Marvel has released the first trailers for its first two 2025 films, and I'm excited to see several flops, like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. Deadpool & Wolverine is its biggest box office hit since No Way Home, and the studio hopes to keep its upward momentum.

While Blade's status remains uncertain, Marvel has a huge 2025 coming up with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four: First Steps. The studio is remaining secretive about Fantastic Four, but it recently released the first trailers for Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts*. The two films are expected to be released only a few months from each other, and they could be exactly what the MCU needs. These movies show promise as they have similarities to the MCU's two best films: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.

Captain America: Brave New World & Thunderbolts* Have Darker, Grittier Tones

The MCU is taking a more serious route with its next two films

The early trailers for Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts* tease two of the darkest projects that the MCU has made in a while. Brave New World looks closer to its predecessors, as it continues the franchise's spy/espionage thriller tone started by The Winter Soldier. Sam Wilson is investigating an attack on the president while also dealing with the rise of the Serpent Society, led by Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder. The action is more grounded and the storyline could be more serious as Sam navigates the corrupt world of politics and secret societies.

Thunderbolts* is Marvel's version of DC's Suicide Squad, a morally ambiguous version of the Avengers that brings together many of the MCU's best anti-heroes, including Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, an alternate Nick Fury who is more conniving and mysterious. The first trailer didn't show off much of their mission, but it did show the crew coming together to form their team of rogue agents. It promises a gritty and rough tone with the possibility that several characters may not make it past this film.

I Want The MCU To Make More Films Similar To Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Civil War

The Russo Brothers' Captain America films are still the MCU's best projects

Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War represent the MCU at its strongest. They are my favorite MCU films and arguably the best in the Infinity Saga. They do include some of the MCU's standard humor, but they keep the story focused on Steve Rogers and his complicated relationship between his devotion to his friends and what he believes is right vs. his duty to the American government. The writing for every character in both films is excellent, and the Russo Brothers also deliver many of the MCU's best action sequences.

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Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova and David Harbour as Red Guardian in Front of the Thunderbolts Logo
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Civil War's airport sequences are incredibly entertaining, yet the knife fight between Steve and Bucky in The Winter Soldier shows how good choreography and an intimate direction can be more captivating than the large, ensemble set pieces. The intimate and hard-hitting MCU moments have been missing since Endgame and I want the MCU to return to this style. Marvel needs to return to character-focused storytelling that takes itself seriously instead of favoring stories that only serve to expand the larger universe.

Marvel Needs More Serious Films To Fix Its Reputation

Marvel's reputation isn't the same as it used to be

Thunderbolts team in Avengers Tower in Thunderbolts* trailer

Since Endgame, the MCU has almost become a parody of itself. Many of its films are too goofy and don't take the time it needs to let an emotional moment sink in before ruining it with a joke. Deadpool & Wolverine mocked many aspects of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, so it's somewhat refreshing to see that Marvel knows its current flaws and can make fun of itself. However, the flaws still exist, and audiences have noticed them. Many posts on social media criticize or jest about the MCU's trademark humor and messy storyline.

Marvel needs darker films like Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts* to prove to audiences that it still takes itself seriously and wants to deliver exceptional projects. The MCU used to be the gold standard of superhero filmmaking, and it can regain that status if these films are great. With Avengers: Doomsday on the way, the MCU needs to gain the audiences' trust back before they give up on the studio entirely.

MCU Movies