Phase Four
of the MCU, the starting leg for the newfangled Multiverse Saga, has been a
rather tepid affair. I freely admit that I have a lot of fondness for Phase
Three, which is full of films I like, love, even admire for various
reasons, and after the thunderclap of Endgame, there are some expected
shortfalls in the fallout… but it still feels off. Nothing I would outright
consider bad (which is more than can be said for Phase One and Two), but plenty
of missed opportunities. One decent film (Shang-Chi), three disappointments
(Black Widow, Doctor Strange, Thor), and two admitted greats (No Way Home and
Eternals). Although it should be said that, at a time when the MCU is emphasising the varieties of the Multiverse, it says something when the two best
films in this Phase had to go outside even that margin to find
inspiration (past Spider-Man films and DC-era Jack Kirby respectively).
But then,
that’s what I like the most about the original Black Panther: It thrives
regardless of any connection to the larger franchise. While its story has some
roots in the events of Captain America: Civil War, it doesn’t have the same serialised weight to it that can and has hindered other MCU films. If
you go into it not having seen anything of the other films, you will still get
its full impact one way or another. It is rather unique in that regard, save
for the first Iron Man film retroactively, and it’s part of the reason why I
hold Phase Three in such high regard: It was when more unique filmmaking voices
started to weave themselves into the patchwork, and through that, allowed for
stuff like this to exist. If any film in this Phase would be capable of
escaping that rut, a sequel to Black Panther is it.
