Arrowverse Co-Creator Believes Marvel Should Reboot the MCU: 'Prune the Tree'

Arrowverse co-creator Marc Guggenheim urges Marvel Studios to reboot the MCU, describing the franchise as having too much content.

Marc Guggenheim, one of the heads of The CW's wildly popular Arrowverse, offered his perspective on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stating that he believes the franchise needs to shrink if it wants to continue.

Speaking on The Aarthi and Sriram Show, Guggenheim explained that he agrees with current Disney CEO Bob Iger that Marvel Studios needs to slow down its content production, adding that he believes the MCU is due for a "Crisis on Infinite Earths"-like event that can reduce the number of plot threads. "Each of these movies in Phases 1 through 3, they all stood on their own. Look I get it. I think honestly what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going through right now is the same discovery that Marvel print universe and the DC print universe also went through," Guggenheim explained. "Which is - I think of these universes like ships, and the longer a ship sails, the more barnacles get attached to its hull, and the more that weighs down the ship and the more it effects how fast the ship can move through the water."

The creator went on to speculate that he believes the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars film will largely serve that goal. "My guess is what they are building up with Phase 4 is - the Secret Wars that they've announced is not the Secret Wars of the 1980s, it's Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars which basically was sort of like a reset for the Marvel Universe," Guggenheim concluded.

Iger's Take on the MCU

As the MCU continues to grow with new characters and stories, many fans have complained that the franchise is becoming too large for its own good. Iger has previously gone on record to say that he intends to significantly reduce the number of projects in the cinematic universe's pipeline. The CEO singled out many of the series on Disney+ which he says "diluted focus and attention."

As for the Arrowverse, The CW's connected world of DC superheroes began life in 2012 with Arrow and went on to spawn several spinoffs including The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman and Black Lightning. While certain series were reviewed better than others, the entire property gained a dedicated following that collectively mourned when it ultimately came to a close in mid-2023 with the final episode of The Flash Season 9.