It takes a lot to kill an empire. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was unquestionably the mightiest force in pop culture when Endgame came out, but many believe it's been bleeding out ever since. It's suffered one wound after another with occasional breaks for auteur-driven success. 2023 presaged a bitter ending for superhero movies, but Marvel won't go down without a fight. They've got Deadpool & Wolverine and Fantastic Four to prove they can still do this all day.