Entertainment
Star Wars Is Responsible For Marvel's Biggest Problem
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
There have been countless think pieces and social media posts about what has caused the decline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and one of the most common complaints boils down to many shows and films feeling like homework. Disney seems to expect fans to soak up every bit of ancillary media to simply understand its latest releases. More often than not, this doesn’t really tell a complete story because the newest content spends too much time setting up what comes next. It’s a frustrating approach to blockbuster storytelling, and we can blame George Lucas and his approach to the Star Wars prequels pretty directly for Marvel’s decline.
How Star Wars Made Homework For Fans
At this point, you’re probably asking the obvious question: how could the Star Wars prequels negatively affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially when The Phantom Menace came out almost a decade before Iron Man brought the MCU to life? The answer starts with Darth Maul, a killer new character who, despite his awesome design and instant popularity, only had three lines of dialogue. Audiences understandably had plenty of questions about his origins and motivations and were invariably told they had to go read various books and comics to piece together what this guy’s whole deal was.
For the Star Wars prequels, that became a persistent problem, one that Disney would replicate with Marvel after buying the franchise set in a galaxy far, far away. You had to read outside media to learn crucial lore about other villains like Count Dooku and General Grievous, and reading books and comics was also the only way to learn more about equally crucial relationships such as the friendship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and the marriage between Padme Amidala and future Darth Vader. It was, frankly, insanely lazy storytelling built on the assumption that ravenous fans wouldn’t mind the expensive and time-consuming homework of extra reading.
Marvel Gets Its Own Homework
Now, Disney has bought Star Wars, which means it is owned by the same monolithic studio that owns Marvel. Unsurprisingly, Disney has replicated the prequel problem of assigning audiences homework, hoping that you’ll dig into outside media to explain major plot details like the rise of the First Order, Kylo Ren’s fall to the Dark Side, and why the Resistance is separate from the government that they work to protect. What was surprising, though, is that Disney began applying this approach of making fans do homework with their other blockbuster IP.
With the launch of Disney+, the House of Mouse adopted a Variant (so to speak) of the homework strategy. Instead of encouraging fans to mainline books and comics to fully understand new films, they wanted fans to watch Disney+ shows instead. Now, you have to watch WandaVision to understand both Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along. You have to watch Loki to understand who the Big Bad of Quantumania is, just as you have to watch Ms. Marvel to understand who the heck this new character in The Marvels is.
The irony is that fans acted like this was an annoying new storytelling decision by Disney, but the reality is that they simply applied George Lucas’ annoying homework strategy to Marvel. Honestly, they had every reason to expect this strategy to work…for as frustrating as those prequels were, fans really did flock to stores to buy ancillary media and fully understand these new films set in a galaxy far, far away. But that was because we hadn’t had new cinematic Star Wars content since Return of the Jedi in 1983; that strategy didn’t work for Marvel because Disney released so much so soon, effectively creating the superhero fatigue now threatening their bottom line.
There you have it, folks: whether fans of either franchise want to admit it, Star Wars helped inadvertently create Marvel’s biggest problem. And considering the only way to fix it is for Disney to focus less on profit and more on telling great stories, that problem won’t go away anytime soon. Pretty soon, the MCU as a whole might be a bit like Logan’s skeletal body: a pretty corpse Deadpool gets to play with whenever Disney needs a safe box office hit.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
Mashable Top Stories
Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
