Did Marvel Go Woke Go Broke With Its Last Three Movies?

I don't think Marvel 'went woke, went broke' as a simple cause-and-effect, but I also don't think everything's fine. From my viewpoint as someone who buys tickets and argues in forums until 3 a.m., the last few movies were a mash of hits and misses because of storytelling choices more than politics. When a script loses focus, or a villain is forgettable, no amount of cultural commentary will salvage audience goodwill.

At the same time, I get why some people feel alienated — major franchises are cultural touchstones, and changes in tone or casting can feel like losing something familiar. That said, I've also seen films with diverse casts and progressive themes smash expectations when they had heart and clear stakes. For me, the core metric is whether a film earns its emotional punches and fun moments. If it does, people come; if it doesn't, they grumble. I'm cautiously hopeful that Marvel will learn from misfires and deliver something that reconnects fans and casual viewers alike — I'm still buying the popcorn when reviews hint at promise.

Lately I find myself rolling my eyes at the 'went woke, went broke' chant because it treats complex business and creative realities like a meme. I felt compelled to step back and watch those three films with fresh eyes, ignoring the twitterstorms. What stood out was inconsistency: one movie leaned into character work and it clicked for me, another tried to juggle too many agendas and became tonally confused. Whether a film includes more diverse voices or progressive themes isn't a guaranteed box-office poison; poor pacing, weak villain arcs, or muddled marketing kill momentum far more reliably.

A lot of the backlash feels performative — a minority shouting loud enough to trend. Meanwhile, international markets, especially China (when accessible), streaming deals, and merchandise sales still cushion a theatrical stumble. From my perspective, Marvel's challenge is structural: too many releases, not all of them tightly written, and an ecosystem that rewards spectacle over soul. I want them to succeed because when they nail it — emotional stakes, clever plotting, and a sense of wonder — it’s cinema gold. I’m skeptical of scapegoating representation for failures that are usually deeper, and I’ll keep supporting the good risks while grumbling about the lazy ones.

that headline — 'went woke, went broke' — always makes me wince because it flattens a messy picture into a slogan. Social media loves a neat narrative: a studio adds more diverse characters or leans into broader themes, some vocal corners of fandom bristle, and suddenly you have a culture-war mantra. In reality, the last three Marvel releases felt like a mix of creative misfires, pandemic-shaped viewing habits, expensive experiments, and unpredictable market forces rather than a single ideological cause.

Box office is complicated now. Ticket prices, the rise of streaming windows, franchise fatigue, and timing (competition from other blockbusters, holiday slates, and global market challenges) all matter. Some of those films underperformed versus expectations, sure, but Marvel still moves enormous numbers across merchandising, Disney+ subscribers, and licensing. A movie can be criticized for its tone or storytelling and still make money through other channels; conversely, a movie can be praised by critics and falter commercially if marketing misses or word-of-mouth sputters. For me, the bigger takeaway is that audiences are picky: they want better scripts and fresher stakes, not just novelty in casting or messaging. I still love the spectacle and would rather see studios take risks than repeat the same beats — even when the risks don't always land, I appreciate ambition and nuance.

Lately the debate about Marvel's direction has been a wildfire in every comment section I lurk in, and I like to break down why the simple line 'went woke, went broke' feels too neat. From where I sit, box office swings are almost never caused by a single cultural talking point. I've seen franchises stumble because of creative missteps — a script that doesn't land, tonal inconsistencies, or characters that feel underwritten. Marketing matters a ton: if trailers confuse people or the campaign doesn't show why the movie is worth seeing on the big screen, audiences stay home. Add rising ticket prices, streaming fatigue, and the fact that audiences have so many entertainment options now, and the equation gets messy fast.

Critics and social-media pundits love a single-cause narrative, but the pattern for the last few Marvel releases looks multipronged. One film can underperform after a string of hits because of franchise fatigue or poor release timing against an unexpected blockbuster. Another might split critical opinion if it tries to juggle too many tones or political threads, and a third might suffer from fragmented audiences — younger viewers on streaming, older ones returning to theaters, and casual fans who only show up for clear, blockbuster spectacle. The label 'woke' gets thrown around as shorthand for cultural changes people don't like, but when you peel back the layers, the more influential variables are storytelling quality, character stakes, and whether the film feels earned rather than shoehorned into an expanding universe.

At the end of the day, I think Marvel is in a growth-pain phase where experimentation meets high expectations. There are creative risks worth taking — diversity and fresh perspectives can revitalize a franchise — but they have to come with coherent scripts, confident direction, and smart release strategies. If a movie underperforms, the studio shouldn't reflexively blame cultural backlash; the healthier move is to critique what specifically went wrong on-screen and in how it was sold to audiences. I'm still invested and optimistic: great comic adaptations are cyclical, and some of the boldest experiments often pave the way for the next wave of genuinely memorable films.

A lot of folks want a simple verdict — yes or no — but I prefer nuance. I watched the last three films with a mix of excitement and scrutiny, and what struck me most was that none of them 'broke' Marvel single-handedly. Two felt like clear creative misses: uneven scripts, forgettable antagonists, and a marketing campaign that didn't sell the soul of the story. The third had moments that landed emotionally but didn't convert into the runaway box-office numbers execs hoped for.

Blaming diversity or progressive themes is a convenient scapegoat. My gut says audience fatigue, streaming habits, and some sloppy storytelling drove the slump more than ideology. I still believe Marvel can course-correct: tighten the writer's room, focus on character stakes, and treat each film like the centerpiece it should be. I'll keep buying a ticket when they give me a story that matters to its characters as much as it does to shareholders — and I expect some of the next batch will do exactly that.