The MCU's stuck in a box!
When Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2008, it felt like the opening of a thousand doors. The promise of interconnected stories, cameos, and world-shifting consequences across movies and TV shows was exciting—revolutionary, even. But somewhere along the way, Marvel Studios turned that sprawling universe into a self-contained box. Worse yet? They locked the lid. The MCU, once hailed as the gold standard for cinematic worldbuilding, has become a narrative prison. Let’s call it what it is: Marvel created a formula, and now they’re terrified to deviate from it. The rules…they’re rigid, the tone is templated, and every character, plot twist, and emotional beat has to be interconnected, and pass through a shared-universe filter. This has left little room for real risk-taking or fresh, standalone visions. Instead of expanding the multiverse in a meaningful way, the MCU has ironically become more narrow. Every film and show now feels less like a creative endeavor and mo...