What Will Come After the MCU?

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Has anyone ever pondered the question of what will come after the MCU? Or, are there that many people who think that the MCU will be headlining generation after generation until those of us that saw it rise from nothing are gone? It’s already been around for well over a decade, and the franchise is doing the best it can to thrive, so there’s nothing to say that it won’t last for another decade or two. Such an effort might be something that takes a monumental amount of faith and support from those who are willing to see the MCU stick around, but at the same time, it does feel as though it could happen. But just for the sake of it, thinking of what might come after the MCU, and what might take prominence, is a little complicated. In a big way, it doesn’t feel as though the MCU will ever go out of style entirely since the Marvel Universe has way too many possibilities that can be entertained and way too many stories to develop to see this franchise go away any time soon. 

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The DCEU won’t be able to replace the MCU. 

It feels fair to say that the DCEU wouldn’t try to replace the MCU, but those running the other side of the tracks wouldn’t be disappointed to see the MCU falter and fade a bit. That said, though, it’s bound to be a while, if that ever happens in the first place. The DCEU has been steadily making its way forward after a few missteps in the recent past, but unless DC finds a way to convince fans that it’s far superior to the MCU in every way, it won’t be a worthy replacement and might even remain in its current state, which means that fans love it, but will still end up enjoying the MCU more, or just as much. 

It feels like a certainty that nothing will be able to fully replace the MCU. 

In fact, this probably shouldn’t be the goal of any franchise that might come after since replacing things isn’t the best idea in the world given that the pushback from the fans is usually quite strong. It might be easy enough to entertain the masses with one movie, TV series, or any type of media that’s allowed to develop, but fans are usually ready and willing to build up or tear down whatever they’re given. The MCU has had plenty of criticism as well as praise over the years. That trend is continuing as things move forward, but bringing in something new is going to increase that flow of positive and negative responses if and when it does happen. Trying to imagine what, if anything, will be able to top the MCU, or make people forget about it for a while, is still kind of tricky since the expansive nature of the Marvel Universe is enough to keep people entertained for years to come. But if something does come along, it’s going to mean that the MCU has either faltered in a way that allows it to become a less than appealing franchise, or the new attraction on the block is literally something that people have not seen before. 

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Most fans will deny that the MCU will ever fail. 

That’s the nature of fans, at least until they realize for themselves that something isn’t working. Many people won’t believe something until the majority of those around them believe in it, while others might be able to recognize when something isn’t working but will seek to rationalize in their own mind how it could work if certain things changed. Right now, with all the changes and new ideas coming to the MCU, it’s very easy to justify the belief that it will be around for a long time. But those that have seen franchises rise and fall know too well that a popular show or movie can be hot one day and ice cold the next, relatively speaking. When it comes to Hollywood, nothing lasts forever, and some things don’t last longer than it takes to release them to the public. In the case of the MCU, it’s easy to think that one of these days that people will simply become bored with the storylines that haven’t changed quite as much as people think, and they’ll move on to other ideas. 

For now, the MCU is one of the top franchises. 

Trying to measure how long the MCU is going to last at this time is more than a little difficult since seeing that far into the future isn’t that possible. Anything can happen between now and then, and it’s fair to think that this franchise will last for another ten to twenty years at the very least. But one thing to think about is this: following the MCU isn’t going to be easy.