Marvel’s Disney Plus shows have been able to chart new territory for the MCU, branching out in a lot of exciting ways and really teasing what future phases of the MCU are going to focus on. It will be interesting to see whether or not the upcoming films that are planned will carry on this trend of exploring new facets of the Marvel universe, and there are arguments to be made for the merits of both sides.

Shows like WandaVision and Loki have expanded the MCU into something much more cosmic and magical, which is a fun shift that feels much more reminiscent of classic comic books and gets to lean into the craziness of this world that Marvel has created. They seem to be setting up the trajectory for Phase 4, but it would be presumptuous to think that Marvel is only going cosmic in Phase 4. MCU entries like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Black Widow will be holding down the fort on the Earth-bound side of things, which is a great way to still keep the universe grounded, even in the face of something like the multiverse.

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In general, other than a few notable exceptions (especially in the latter half of the franchise), the MCU has stayed pretty grounded in reality - at least, as grounded as stories about super-human people can be. Movies like the Iron Man franchise or Captain America: Civil War are perfect examples of movies that are about superheroes and are elevated from reality in that way, but still feel grounded in realism and dealing with ground-level conflicts. The problems in these movies aren’t aliens or witches, just evil millionaires and corrupt government organizations.

It’s fun to see crazy comic book-reminiscent stories, but it’s also really interesting to see these superhero stories that feel more relatable to our world, as though they are situations that could really happen. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier stands out among the currently released Disney Plus shows because it is the only one of the three that remains in that grounded space. There’s no magic or space travel, just people fighting other people. That may sound boring on a surface level, but it can be a big breath of fresh air for people who are overwhelmed by the vastness of more cosmic conflicts. Sometimes, it’s much more fun to watch something that feels real and normal to our world.

This is exactly the kind of tone that Black Widow will be able to strike to ground the MCU again going into Phase 4. All of the cosmic implications of WandaVision and Loki might be a bit overwhelming for the audience at first, especially coming off of something like Avengers: Endgame. It will be really nice to have an MCU entry that feels classically MCU: a more straightforward spy thriller. Black Widow could be the movie that reminds everyone of the MCU’s roots and appeals to those who prefer the more grounded Earth conflicts to the magical ones.

To avoid having Phase 4 feel bloated, Marvel will need to have a balance between the wide-scale cosmic issues and the more ground-level problems of a movie like Black Widow. They can appeal to multiple sectors of their audience while also creating a well-rounded universe that has a variety of conflicts. Black Widow seems to be much more of a spy thriller, and perhaps more in line with something like Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This kind of real-world conflict might be more relatable in a way, and retains what has made the MCU as successful as it has been, which is translating these heightened comic book stories into the real world in a way that feels natural.

Black Widow also appears to be heavily focused on interpersonal relationships, which is something that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (and perhaps all of the MCU Disney Plus shows, to a certain extent) managed to do. A heavier focus on character relationships and the ways in which they interact with each other is crucial to creating a story that people care about and want to come back to, more so than the implications of messing with the multiverse or the time-space continuum. While all of that is interesting, what makes Marvel successful is their ability to make you care about the characters and the ways in which they feel like family to each other. Black Widow is going to have a focus on that family element, which is another way in which the story will be a much-needed grounded entry for the MCU.

While it's exciting to see the heights that Phase 4 of the MCU will be going to, it's important for Marvel to stick to their roots in some ways and not stray too far from what made them successful in the first place. Putting a focus on more real-world conflicts like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier or Black Widow will help the audience stay engaged in the universe because they'll have something more relatable to latch onto. It also makes the more cosmic entries like WandaVision or the upcoming Thor or Guardians of the Galaxy movies feel much more special because they're so different in style and tone. Black Widow will be able to carry on that work that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier began and ensure that the MCU gets to tell stories about people who feel real, not just aliens who want to take over the galaxy.

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