As of late, it’s been rather common to see folks claiming that the Marvel Cinematic Universe should have come to a complete end immediately following Avengers: Endgame. In social media posts, videos, and comments, these folks have been quite vocal about their wishes that there had been no further Marvel projects released and that anything that has come out since has either been terrible or pointless. They couldn’t be more wrong. The MCU definitely should not have ended back in 2019.
Avengers: Endgame was definitely the ending for the decade-long arc, but not every story was fully concluded. Sam Wilson was given Captain America’s shield and the task of carrying on his legacy. The Guardians of the Galaxy had plenty of unfinished business, like finding the past timeline’s Gamora. Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther were all smackdab in the middle of their own arcs. Thor still had a lot of emotional growth to be had. Why end the franchise while there are so many arcs left open?
The whole point of this cinematic universe is to feel like the comic books it’s based on. Marvel comic books are ongoing. If the movies truly want to mimic the feel of the source material, they’d be ongoing as well. A major event doesn’t end the comic book stories, it just changes them going forward. It makes sense for the films to reflect that, like with seeing how the Blip affects like and storylines going forward.
Thanos is just one major big bad from the comics, with plenty others that could be used going forward. Galactus, Doctor Doom, Apocalypse, Magneto, and plenty of others could be adapted for the MCU. The comics never ended after defeating just one of them, so why would the movies?
It’s also worth noting that there have been several outstandingly great Marvel projects that were released after Avengers: Endgame. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was one of the best and most emotional movies in the franchise. Spider-Man: Now Way Home is one of the most financially and critically successful movies in the MCU, and it provided some of the best fan-service that had audiences cheering. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a tremendous breath of fresh air for the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was an emotional epic that served as a send off to an incredible actor while also being exciting and introducing an entire intriguing kingdom. Disney+ series like Loki and WandaVision had fans talking and speculating for months. None of these and more would have come to be if the MCU had ended with Endgame.
Thanks to the shared movie universe continuing on, more beloved characters can be brought to life and more iconic stories can be adapted on the big screen. Marvel Comics has such a long and rich history of fan-favorite heroes and unforgettable moments, all of which have the potential to make their way into the movies. If the MCU had already ended with Endgame, then all hope of seeing some incredible Marvel comics adapted to live action would be lost.
Nonstop Nerd 