There’s a saying among the English people: “Swings and roundabouts.” Basically, it means when doing two different things, one ends up cancelling the other out. Take for instance, Kevin Feige’s attempts to dispel fears about Marvel’s future, on the same day The Marvels opens to near-franchise low reviews.

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Yes, it’s unfortunately true, but, hey, at least we know an OG Avenger icon is returning to the MCU after all, although perhaps not in the way we were led to believe. Let’s get stuck in…

The Marvels opens to Rotten reviews that drag it right to the bottom of the MCU pile, but at least fans like it

Marvel nation’s collective breath was held today when Rotten Tomatoes dropped its opening critics score for The Marvels — and then a colossal gasp of disappointment was heard immediately afterward. At the time of writing, the Brie Larson sequel is dwelling in the mid-50% range on the review-aggregate site. Not only is that naturally Rotten, it also means The Marvels is officially the third worst-reviewed entry in the franchise, above only Eternals (47%) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (46%). Yes, that’s two of the bottom three from this year and all three from the Multiverse Saga. Eesh. On the bright side, social reactions have been much more positive, so who knows, this one could become still become a fan-favorite.

“We’re doing a project with Scarlett,” says Kevin Feige, but don’t start announcing the return of Black Widow just yet

On the other hand, Kevin Feige was on hand to be his own studio’s biggest cheerleader at The Marvels premiere, by dodging hardball questions with enough hedged responses to make a politician blush. On the other hand, he did let slip that, following rumors Marvel is looking to bring back Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson as Iron Man and Black Widow, Marvel is “doing a project with Scarlett.” However, don’t break out the bunting just yet, as this isn’t an on-screen thing but the previously announced producing gig that ScarJo has in the works. Still cool, but not quite as cool as we might’ve been hoping.

Let’s hope Marvel’s listening as the perfect Jonathan Majors replacement has been named (but, like, for real this time)

OK, so I know, we’ve heard this a fair few times ever since Jonathan Majors’ reputation took a hit this past March upon his domestic violence arrest. Various actors have been pitched as the “perfect” replacement as Kang the Conqueror. But, really, this one might be the best you’ve ever heard. Few want Marvel to straight-up replace Majors, as MCU canon now dictates every Kang looks like him. Buuut… They only look like him in their 30s. So how about aging up Kang for the Avengers movie and bringing on a certain Hollywood legend who would really equalize Majors’ performance and give Earth’s Mightiest Heroes a training day they’d never forget… Fine, I’ll drop the bit. It’s Denzel Washington, you guys.

The Marvel multiverse only gets more multifaceted with each turn of the sun, so don’t miss the next news cycle.