Becoming champ is one thing, staying there is something else altogether. That’s the challenge faced by the once all-conquering MCU and its belt-wearing head honcho Kevin Feige, for whom the glory days of Avengers: Endgame are now a distant memory. And it’s not the DCEU’s pale imitation that presents the big threat – even with ex- director James Gunn in charge. The passing of time and changing tastes demands bolder swings than much of Phase 5 provided, although it’s just possible that the infectious, daring Thunderbolts* and the infectious The Fantastic Four the start of something fresh.

In truth, though, even in its glory days, not all Marvel movies were created equal. For every box-office-dominating event picture, the studio would churn out a few inessential

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