By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago
Time flies even faster than Sam Wilson. It’s been over two years since Captain America 4 was announced at San Diego Comic-Con. The movie’s intended 2024 release date has already been delayed to February 14, 2025, ostensibly due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, though many speculated the delay had more to do with Disney’s desire to improve the quality of the film after negative test screenings.
Now there are reports of Captain America 4 reshoots less than three months before its release. This makes one thing depressingly clear: Disney no longer has any real creative vision when it comes to the MCU.
The Disastrous State Of Captain America 4
Previously, there was much speculation that Disney wanted to delay Captain America 4 to cut out potentially controversial elements. These included Israeli hero Sabra, who might make waves in the wake of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
There was also rampant speculation that the previous reshoots were prompted by negative test screenings, and now, the latest round of reshoots is reportedly due to audiences finding the movie boring and inessential to the larger MCU. This is clear evidence that Disney has lost its creative vision for this superhero franchise and is desperately trying to adjust content to audience desires rather than simply putting out a great film and letting critics and audiences judge the movie on its own merits.
Why Disney’s Current Approach Is A Bad Idea
The biggest problem with this approach is something I have written about before. Marvel has an entire multiverse of fans, and most of them have vastly different ideas of what the MCU should look like.
The irony here is that most of Marvel’s best decisions for their cinematic universe are things that many audiences would have hated the idea of if given advanced warning. For example, disgraced former addict and jailbird Robert Downey Jr. was a crazy casting choice for Iron Man, just as chubby, schlubby Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt was a crazy choice to headline an action film full of superhero C-listers.
Marvel’s Cinematic Universe Is Plagued With Crippling Reliance On Committees
Now, Captain America 4’s reported reshoots over negative screenings have revealed that Phase Five (and likely beyond) of the MCU is plagued by a crippling decision to rely on committees and executives to make decisions. The best example of this is Blade, a movie whose idiotproof concept (a cool, sunlight-proof vampire kills other bloodsuckers) has lost multiple directors, writers, and stars as Disney tries to create a compelling story for their most-delayed Marvel movie.
Marvel Must Unlearn This Helplessness Or It Is Doomed
The TL;DR of my plea to Marvel is this: unlearn the helplessness that comes from bad test screenings and doomscrolling social media for disgruntled neckbeard feedback. Hire talented directors and let them create the kind of killer comic content that once made the MCU a blockbuster film franchise. Otherwise, this cinematic universe will continue to decline, and it won’t be long before the fans who miss Marvel’s creative risk-taking focus their passion on the upcoming DCU and the endless creativity of superstar creator James Gunn.
Marvel has a lesson to learn. They just won’t know what it is until a committee delays figuring it out for about half a decade or so.
Conclusion
Captain America 4’s reported reshoots are a symptom of Marvel’s larger failure to let creators establish a bold vision rather than attempting to hew to an empty status quo of audience expectations. If Marvel doesn’t learn from its mistakes and unlearn its helplessness, it is doomed to continue declining.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did Disney delay Captain America 4?
A: The delay was allegedly due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, though many speculated it had more to do with Disney’s desire to improve the quality of the film after negative test screenings.
Q: What is the current status of Captain America 4?
A: There are reports of reshoots less than three months before its release, indicating that Disney is still trying to adjust the content to audience desires rather than putting out a great film.
Q: What is the problem with Marvel’s current approach?
A: The problem is that Marvel is relying too heavily on committees and executives to make decisions, rather than letting creators establish a bold vision. This has led to a decline in the quality of the MCU films.
Q: What can Marvel do to improve?
A: Marvel can hire talented directors and let them create the kind of killer comic content that once made the MCU a blockbuster film franchise. It needs to unlearn its helplessness and focus on putting out great films rather than trying to adjust to audience expectations.