The MCU Diaries

Written Essays on Marvel Storycraft & Meaning

The MCU Diaries is Blake Larsen’s craft-first Marvel essay series for people who love the MCU but want more than recap, Easter eggs, or empty hype.

This is where I break down what Marvel stories are actually doing under the hood: character pressure, moral debt, value shifts, structure, theme, and the choices that make something hit — or miss. These essays are built around one idea at a time, with on-screen receipts to prove it.

That means you’ll find writing on Loki, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the bigger road to Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Sometimes the question is about a single episode. Sometimes it’s about a saga-level move. Either way, the goal is the same: figure out why the story works, why it doesn’t, and what it teaches us to watch for next.

If you’re looking for smart Marvel essays with a character-first lens and no sacred cows, you’re in the right place.

Start Here

Prefer audio?

If you'd rather listen than read, the companion podcast lives here: The MCU Diaries podcast.

Latest MCU Diaries Entries

Avengers: Doomsday Could Let Sentry Save the Day — and Still Lose the World

What if Bob Reynolds finally becomes Sentry, saves everyone in front of him, and still loses the world? Our Avengers: Doomsday theory explores how Doctor Doom could exploit the...

Read More

I Think I Figured Out How Stephen McFeely Figured Out How To Bring Tony Stark Back — Without Ruining Endgame

The new Avengers: Endgame Encore trailer brought Tony Stark’s warning about messing with time back into focus. What if Stephen McFeely’s big Secret Wars idea is a Tony variant...

Read More

WandaVision Is About Grief — But Its Real Story Is About Control

WandaVision is obviously about grief, but grief is only Wanda’s wound. The real story is what happens when she tries to control reality, Vision and an entire town so...

Read More

Is WandaVision Season 2 Happening? VisionQuest Is The Continuation You’re Looking For

There is no announced WandaVision Season 2, but Marvel has not abandoned Westview. VisionQuest is picking up White Vision, Tommy and the consequences of the finale — just without...

Read More

Why Is WandaVision A Sitcom? The TV Gimmick Is Actually Wanda’s Defense Mechanism

Why is WandaVision a sitcom? Because Wanda builds a world where loss can be contained, family survives the episode and reality can be edited away. Here’s why the TV...

Read More

Why Is Ultron In VisionQuest? He’s More Than Vision’s Villain

Ultron is back in VisionQuest, but Marvel appears to be using him for more than nostalgia. Here’s how Ultron helped create Vision, why he still exists inside Vision’s programming...

Read More