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Following Avengers: Endgame, MCU enthusiasts, film critics, and all those familiar with the franchise began to wonder: “Was that the peak of the superhero genre?” Will the MCU continue to thrive — venturing into the television space while expanding its cinematic scope — or, will it fail to ever strike Endgame’s signature high note?

With the face of the MCU and the leader of the Avengers, Iron Man and Captain America respectively, both gone for good, can the saga endure? The answer to this question: a resounding, yes. The problem: we’re asking the wrong question.

Avengers MCU
(L-R) Director Joe Russo, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Letitia Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, and director Anthony Russo attend the UK Fan Event for ‘Avengers Infinity War’ | Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

While Captain America and Iron Man were integral members, the MCU is continuing with beloved characters, and the universe is set to introduce the X-Men and the Fantastic Four (two groups of heroes finally in proper hands). In short, The MCU will continue until it’s no longer profitable — until it makes more sense for Disney to invest in other enterprises. 

With She-Hulk, WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and more all set to make Disney+ one of the hottest streaming services available, the profits are unimaginable. Not to mention, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Widow are shaping up to be some of the most highly anticipated standalone installments to date. Thus, the question should not be: was Endgame the peak of the superhero genre; but rather: was Endgame the catalyst to an expansion destined to be Marvel’s downfall? 

With multiple heroes existing in the same universe and more and more joining by the minute, the universe may reach a point when standalone movies — outside of origin films — feel like a stretch.

You’re telling me that Captain Marvel didn’t show up to lend Scarlet Witch a hand? 

As the MCU continues to expand, with multiple characters fighting foes on earth, or in galaxies far, far away, the MCU continues to produce mash-ups, in which the characters grow close, fighting alongside one another to protect humankind.

There’s one problem with this formula: what happens when you want to introduce a great threat for a specific superhero, without involving multiple Avengers? The logistics start to feel unrealistic. One fan explained that this very facet will be the end of the MCU, stating:

Hey here’s a question, where the hell were Tony, War Machine, Hulk and Thor during the events of Winter Soldier??

I’m this film, Hydra were seconds away from murdering a third of the planets population. Cap had to destroy the helicarriers and had plenty time to prepare, but he decides to take them on himself with just his fists and his flying sidekick as backup. What the hell? Wouldn’t it have been worth giving Tony or Thor a call to come help out? You know who’s great when you need to destroy things? I’ll give you a hint – he’s big, green and goes through 18 pairs of jeans a month.

Quora Post / User

While making light of the above implausibilities, these narrative oddities may become the very downfall of the MCU. Further, as the MCU expands, and continues to introduce characters left and right, these implausibilities are likely to increase in frequency. When “we’re all friends here,” fans will wonder, “well, why didn’t you call your friend and ask for a hand?”

The MCU may reach a point at which it becomes virtually impossible to retain individual heroes’ storylines; the universe may become reliant on mash-ups with at least a handful of supers for each film. And unless all the actors’ schedules seamlessly align when necessary, movie mash-ups existing as the sole answer to this problem feels a bit unattainable. 

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