Something has been a little off with Marvel Studios in the post Avengers: Endgame era. Anticipation for projects in Phases Four and Five haven’t yet reached the levels they were at during the initial three phases, and fans have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what the issue is. Some have pointed out that too much of Phase Four was spent introducing new characters such as Moon Knight, the Eternals, Kate Bishop, Shang-Chi, Kamala Khan, and Kang the Conqueror. But James Gunn – who knows a thing or two about storytelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – has pointed at a narrative choice that, to him, is making MCU storytelling difficult.
James Gunn plans to wrap up his involvement in the MCU with this summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the conclusion of his trilogy that will introduce Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), reunite Gamora (Zoe Saldana) with her “family,” and explore Rocket’s backstory. Gunn, of course, is taking his talents to DC Films, where he’ll serve as co-CEO with producer Peter Safran as well as write and direct Superman: Legacy. In a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, however, Gunn talked about the MCU, and his reason why the stories in Phases Four and Five might be struggling. He explained:
I really want Marvel to keep making good movies. I think it’s really hard in the wake of the Blip. There’s this worldwide, universe-wide event that happened. And in truth, everybody would be stark raving mad at this point. So it’s hard to write stories in the wake of that. Which is why the Guardians movies have been easier, because they’re set outside of that a little bit.
The Blip has been the catalyst for a handful of stories in the MCU. The Blip refers to the time frame where half of the world’s population disappeared for five years (thanks to The Snap, conducted by Thanos while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet). Thor really should have gone for the head.
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And the repercussions of the Blip are still being felt to this day. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) still felt like he lost so much time with his teenage daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), prompting him to make a pact with Kang (Jonathan Majors) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. One of the earlier Phase Four projects, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, focused heavily on a political organization that believed life was better during The Blip.
But The Blip also creates continuity nightmares, so Marvel actors and directors frequently get asked about whether or not certain characters “Blipped” away, and how is the MCU handling it. Spider-Man: Far From Home played it for laughs, like when one student was five years older, and more handsome, when all Peter’s friends blipped back. WandaVision, however, had an emotional wrenching moment when Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) returned from the Blip to learn that, in her absence, her ailing mother Maria had died.
Gunn’s right that The Blip has caused some headaches, and it might be the reason why casual audiences are tuning out of some of the MCU stories. It might also be the concept of the Multiverse, which can be confusing and alienating to non-comic crowds. We’ll see how Guardians 3 does when it opens, but really pay attention to The Marvels, now that it has been delayed to allow breathing room between MCU projects, and build anticipation.
