credit: Marvel Comics
It’s a good question, really, since trying to predict what’s going to happen to the MCU in the next decade to come is kind of difficult, especially if one is trying to predict what will follow the current shows and movies that have already appeared. Were this still 2008, it might be easy to state that the MCU is going to undergo a few changes but will still be a solid franchise when that decade is ready to lean into the next one. The Infinity Saga had its ups and downs, but it more or less ended in a manner that was able to satisfy a majority of the fanbase, as the loss that was taken by the Avengers in Infinity War was tough, but it was vindicated by Endgame and what happened near the end. Even the emergence of the Black Widow movie was enough to silence a few doubters since she was finally given her moment in the sun that had been well-deserved for so long. But trying to state that the next ten years will be embraced as much as the previous decade was is unfortunately easy to doubt at this time.
credit: Marvel Comics
Certain teams should finally make their way into the MCU.
There are already rumors that the X-Men and Fantastic Four are on their way to the MCU, and the Thunderbolts have already been announced, so it’s easy to state that this prediction is already happening. In the years to come, though, it’s fair to predict that the MCU will continue the trend of not sticking to the comics and will end up highlighting the heroes and villains that they want to promote rather than the ones that people want to see. It’s not hard to think that some of the characters that fans want to see are tired and overplayed, but trying to keep the fanbase happy and move the story along in a manner that works for everyone and continues to help the MCU evolve.
The content and how it’s delivered need to evolve further.
Right now, it does feel as though women are becoming far stronger in the MCU, and while there’s nothing wrong with it (it’s a big advantage, really), the idea that men are being pushed to the back needs to change eventually. Both male and female heroes and villains need to be given representation, and yes, cultural representation needs to be observed as well. But the balance that’s needed hasn’t been reached yet, as Wakanda Forever makes it pointedly clear that women are considered to be the future of the MCU. Remember how that worked with Star Wars, or rather, didn’t work so well? Strong women that can take charge in a franchise are needed, and their presence is valued, but when it comes at the expense of everyone else in the movie, it’s hard to call this a balanced effort. A lot of people would no doubt love to say that it’s equalized because men dominated the MCU early on, and it’s true the MCU was very male-centric when it started. But if one takes a good look, they’ll realize that strong women were still there in the beginning, as Pepper Potts, Black Widow, Peggy Carter, Jane Foster, Lady Sif, and several others were strong women that balanced out the brash and sometimes arrogant heroes. Seriously, balance was being established early on in the MCU, and now it’s swung rather wide. In the next decade, it should hopefully swing a couple more times before finally reaching some semblance of equilibrium.
credit: Marvel Comics
Ironheart should be a key hero, not the new lead hero of the franchise.
Pushing Ironheart as a big-name hero is a good idea without any doubt, but at the same time, it’s fair that she not be made to replace Iron Man but to become her own character with many similarities. In the next ten years, it’s very possible that Ironheart could be one of the absolute best heroes that’s ever been seen in the MCU, but as of now, she has a ways to go and a lot more to do in order to impress people. She’s a great hero, but her journey is just starting.
The next big villain will need to be a serious cosmic threat.
There’s no doubt that Thanos was one of the biggest threats to the MCU and was worth the hype, but the next time around, it’s bound to happen that fans are going to want to see something even bigger and more dangerous. Galactus is one of the prime choices that a lot of people would want to see, but it does appear that Kang might be one of the villains that’s being set up for a big run too. In the next decade, it’s fair to state that whoever is propped up as the main villain will need to be a serious threat to the universe.