The idea of the M-She-U, a play on the franchise that has been growing in popularity since 2008, is more of a way for some folks to point out how various characters don’t conform to what they want to see, and how the franchise is appearing to bank their future on certain individuals. That feels a little hypocritical, but until a hero proves themselves on screen, many people are willing to state that their sudden appearance as someone powerful and a little overbearing is more of a hindrance than a boon. The truth is that the ladies of the MCU have been, and still are, stepping forward in a big way. They’re meant to help the franchise and to keep things running, but the truth is that sometimes it does feel as though they’re stepping over the heroes that have come before, rather than step shoulder to shoulder with them. Here are a few problems with the M-She-U idea.
5. Are the ladies successors or replacements?
The thing about being successors is that there’s a lot of faith being placed into each character, and a lot of hope that they’ll continue the legacy that’s being built in the franchise. But being seen as replacements, which is how some folks do end up seeing certain characters, is a pretty big issue since it means in the eyes of a lot of fans they still have a lot of work to do to prove themselves. That might sound incredibly sexist, but it has more to do with the idea of keeping the franchise running since those coming in have a huge responsibility on their shoulders to keep things interesting and entertaining.
4. The idea of earning their place comes and goes.
Trying to justify the idea of earning their spot in the MCU isn’t hard since even with solo movies this is a team effort to make the entire thing work. Even a solo movie could lead to a team effort, and that has to be a constant belief. Earning one’s spot in the MCU is about more than just showing up and looking and sounding awesome. It has to do with how things go behind the scene as well, and how effective a person can be when working with the others that have helped to make this franchise great. So yes, earning your spot is important, because it proves that a person deserves to be there, both off-screen and on-screen.
3. Their power levels tend to increase quite a bit.
One thing that has irritated a lot of people in the MCU, and it started with Captain Marvel, is that some heroes feel as though they’ve been handed their powers and not been made to pay the price for them. Things have changed, there’s no doubt about it, but the idea that a few heroes have been given their abilities without being made to earn them, or re-earn them, feels like it’s allowing certain characters to walk into the MCU with the idea that they’re here and people simply need to get used to them because they’re awesome now, they’ve been awesome, and they haven’t given up enough yet to be given the same regard as the other heroes that helped to shape the MCU.
2. Dumping on the characters that came before isn’t the best idea.
This is another point of contention that irks a few fans since there’s a need to be thick-skinned when it comes to being grilled and put on blast. But there’s also the need for those that are being introduced into the MCU to show at least a small amount of respect for those that have come before. After all, those that helped to shape the franchise are those that did manage to earn their way with every step and every scene. Deciding to let some characters rip on others simply because they’re there and are now awesome without even half the development feels like a big diss that didn’t need to happen, but oh well.
1. They’re the future of the MCU, take that as you will.
This is the truth, the heroes being pushed forward are the heroes that the MCU will be banking on in the days to come, and so far it would appear that a huge shift has happened and will continue to happen. Whether that’s going to push the MCU to new heights from one perspective or many perspectives is hard to say since there are still plenty of people that are watching and waiting to see what will happen. If there are mistakes, as there have been, a lot of fans are going to be critical. If there are triumphs, it feels as though the fanbase is going to be split. From a personal standpoint, I just want to see a great story each time. The M-She-U is a silly kind of idea that marginalizes the franchise at times, but there are other times when the idea makes too much sense.
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