In terms of creatively, I personally feel, especially in movies like these, that the need for everything to connect within the universe causes the stories themselves to sag. Like, here, Strange's emotional journey is more or less an afterthought, and Wanda's emotional journey is really, really similar to what she already did in WandaVision. So in movies with lots of characters, I definitely worry that the stories are growing somewhat unwieldy as they're increasingly beholden to the obligations of expanding the universe.

And tonally, obviously the vast majority of these movies are more or less the same. Some of them are fortunate enough to have gifted directors like Gunn, Waititi-- and I'd file Raimi under this umbrella tbh, enough of his flourishes are coming through here-- but they all have a necessity to remain as breezy and quippy as the previous ones, and things like the color palate/sheen and the action editing are all very similar from movie to movie with limited exceptions. It's why most of my very favorite movies in the MCU feel less like "the next entry" and more like "a director getting some free rein to have fun and tell a story." But in giving directors more voice, they're taking more risk-- and even Raimi's stuff here feels secondary to making sure it looks, feels, and sounds first and foremost like The Marvel Standard.

That said, it's very obvious that the pop culture impact continues to be as large as it's ever been-- Marvel movies are the #1 reason people go to the movies. And I imagine the formula of The Marvel Standard plays a heavy role in that, because even if the movies very, very rarely soar to being "incredible" anymore imo, they also very, very rarely sink to the level of "not good." You know when you go to a Marvel movie that you're going to get something that is, at bare minimum, entertaining, geeky, and fun. And its impact just continues to grow and grow.

(Now, do I think the fact that their impact is so colossal means they absolutely *could* take more risks tonally, absolutely *could* give directors more autonomy, absolutely *could* play with the form and deviate some from the Marvel Standard formula, that even if one movie flops, there'll be another two out that same year that'll make people forget instantly? Yes, absolutely I do. But I reckon my desire to see some risk on display is precisely why I'm not chosen to run a multi-billion dollar enterprise, lol.)