MCU’s Reboot Theory Could Ruin What Made The Original Marvel Cinematic Universe Work

If Marvel Studios reboots the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars, it could undermine the franchise’s greatest feat. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a massive franchise with hundreds of coexisting characters and dozens of parallel storylines. Although some MCU movies have been more popular than others, every title has kept its place within the same universe, and everything that happens in each release adds to the MCU’s all-encompassing lore. But just like the comic books it’s based on, there may come a point where a new beginning could be necessary to simplify the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s timeline.

As the Multiverse Saga heads to a climax, an MCU soft-reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars seems to be taking shape. Marvel’s intertwined parallel realities may warrant an overhaul that brings them all together and form a single universe, possibly with the addition of new versions of retired characters. A single MCU reality where a definitive version of the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four coexist could be the main appeal of whatever comes after the Multiverse Saga ends. However, a major sacrifice might be necessary.

The MCU’s Eventual Reboot Might Waste Marvel Studios’ Streamlined Continuity

Not only did Marvel Studios succeed in creating an extensive cinematic universe that has followed a single overarching storyline for more than a decade, but it also accomplished the unlikely feat of incorporating previous non-MCU Marvel franchises like Fox’s X-Men, Sony’s Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man, and Netflix’s Defenders. While providing a fresh start for the MCU could offer many creative possibilities, a soft-reboot would bring this record-breaking continuity feat to an end. By definition, a reboot — including a more subtle soft-reboot — would require the MCU to rewrite past events and erase entire storylines and characters from existence. Hence, the MCU as fans know it would conclude, only to be replaced by a slightly unfamiliar franchise.

The MCU’s single continuity is something other cinematic universes can only wish for. Franchises like the DC Extended Universe, the Harry Potter Wizarding World, and Transformers have attempted a similar expansion, but they have faced the need to reboot or soft-reboot their continuity in order to start a new attempt without baggage. Marvel Studios’ soft-reboot would restart the MCU not because of its failure to build a successful continuity, but because it was so successful in doing so that the franchise has become too big. Still, almost 20 years of unprecedented continuous storytelling would have to be altered.

Related: The MCU Reboot Bombshell Is The Perfect Answer To Marvel’s 4 Year X-Men Problem

What An MCU Reboot Could Entail

Fortunately, soft-rebooting the MCU doesn’t mean that every established event and character will be replaced completely. Following similar reboots from the source material, the MCU’s reboot could gather all surviving characters from every reality on one single universe, replace the actors who are leaving their roles, and finish integrating all characters whose cinematic rights were tied to other companies. This way, the MCU can solve a variety of issues such as introducing mutants and bringing new versions of characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Panther without the need for multiple contrived explanations. Thanks to the MCU multiverse, Marvel Studios can carefully choose what remains and what is renewed.

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