Captain America: The First Avenger
Jim Vorel of "Herald &amp; Review" called the Marvel Cinematic Universe "complicated" and "impressive", but said, "As more and more heroes get their own film adaptations, the overall universe becomes increasingly confusing." Kofi Outlaw of "Screen Rant" stated that while "The Avengers" was a success, "Marvel Studios still has room to improve their approach to building a shared movie universe". Some reviewers criticized the fact that the desire to create a shared universe led to films that did not hold as well on their own. In his review of "Thor: The Dark World", "Forbes" critic Scott Mendelson likened the MCU to "a glorified television series", with "The Dark World" being a "'stand-alone' episode that contains little long-range mythology". Collider's Matt Goldberg considered that while "Iron Man 2", "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" were quality productions, "they have never really been their own movies", feeling that the plot detours to S.H.I.E.L.D. or lead-ups to "The Avengers" dragged down the films' narratives.