Halfway through Marvel’s Iron Man from 2008, Robert Downey Jr’s tin-plated superhero rockets towards the stratosphere for the first time. But his enthusiasm gets the better of him, his suit malfunctions and he plummets earthward. That is the trajectory Marvel has itself followed in recent months. Soaring too high, its circuits have fried. Now, after a string of critical and commercial flops, it is in freefall. That plunge has accelerated this week following the conviction for assault of Jonathan Majors, the charismatic actor upon which the studio and its “Marvel Cinematic Universe” had pinned its hopes.
Without question, Marvel’s quality control has slipped. It has overextended itself since the pandemic with its many forgettable Disney+ spin-offs, striking rock bottom with the dire Secret Invasion. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that, at its peak, the MCU gave us some of the greatest blockbusters of all time. It’s just four years since it floored audiences with the thoughtful and moving Avengers: Endgame, an emotional sucker-punch that reduced viewers to a teary mess as Chris Evans’s Captain America and Downey Jr’s Iron Man took their final bows.
