023 can legitimately be called the year of Marvel. Since January, there have been three major releases from the studio – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantimania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - with another movie and TV installment on the way. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's been a great year for the company.
Despite the abundance of Marvel premieres, the studio has seen a drop in popularity among fans. The reason is simple, yet surprising. Marvel has become too complex to enjoy.
A Curse in Disguise
With the release of the first Avengers movie, Marvel started to accumulate its many projects and merge them into a multifaceted cinematic universe. While the change was exciting at first, as viewers appreciated the new angles to their beloved stories that the advent of the MCU brought, many eventually became lost in the vast franchise. In particular, it became difficult to understand the plot of each new release, as they not only followed the events of the previous installments, but also continued arcs from Marvel's various TV shows.
As a result, in 2023, it's nearly impossible to watch new Marvel movies. And what was initially an ace up Marvel's sleeve has become a nuisance to many viewers – especially new ones.
Sideline Installments
Fortunately, the studio seems to be aware of the problem and is working on a solution. For example, Marvel is producing a new TV show that is barely connected to any of the company's existing movies or series, even though it is technically a Hawkeye spin-off. Intrigued?
Just recently, studio released a trailer for its latest project, titled Echo. Following Maya Lopez, a deaf Native American assassin battling her own dark past, the show won't use any existing storylines within the MCU, which will allow it to reach many new audiences. However, it will definitely be marketed to a more mature audience, given the amount of gore in the trailer.
More significantly, the release of Echo will mark the establishment of a standalone line of projects, dubbed Marvel Spotlight,which will focus on developing stories outside of the main cinematic universe. And that may be the saving grace for the studio.
Echo is set to premiere on both Disney+ and Hulu on January 10, 2024.