Marvel’s Disney+ Shows Might Alienate New And Old MCU Fans
Disney+ is bringing with it tonnes of Marvel content ranging from Falcon and the Winter Soldier to WandaVision and more. We already know that since Scarlet Witch will be showing up in Doctor Strange 2 so it would be kind of necessary to watch WandaVision first. But no one actually realized that we would actually have to watch it all to make sense of MCU’s Phase 4. And herein lies a lot of problems:
A More Complex MCU
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has said the shows will directly tie into the story arcs and plot points of the phase 4 films. He said:
If fans “want to understand everything in future Marvel movies, they “probably need a Disney+ subscription because events from the new shows will factor into forthcoming films such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
But this works only to complicate an already intricate and complicated universe. Right now, if a new fan wants to join the MCU then he/she will have to watch 23 separate movies first to understand the Marvel universe as it stands now. But if the viewers want to jump directly to the main big events, even then they will be able to enjoy Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. This is all due to the tight narrative which has kept the universe accessible to new viewers. But 8 new shows which have to be positively watched makes things far more confusing. It’s not just the shows which have to be watched, but the fact that viewers have to jump from television to movie and vice-versa to make sense of it all.
A Costly And Inaccessible Streaming Service
There is another issue here and that is the issue of accessibility. Disney+ is going to cost families an extra $70 annually. But apart from that, the service isn’t going to be available to much of the world as well. Despite launching in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands on November 12th, some countries won’t get it for two years. Worse that people in Eastern Europe and Latin America aren’t even expected to get the service until October 20. Of course there are other creative ways of watching those shows but Marvel runs the risk of alienating new fans who are joining in, as well as the old fans who won’t be able to access the streaming service.
Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021 and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios projects without release dates include Ant-Man 3, Blade, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.
To know more about the streaming details, cick on the video below:
(Source: comicbook.com and economist.com)
