Who doesn’t love a good teaser? Especially when it’s packed with enough Easter eggs to make even the Easter Bunny jealous. The latest trailer of Deadpool & Wolverine has left fans scouring each frame, not just for the thrilling action or the snarky banter we’ve grown to love but for the subtle nods that might hint at what’s really brewing in the MCU.

From a portal that suspiciously resembles Dr. Strange’s handiwork to the appearance of B-15 from the Loki series and even the big bad Alioth, the trailer is a treasure trove of Easter eggs that hint at a much larger, interconnected narrative. Add to that, the TVA’s involvement in the story who apparently recruits Wade for a mission, it’s not hard to wonder if Loki will make a brief cameo in the movie.

First, let’s clarify the timeline. The Deadpool & Wolverine movie is likely set after the events where Loki assumed control over all the branches of time and pulled them together. In the first trailer, we catch a glimpse of a redesigned TVA logo, which, according to CBR, confirms that Loki has now replaced the former TVA squad seen in the Loki series. Furthermore, the brief depiction of the multiversal Yggdrasil tree in the mural confirms that the movie takes place after the conclusion of Loki Season 2.

Is Loki in Deadpool & Wolverine?

For those who need a refresher, Alioth is the gargantuan smoke monster that guards the Void at the end of time. With Loki now in charge of the TVA and the timelines, it’s not a stretch to imagine that he could be using Alioth for his own purposes.

However, before we get too carried away with our conspiracy theories, it’s worth taking a step back and considering the limitations of Loki’s current situation. As we saw in the Loki series finale, the God of Stories is now trapped in the Void, tasked with maintaining the delicate balance of the timelines. The whole point of his new role is to keep the timelines in check, not to gallivant around the Multiverse causing mischief.

While the hints and teases in the trailer are certainly tantalizing, we can’t certainly forget that Marvel is known for its clever red herrings. For all we know, the appearance of Alioth, B-15, could be just a wink and nod to the fans who have been following the MCU‘s multiversal adventures with bated breath.

No, Henry Cavill isn’t the latest famous face to date Taylor Swift (although, who knows, give them time), but the former Superman star and the “Anti-Hero” singer do now share something unexpected in common. And it’s all Deadpool & Wolverine‘s fault.

Speaking of Tay-Tay, one of her erstwhile beaus, Tom Hiddleston, has reigned supreme over the MCU for the longest time, but it turns out his Marvel journey could’ve been even richer if Neil Gaiman had gotten his way. Meanwhile, has Bob Iger’s creative clamp-down may have claimed its first victim?

Taylor Swift, Daniel Radcliffe… and now Henry Cavill? Deadpool & Wolverine earns its weirdest rumored cameo yet

We’re heading ever closer to Deadpool & Wolverine‘s release this July, and the crazy cameo rumors keep on rolling in. You may have already heard about Taylor Swift’s purported part in the threequel, or else the chatter that Daniel Radcliffe could show up. Well, both of those mind-blowing multiversal crossovers could just be blown out of the water by this one. Now, don’t get too carried away just yet, but multiple Marvel scoopers are confidently claiming that Henry Cavill will appear in the Ryan Reynolds vehicle… as another version of Wolverine! Honestly, I hope that’s true just for the sake of Cavill’s box office average, given how Argylle fared in February. Even so, given how long he’s been linked to the likes of Sentry, Captain Britain, and even Doctor Doom, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Neil Gaiman reveals he nearly made a Thor prequel animated series all about Loki breaking bad

Neil Gaiman’s influence is woven through the MCU in a very subtle way, from the Marvel 1602 episode in What If….? to Eternals (more on that in a moment) borrowing from his comics. But it turns out we could’ve have an actual bonafide Gaiman project in the MCU, if things had gone differently. The Sandman creator has revealed that, back in the mid-2000s, Gaiman worked with Marvel Studios to develop an animated series set prior to 2011’s Thor, and even “came up with a whole story shape that ran a few seasons showing young Loki going from hero-worshipping his big brother to Going to the Bad.” Tragically, Marvel told him he “wasn’t actually allowed to have any of the characters at any point be different in any way from how they were in the Thor movie,” at which point he said “thanks, but no thanks” and bailed. Honestly, we can’t blame him but, oh, what could’ve been.

The eternal question of what’s going on with Eternals 2 may finally have been answered

Eternals 2 isn’t happening? Everyone, pretend to be shocked! Yes, we had all pretty much figured it out anyway, after two and a half years of radio silence, but it’s being reported that a sequel to Chloé Zhao’s dour, DC-coded epic Eternals has been quietly shelved at Marvel, following Bob Iger promising investors that the studio will only focus on assured moneymakers from now on. So, given that Eternals stands as the fifth lowest-grossing MCU film ever, it never really stood a chance. That means we might just have to kiss goodbye our chances of seeing the likes of Kit Harington’s Black Knight and Harry Styles’ Starfox again in the MCU, as even Kevin Feige has practically admitted he had no idea what to do with them in the first place.

It’s been two months since Marvel dropped Jonathan Majors, although it already feels like much longer. You could say that the writing was on the walls long before the Marvel star was found guilty of misdemeanor assault, that Majors was a marked man, that his days were numbered. At least that’s how it felt, people were talking about his departure for months before it was all finally confirmed, so the question is, was Marvel already making plans to reduce Jonathan Majors’ involvement in the MCU and if so, why?

How much damage did Quantumania do?

One year later and Quantumania haunts Marvel fans to this day. The third installment in the Ant-Man franchise was supposed to be an epic adventure that would launch the MCU into phase 5 as well as officially introduce the Multiverse Saga’s big bad. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very good, in fact, it was downright bad, and as such, Quantumania has gone down in history as marking the beginning of the worst year for Marvel so far.

This was pretty bad news for Majors, whose debut in the film was greatly anticipated. Whilst fans singled out his performance as being one of the few good things many thought that his character was misused. Many were expecting him to kill Ant-Man considering his power level, but he got beaten by an army of ants and this was supposed to be the next Avengers level threat!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel was making moves to minimize Majors’ role in future projects after the failure of Quantumania. Marvel is known to adapt and change course fast, it’s part of the reason the studio has thrived for so long, so this does make sense. But Jonathan Majors did well with what he had in that movie, can Marvel really pin the blame on him?

The trial

There’s no doubt that the accusations against the star damaged his reputation. When the news of his arrest first broke it looked possible that Disney/Marvel would drop him there and then. But they stuck with him, after all, he was in line to be the studio’s next big villain, he was the proverbial golden goose. He was able to keep his role as Kang/Victor Timely in the second season of Loki but found himself being kicked to the curb a little over a month later. Whilst there’s no doubt his assault charge led to his dismissal, perhaps if Quantumania had delivered, and if Kang brought in the fans and the money then Majors just might have gotten a second chance. That said, perhaps for Disney an assault conviction is always going to be a step too far.

His debut hadn’t been a box office draw to begin with, and now, with his reputation in tatters, letting Majors go was the most obvious choice for Marvel and Disney.

The Wolverine cameo at the end of the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer successfully broke the internet. But who else will be starring in arguably the most anticipated MCU release since Avengers: Endgame? 

After the Easter-egg filled trailer, the fans would like to know if Loki will be making an appearance in Deadpool 3. After all, Wade will be tangling with the Time Variance Authority, and the TVA were originally introduced to the MCU in the first season of Loki. The TVA was charged with maintaining the Sacred Timeline of the MCU, but over the course of both seasons of Loki, we saw this shattered as all the branches of the Marvel Universe have now been set free. More importantly, the season 2 finale of Loki saw the God of Mischief take on the duty of holding this newly branched multiverse together, making him a central figure in any multiverse-related story in the MCU henceforth. So, the question remains, will Loki be in Deadpool 3?

Why we might see Loki in Deadpool & Wolverine

Loki’s new job as the conduit of the multiverse puts him in a prime position for Wade Wilson to run into him, especially if he’s running around at the TVA. Deadpool is known for his irreverence and meta-humor, and he just might take a dig at Loki, or better yet, show up at Loki’s new spot at the temporal tree.

There’s also the chance that Loki might intervene in Deadpool’s actions if he is causing too much havoc on the timelines. In the trailer, we see the TVA arriving to pull Deadpool out of his timeline, much like they did to Loki back in season 1. Knowing how much of a troublemaker Deadpool is, he would likely not comply with whatever mission TVA Agent Paradox is requesting of him, which might lead to some intervention from Loki himself. Furthermore, with the upcoming movie already centered on two Marvel powerhouses, bringing in Loki for a small cameo may be worth it for a little extra hype from first viewers.

Why we might not see Loki in Deadpool & Wolverine

However, despite all the evidence pointing to the fact that the world of Loki is about to become intertwined with that of Deadpool, there is little to prove that Loki himself will be making an appearance. Plot-wise, all the explanations for why Loki might show up seem far-fetched, especially because the trailer only barely gives a hint at what Deadpool & Wolverine will be all about. 

The Deadpool movies have also never relied on cameos and fan-service the way other MCU projects might, so they’re unlikely to start now. Marvel might also be unwilling to show Loki again so soon after his big sacrifice at the end of Loki season 2. Thus, the production powerhouse might be saving his reappearance for a much bigger event, like an ensemble movie. 

So, will Loki be showing up in Deadpool 3? The short answer is maybe. However, the long answer is “probably not.” However, this is the MCU, and anything is possible.

Behold, your Marvel messiah! The Deadpool & Wolverine Super Bowl trailer went and finally gave us our first glimpse at the grand MCU debut of Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with the Mouth. Specifically, it revealed exactly how the anti-hero will crossover into the Marvel Studios reality. In a kind of demented, fourth-wall breaking mirror to Loki season 1, it’ll happen thanks to the TVA, as Wade Wilson is pulled out of his own timeline by the agents of the Time Variance Authority.

For a full-on “Deadpool meets the Avengers” team-up we might have to wait until Secret Wars (and the trailer even dropped a tease at that very eventuality), but clearly Deadpool 3 won’t waste any time in tying DP into the MCU’s lore. And in doing so, the franchise will tip its hat to one of the cinematic universe’s most traditional tropes: wonky continuity. Sure enough, the TVA as depicted in Deadpool & Wolverine doesn’t exactly match up with the organization’s portrayal in Loki.

So does someone need to be pruned at Marvel Studios for this blunder? Or is there a clever canon reason for this Deadpool vs. Disney Plus discrepancy?

Which version of the TVA appears in Deadpool & Wolverine?

Fans who were paying close attention immediately noticed that the TVA hunters that apprehended Wade from his timeline in the trailer have completely different uniforms from those in the Loki TV series. Whereas Hunter B-15 and others wear more streamlined black body armor with orange detailing and TVA insignias, the DP3 hunters don much bulkier armor plating with red detailing instead of orange and the addition of goggles on their helmets.

Obviously, behind the scenes, the reason for the change is obvious. Deadpool & Wolverine presumably has a bigger budget than Loki and a different costuming department — obviously they’re going to put their own stamp on it. From an in-universe perspective, however, it’s leading to some speculation from fans that this is actually an entirely different version of the TVA — the presence of Matthew McFadyen’s high-ranking Agent Paradox, never seen in Loki, only fuels this theory.

Nonetheless, whether it’s intentional or not, Loki season 2 does provide a possible explanation for the uniform alterations, and even personnel changes. In the season 2 finale, Loki rebooted time and the TVA was reborn anew, now operating as a more democratic organization run by its agents rather than ruled over by He Who Remains. It would make sense for the TVA to elect to freshen up their look to mark this brave new era.

“Also the new uniforms look like they have built-in bodycams, perhaps to help reduce the likelihood of rogue or corrupt agents,” opined Redditor ember3pines, presumably referencing how much trouble the renegade General Dox caused in Loki season 2.

LastWednesday0716 believes the TVA’s redesign hints at its bigger plans to combat the incoming Kang Dynasty: “The new uniforms look designed more for combat than policing which the old ones looked built for. This would make sense if their new mission is to ‘combat’ a rising Kang in a timeline. We’ve seen what a single Kang can do to an unprepared combatant. This to me speaks of a TVA that is preparing for war.”

Meanwhile, Krolitian provided the ultimate bit of evidence that Deadpool 3‘s TVA is from after the events of Loki season 2, thanks to a big blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clue. “They showed the logo for Loki’s new TVA logo in the trailer,” the Redditor said. “When they walk thru the push doors, in the background you can see if on the wall. It’s the hourglass with branches on both sides.”

It’s unclear if Deadpool & Wolverine will reference the events of the Loki finale, but given that What If…? managed it, it’s not out of the question. Even a cameo from Tom Hiddleston doesn’t seem too crazy. July 26 can’t come soon enough.

2024 is a curious year for the superhero world as Marvel and DC are practically on pause this year, with the real fallout for major changes to come not being felt until 2025.

For example, as James Gunn prepares to shoot next year’s Superman: Legacy evidence indicates he could be swiping the brains behind Marvel’s Loki for his own. Meanwhile, the Thunderbolts cast may finally be locked in as the future of the MCU on Disney Plus looks to have been thrown for a loop by Echo.

Things may seem quiet on the MCU/DCU front now, but just you wait, next year is going to be crazy…

Is James Gunn just the start of Marvel’s directors jumping ship to DC?

In the wake of House of the Dragon‘s Milly Alcock being confirmed as the DCU’s Supergirl, some curious social media activity has eagle-eyed fans wondering if Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow could see another Marvel director pulling a Gunn out of their pocket and hopping over to DC. Specifically, Kate Herron — known for helming Loki season 1 — interacted with Alcock’s post about her casting. As far as we know, Alcock and Herron have no professional connection, so it’s possible the Sex Education alum is in talks to direct the Superman: Legacy spinoff. Could this be just the beginning of the mass Marvel director exodus? Who could Gunn poach next? The Russo brothers?! We can but dream…

Chart-topper Echo cost a mere fraction as much as She-Hulk and Secret Invasion

Something had to be done. The budgets for Marvel’s streaming shows have been increasing virtually with each new project, until we got to the point where She-Hulk and Secret Invasion cost as much as Avengers movies for a diet slice of the success. Enter Echo, which premiered on both Disney Plus and Hulu earlier this month and instantly topped the charts for both platforms. How much did that cost? As it turns out, just $40 million — that’s about 17% of She-Hulk‘s exorbitant $225 million pricetag. In other words, expect many more Marvel Spotlight series on the horizon and far fewer about green CGI characters. Bad news for anyone still dreaming about a “Shrek and Mike Wazowski Meet The Hulk” show.

Thunderbolts losing another cast-member as it gains two more means it’s time to install a revolving door

You know how DC’s Suicide Squad franchise kills off its characters over the course of the movie so you don’t know who’s going to make it to the end? Well, Marvel seems to be pulling off an elaborate marketing tactic along the same lines for its own answer to Task Force X. The anti-hero team-up movie has been faced with so many casting changes this January that we can’t be sure who’ll actually be in it by the time the film releases in July 2025. As it happens, Lewis Pullman is officially replacing Steven Yeun as Sentry while The Bear favorite Ayo Edebiri is likewise out, leaving Geraldine Viswanathan (Bad Education) to fill her shoes. Just don’t take away Sebastian Stan or Florence Pugh, Marvel, and we’re golden.

There’s a frustrating tendency in revenge stories for the protagonist to finally stand in front of the person they want to kill and hesitate. Cue the monologuing, the confusion, and the “we’re the same, you and I” stuff. So it was refreshing in the Loki season 1 finale when Sylvie tried to merc Kang the Conqueror right after meeting him.

Kang’s precise knowledge of everything they’d say and do made it almost impossible to lay a finger on him but, in the end, Sylvie did what she came to do. Now it’s worth explaining why his death had such a sudden and drastic effect on the world and how it impacted the second season.

So why does Kang’s death break the multiverse?

At the start of season one, the TVA’s purpose was apparently to keep the Sacred Timeline flowing to stop the universe from collapsing into multiversal disarray. And, surprisingly, that proved to be absolutely true. The only twist is that the multiversal chaos is always caused by Kang variants who ultimately end up brutally conquering other universes.

So why did killing the Kang at the end of time – known as He Who Remains – screw everything up? Well, the TVA exists throughout all time simultaneously in order to stop branching timelines from spawning new Kangs.

So, once He Who Remains is dead, there’s no one directing the TVA to prune Kang-loaded timelines. Asa such, new Kangs immediately begin to appear and wreak havoc.

We get a taste of what this will be like in the final moments of season one when Loki arrives back at the TVA to find that a Kang has already taken control of it. That this occurs instantly makes sense, as the TVA’s tech and strategic position outside of regular time make it an obvious prize for any ambitious Kang discovering it (and its position outside of time means this happened immediately from the TVA’s perspective).

This means the Kang in the season one finale may be the most benevolent it’s possible for a Kang to be, as the other incarnations we’ve seen so far have been much less chatty. Oh well, at least Sylvie got her revenge.

Being in the presence of a god can take a major hit to your ego. Unless you’re the Loki in which case *scoffs* Thor isn’t even that tall. 

The God of Thunder’s dominating presence has intimidated many-an-Avenger (except Carol Danvers). However, there’s nothing like a good ol’ sibling rivalry to dig up the not-at-all immature question as to who is taller. 

The sculpted blonde god is usually revered for his strength, stature, and formidable presence, but in episode 3 of Loki season 2, Loki takes it upon himself to point out that “Thor’s not that tall” when three wooden sculptures of Thor, Odin, and Balder the Brave require a bit of neck craning to get a good look. 

How tall is Thor, really?

Now, there’s nothing wrong with being short. Wolverine is a prime example of this. But Thor, the God of Thunder, is as tall as his name is mighty. According to the Marvel Encyclopedia, published in 2002, the character comes in at 6’6” (198 cm).

In case you were wondering, he also weighs — get ready for this — 640 pounds thanks to the density of his Asgardian bones and tissue (imagine how much he weighed with that beer belly!).

Sorry, Loki, those are the facts. Thor’s pretty tall.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn’t have chosen a better actor to play Thor since Chris Hemsworth, believe it or not, is just a few inches shorter than Thor. The Australian god — ahem, I mean actor — is 6’3” (190 cm) and has been known to weigh 220 pounds.

Next time you try clocking your brother’s height, Loki, we suggest you — and we’re sorry to tell you this — pick on someone your own size.

Who’s the greatest hero the MCU‘s ever had? Well, anyone who’s cried at the ending of Avengers: Endgame would probably say Iron Man, but then you could also interpret that question in a slightly different way as who is the most powerful hero, in which case you might lean towards Captain Marvel or even Scarlet Witch.

However, if you really think about it, there is actually only one answer to that question that makes any canonical sense, and it’s an answer that may surprise you. It’s certainly an answer that would’ve surprised us back when the MCU first began with Phase One, given how far this character has come. For this mind-blowing revelation, you need look no further than the best mainstream MCU product (excluding the standalone Guardians 3) Phase Five has given us so far. I am, of course, talking about Quantumania Loki season 2.

Forget Iron Man’s snap, nobody has saved more lives than Loki

As a hilarious meme (courtesy of u/Pythagoras180/ScreenRant) makes clear, the number of lives saved by the Avengers, even once you add all four big crossover event movies to date together, is nothing compared to the number of lives saved by Loki. The Asgardian prince’s whole ambition in season 2 is to rescue the TVA so that it can continue to maintain the Sacred Timeline and its infinite offshoots. Of course, Loki ultimately succeeds in his aims, albeit at a deep, personal cost, and he becomes God Loki, the overseer of the entire Sacred Timeline.

In Thor, Heimdall reveals that the Earth-616 universe contains 10 trillion lives, therefore Tony Stark successfully saved 5 trillion souls when he reversed Thanos’ snap in Endgame. That’s no mean feat, to be sure, but the figure that Loki has saved is truly incalculable. Loki rebooted the timeline when he graduated to his godhood, creating the World Tree which upholds an infinite number of branched timelines. Therefore he saved an infinite number of 10 trillion lives.

It’s ironic that Stark’s incredible heroic achievement is made to look small-fry by the very first world-ending threat that Iron Man faced. Just like Tony eventually became someone who would make the “sacrifice play,” as Cap would call it, so too did Loki. It just took him a little longer, although boy, did he make up for it.

Although, once Avengers: Secret Wars gets here and plunges the multiverse into danger once more, then the Avengers might demand a recount.

Echo and Daredevil star Vincent D’Onofrio has nothing but great things to say about his time making the upcoming Disney Plus Marvel television series. In fact, his words are so sweet, we might be blushing a little.

In a recent interview with MovieWeb, the Wilson Fisk performer sang the praises of Echo director Sydney Freeland, crediting her and her majority-female crew for “one of the smoothest productions I’ve ever been on.” The 64-year-old went on to reveal that there were never any kinks in need of ironing out during his time on set, and that “nobody ever bumped against anything.” We suppose that means literally and figuratively. “It was amazing,” he gushed.

Could we have another Loki season 2 on our hands?

The last Marvel show to be hailed for its bump-free production was Loki, particularly its second season, with producer Kevin Wright boasting about it being “the first Marvel series to never have any additional photography.”

Re-shoots have plagued Marvel in recent years and have rarely been signs of good things to come. The constant switches in release schedules, paired with the constricting inter-connectedness of the fictional universe, have resulted in blunders as shocking as Secret Invasion. Loki needing no last-minute touch-ups was a welcome change, which proved auspicious in the end.

Loki felt like one of the first Marvel installments in a long time to be carefully crafted and perfected, instead of caving under the weight of deadlines and disorganization. Consequently, it was also one of the best things the comic book juggernaut has put out since the Infinity Saga.

Judging by D’Onofrio’s comments, it seems like Echo could be channeling a lot of that same energy. At least at first glance.

Is Vincent D’Onofrio doing damage control?

We can’t help but feel a certain amount of whiplash over D’Onofrio’s comments considering the stark difference from earlier reports that characterized the Echo production as — to paraphrase — an “unreleasable mess.”

Back in May of last year, industry insider Jeff Sneider painted a completely different picture of the behind-the-scenes of the upcoming Hawkeye spin-off, saying on The Hot Mic Podcast, “I heard the show was kind of plagued by issues throughout production.” According to Sneider, the initial material was so bad, that the team had to go back in and “reshoot the entire thing.”

The choice to release every episode at once — a binge-friendly strategy in the same mold as other streaming platforms, but unlike how Disney Plus usually operates — also raised eyebrows, as many questioned whether it meant that the studio had lost faith in the show altogether.

Whether or not these rumors are true, the fact that D’Onofrio has chosen the press run for the show to change the narrative so completely doesn’t feel accidental. The actor is Freeland’s biggest supporter.

“Sydney Freeland had a lot to do with that when it comes to my performance in this show. You know, the script pleases you. I wanted to please her as a director. She has this quality where you just want to do the right thing for the lady. You just do. She’s just awesome, and you just want to do the right thing for her. She’s got this great way of directing. It’s so subtle and so powerful at the same time. It’s pretty amazing. That kind of thing doesn’t always happen in one’s career.”

We can’t wait to see for ourselves which of these accounts seems more plausible when Echo hits Disney Plus Jan. 9.

2008. 2012. 2019. These and many others will go down in film history as banner years for Marvel Studios — years that established, cemented, and proved beyond all doubt that the MCU was the biggest franchise in the world. 2023, though? Not so much.

It’s no secret that, since 2020, Marvel has been on much less surer footing than it was during the golden Infinity Saga era, but even by the end of 2022 there was still much hope and excitement for the future. Compare that to where things stand at the end of 2023, where even the existence of Avengers 5 — surely the safest bet on Marvel’s slate — is shrouded in doubt and mystery.

So, to put it plainly, what the heck happened? To be fair, various external events impacted on Marvel’s year in ways it could not have foreseen, but wherever the fault lies, these 10 mistakes are what caused the franchise to transform in just 12 months from the MCU to the MC-eww.

10. Hiring Jonathan Majors as Kang

Let’s just get the obvious one out of the way first. At the start of the year, choosing to hang the Kang Dynasty on Jonathan Majors looked to be a smart bet. Quantumania bombed (more on that in a moment), but his intense performance in it certainly wowed fans. And then things took a shocking turn. In March, Majors was arrested for domestic violence charges and he faces up to a year in prison if his ongoing trial goes against him. Majors’ career has otherwise dried up, but as far as we know, he remains attached to Marvel for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga. It seems that, as long as the actor keeps on being Kang, the MCU will continually be overshadowed by ugly off-screen events.

9. Making Ant-Man all-important

Unfortunately, Quantumania had enough problems on its plate before all the Majors drama came to light. Although trailers were enticing, once we got to see the threequel it became abundantly clear that attempting to crowbar Ant-Man, the little Marvel hero who could, into a leading Iron Man/Captain America-style character whose job it is to kick off Phase Five, was a terrible idea. The whole appeal of the first two films is their, well, small-scale storytelling, divorced from the wider franchise. Quantumania, meanwhile, creaks under the strain of upholding the entire Multiverse Saga on its shoulders. Ants may be able to lift 10 times their own weight, but not this much.

8. Producer Victoria Alonso fired amid mysterious circumstances

2023 seemed to bring one PR disaster after another for Marvel, and the same month of Majors’ arrest saw long-term studio producer Victoria Alonso suddenly let go from the company. Officially, Alonso was thrown under the bus for producing a movie for Amazon, and allegedly breaking her noncompete agreement, but other rumors swirled that her pro-LGBTQ+ stance was at odds with Disney’s amid the whole “Don’t Say Gay” debacle. Whatever the truth of it, the loss of Alonso — widely viewed as Kevin Feige’s right-hand woman — signaled to the world that things were not going entirely smoothly behind the scenes at the House of Ideas.

7. Revenge of the VFX artists

Audiences’ growing dissatisfaction with CGI in Marvel movies reached a head in 2023, thanks to the release of Quantumania — with its sludgy rendering of the Quantum Realm environment and the general uncanniness of M.O.D.O.K. garnering much criticism. In a shocking expose, VFX artists hit back to defend their reputations, revealing the harsh working conditions they’ve been put under and poor management on Marvel’s part (Alonso was implicated in this too). Ultimately, Marvel’s VFX artists officially unionized, which should hopefully see an uptick in their working experience as well as ensure a better quality of visuals on screen.

6. Letting James Gunn go

Perhaps this isn’t a problem that necessarily arose in 2023, but this year certainly brought Marvel’s folly into sharper focus. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is easily the most acclaimed MCU movie of the year — it earned the most money, the best reviews, and it’s even landed itself a Golden Globe nomination. Unfortunately, Gunn’s not around to capitalize on this success and help Marvel save itself as he’s busy becoming Kevin Feige’s chief rival over at DC, building on a relationship he established with Warner Bros. following Disney’s attempt at firing him back in 2018. We’ll have to see how the Superman: Legacy vs. Thunderbolts battle goes in July 2025 before we can say how bad a mistake this was, but the odds are certainly in Superman’s favor.

5. The entire Secret Invasion finale

The egregious errors littered through Secret Invasion‘s infamous finale could fill an entire other listicle (oh, wait, they already have). From the nonsensical resolution to the awful CGI used in the Super-Skrull fight (again, not blaming you, VFX team!) to the awkward disconnection from The Marvels, Secret Invasion‘s last hour turned what was once a hugely promising noir thriller series into yet another embarrassment for a saga that already has far too many as it is. No wonder, in the wake of its release, Marvel was announced to be tearing down its current TV-making process and starting again from scratch.

4. The un-timely debut of Victor Timely

Thank God (Loki) for Loki season 2. Like Guardians 3, it was a rare treat beloved by pretty much the whole wide fandom. Although critics and casual viewers were left more than a little confused, the finale — in particular — was one of the strongest, smartest pieces of Marvel production we’ve had since Phase Three. And yet there’s one, well, major decision that ended up biting the show in the behind. At a time when the franchise really needed to distance itself from him, Jonathan Majors returned as Kang variant Victor Timely (albeit a role filmed before his arrest). Due to no fault of its own, the discourse around Loki‘s second season became somewhat dominated by Majors’ inclusion. Especially as Tom Hiddleston wasn’t around to be the show’s poster boy.

3. Ignoring the SAG-AFTRA strike

We can’t blame Marvel Studios specifically for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that plagued Hollywood in 2023, but it’s up for argument if it handled the situation as best it could. Its 2024 and 2025 releases falling back like dominoes couldn’t be helped, but Marvel’s decision to drop Loki season 2 and, in particular, The Marvels in the fall, which meant the actors couldn’t help promote them, surely is at least partially the reason for the former’s vanishing viewing figures and the latter’s much-publicized box office bombing. Warner Bros., for example, knew enough to hold up Dune: Part Two until next spring, where it likely stands a stronger chance of performing. Who knows what could’ve happened to The Marvels if it had been released at a different time?

2. Marketing The Marvels

Saying the effects of the SAG strikes are the only reason for The Marvels‘ failure would be disingenuous, though, as clearly its status as the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time is the result of various contributing factors. The movie’s marketing is definitely one of the biggest. For months, Marvel seemed happy to promote this one as a carefree, mid-level Marvel film that was mostly just a bit of fun. That might’ve worked back in the 2010s, but that wasn’t cutting it with the much more discerning moviegoers of the 2020s. When tracking was looking dangerously low, Marvel performed a sharp pivot, desperately attempting to hook us in with sepia-colored Avengers: Endgame clips and even spoiling the post-credits scene (usually a big no-no). But it was too late, the damage was done. Now we’re left to wonder if Marvel’s forgotten the magic of marketing its way to billion-dollar success.

1. Letting the world take the MCU for granted

The ultimate problem that’s plagued the MCU in 2023, however, is that Marvel fatigue ⏤ once a mere myth peddled by its doomsaying critics ⏤ genuinely does seem to be a real thing. This is something that’s been building for years, perhaps ever since Avengers: Endgame, but it’s fair to say that 2023 is the year that people really started drifting away from the franchise en masse. The tragedy is that Marvel has blindly assumed that the public’s love for the universe would continue automatically, so by pumping out content on both the big and small screens, the studio allowed for people to take the MCU’s existence for granted. With only one film coming in 2024, Marvel now has a prime opportunity to take stock and allow audiences to actually miss the MCU and get hungry for more again. Even if Deadpool 3 does promise to be a full meal on its own…

It’s become an unfortunate running joke of Marvel‘s Multiverse Saga era that any time we get a tease or a tag scene pointing to some future development or character, it’s going to be an age before we ever see that come to anything. Even Kevin Feige admits it.

Hercules in Thor: Love and Thunder, Harry Styles in Eternals, Skaar in She-Hulk (sorry to remind you of that haircut)? All of them lost in the ether of the MCU. It’s understandable why this happens, of course. Although we see these projects one after the other within a matter of months, each of these movies and TV shows is basically made in isolation alongside each other, so it’s difficult for each production to crossover with another.

That said, it’s apparently a lot easier if they’re animated. Given the MCU’s habit of doing nothing with major MCU developments for years on end — what’s going on with that giant Celestial sticking out of the ocean? Who knows! — we fully expected to see no repercussions from Loki season 2 until at least Phase Six. As it happens, we’re getting just that within about six weeks. And it’s all thanks to What If…?.

What if…? season 2 immediately teases God Loki’s power over the MCU

What If…? season 2 is coming this yuletide to wrap up Marvel’s misshapen year on a high, and the latest trailer for the animated series’ return goes and reveals how it’s going to crossover with Loki, continuing the MCU’s favorite tradition at the same time.

With all nine episodes dropping daily across Christmas week starting Dec. 22, it seems this run has always been planned as a festive treat given the inclusion of a special Holiday-themed episode. And it’s a clip from this same episode that features the shocking Loki tie-in. “Let me tell you one of my favorite yuletide stories,” Jeffrey Wright’s Watcher tells Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) before the scene spins around to reveal none other than Loki’s World Tree, decorated with Christmas lights.

Yes, the MCU tends to make fun of itself in all kinds of ways eventually — think Avengers: Endgame‘s “Hail Hydra” jokes, What If…? season 1’s zen Thanos, and basically all of She-Hulk — but a gentle joke at the emotional Loki season 2 finale making its debut on our screens less than two months later has to be a new record.