10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The MCU’s 2025 Movies On Disney+

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Now that all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies from 2025 are available on Disney+, viewers are starting to notice some issues when rewatching them. The latest addition, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, arrived on November 5th. With this release, all of the 2025 MCU films are now available to stream, allowing fans to revisit them all.

I consider most of the Marvel movies planned for 2025 to be among the strongest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, revisiting those films on Disney+ also highlights areas where they could have been better. Things like the pacing, story, and action sequences could have used some adjustments, both minor and major. Hopefully, Marvel can apply these lessons to their future movies and make them even better.

10. The Fantastic Four Do Not Use Their Powers Much

The Fantastic Four: First Steps really captures the feel of the 1960s, creating a superhero movie that’s both visually unique and optimistic. I especially enjoyed the actors and the way the film portrayed Galactus and the Silver Surfer. However, compared to other superhero movies, this one didn’t showcase the characters’ powers as much as I expected.

You know, rewatching The Fantastic Four: First Steps, what really struck me this time was how underutilized Reed Richards’ stretching ability was. Compared to the earlier 2000s films, we barely saw him use it! And honestly, outside of the chase with the Silver Surfer and the final battle with Galactus, the movie just didn’t give us enough of their powers in action – the action scenes felt surprisingly limited.

9. Taskmaster Should Have Been Used Beyond Shock Value

The movie Thunderbolts quickly shows that characters can die, using Taskmaster’s death early on. But after that moment, it becomes clear that none of the other characters are ever really at risk, making Taskmaster’s death feel pointless and a waste of the character’s potential.

The movie Black Widow hinted that Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, was ready to leave her life as an assassin and find personal fulfillment. However, Thunderbolts showed she returned to being a killer, working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and ultimately died as a result. Notably, her death didn’t have a significant effect on the events of Thunderbolts.

8. The Leader Was A Disappointing Villain

As a huge Marvel fan, I was really excited to see Tim Blake Nelson return as Samuel Sterns in Captain America: Brave New World. They’d hinted at him becoming the Leader way back in The Incredible Hulk (2008), and it felt like a long-awaited payoff. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed though. He barely showed up in the movie, and all that potential just wasn’t realized. It felt like a missed opportunity to bring a really compelling villain to the screen.

The design for the Leader was a letdown, as Marvel didn’t stay true to the character’s comic book appearance. He ended up being just another generic villain in a superhero film. After a long absence from the MCU since 2008, his return should have been more impactful, but revisiting Captain America: New World Order really highlights how underwhelming the character was.

7. Red Hulk Appeared More In Marketing Than Captain America: Brave New World

The movie Captain America: Brave New World surprisingly featured several elements from the Hulk stories. Most notably, Harrison Ford’s character, Thunderbolt Ross, transformed into the Red Hulk towards the film’s conclusion. Although this was an exciting moment and his battle with Sam Wilson provided a climactic scene, the Red Hulk didn’t appear much throughout the rest of the movie.

The trailers for Captain America: Brave New World featured Red Hulk prominently, but he only appears briefly in the final battle. While fans expected General Ross to become Red Hulk, revealing the transformation at the very end wasn’t a surprise. The movie would have been stronger if it had shown a clearer connection between Red Hulk and the Leader, perhaps through shared history with past experiments.

6. We Still Don’t Know Who The MCU’s New Avengers Are

In 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will feature two new groups of Avengers. While one team appeared in Thunderbolts, the other, currently called the New Avengers, will likely need a new name because of a legal conflict with Captain America’s Avengers. Therefore, Sam Wilson’s team of heroes is expected to be the central focus of Avengers: Doomsday.

It was exciting to see the Thunderbolts evolve into a cohesive superhero team. Currently, Sam Wilson’s Avengers consist of himself and Falcon, so this new team will likely have to form and connect with each other during the ‘Doomsday’ event, which promises to be full of characters from across the MCU and even different universes. We haven’t yet been introduced to the full roster of Sam’s Avengers, and Marvel hasn’t given audiences a reason to feel invested in them.

5. The Leader’s Post-Credits Scene Is Too Vague

Following his defeat by Sam Wilson, who stopped him from starting a world war, the Leader was sent to the Raft prison. He reappeared in a scene after the credits of Captain America: Brave New World. During a visit from Sam, the Leader cryptically warns him about dangers coming from across the multiverse, but the warning is unclear and confusing.

Considering what we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Leader doesn’t seem to have any knowledge of the multiverse. This raises the question of how he could possibly know about the upcoming incursions and the Secret Wars event. The initial hint about his involvement was unclear, and the director later suggested it was actually a reference to the Illuminati, which doesn’t quite fit when you rewatch the movie.

4. Sentry May Be Too Powerful

When Sentry was introduced in Thunderbolts, it quickly became obvious the team lacked anyone strong enough to fight him. The movie confirmed this, and revisiting Thunderbolts highlights just how easily Sentry defeats Marvel heroes, especially with the added threat of his darker side, The Void. He simply seems too powerful for the team to handle.

This isn’t just about the Thunderbolts movie; it impacts the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sentry is incredibly powerful – think of him as Superman, but with even more abilities like telekinesis and controlling heat and matter. And as The Void, he’s terrifying – he can transform people into shadows and force them to confront their worst nightmares. The big question is: is anyone in the MCU strong enough to defeat him?

3. 2025’s MCU Movies Are Mostly Good But Their Box Offices Make Sequels Harder

I recently rewatched the Marvel movies coming out in 2025 on Disney+, and I’m really excited about both Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. I also think a future movie starring Sam Wilson as Captain America could be even better than Captain America: Brave New World if Marvel decides to make that the main focus. It’s just tough to plan for sequels, though.

None of the three recent Marvel movies did as well at the box office as expected. The Fantastic Four: First Steps earned the most, bringing in $521.9 million. Because this was the first time the Fantastic Four appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they’re such popular characters, another movie seems likely. However, sequels for Captain America featuring Sam Wilson and Thunderbolts are less certain, considering their lower box office numbers.

2. The Hulk Should Have Appeared In Captain America: Brave New World

I really wanted this new Captain America movie to be all about Sam Wilson taking the lead, but it felt like it kept getting pulled toward Hulk’s story. Honestly, if Marvel was going to lean so heavily into Hulk elements, it would’ve made total sense to actually have Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner appear. It’s tricky with the rights to a solo Hulk movie, and it just felt like a missed opportunity to tie things together neatly.

With the possibility of a direct sequel to The Incredible Hulk seeming unlikely, the Captain America film feels like the closest we’ll get. It’s a shame we didn’t see Hulk interact with characters like Red Hulk, Betty Ross (played by Liv Tyler), or The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson). Knowing Mark Ruffalo will reprise his role as Hulk in next year’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day makes his lack of appearance in that earlier film even more noticeable when watching it again.

1. Doctor Doom Needed More Screen Time Before Avengers: Doomsday

It’s surprising how little Doctor Doom appears before Robert Downey Jr. takes on the role of Victor von Doom as the central villain in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie. While all of 2025’s Marvel Cinematic Universe films are building towards the next Avengers installment, Doom only makes a brief, uncredited appearance in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and we don’t even see Downey Jr.’s face.

Since Marvel had been building up Kang the Conqueror as the big bad for the Multiverse Saga, the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday now has the tough job of establishing Doctor Doom as a major threat, especially with so many Marvel characters expected to appear. Looking back at the movies planned for 2025, it’s clear they could have done more to prepare audiences for Doom, something that becomes apparent when watching them on Disney+.

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2025-11-17 20:22