The Kingsman series seemed to be heading for an ever-present franchise around the time of the release of the first film, with a star-studded cast led by Colin Firth

Kingsman fans reckon that the series missed the mark on becoming a longer-running franchise due to a misstep with its third instalment.

The original film unleashed a fresh action universe with Colin Firth and Taron Egerton at the helm, backed by Samuel L.Jackson and Mark Strong. Its follow-up, The Golden Circle, added Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, and Julianne Moore to the fray.

Despite this, fans claim the franchise lost momentum when the third movie, The King’s Man, strayed from the formula, introducing new characters and shifting tones. A viral post to X reads: “I fundamentally believe if they just did Kingsman 3 and not WW1 Ralph Fiennes fighting Rasputin they would’ve had a franchise on their hands.”

Meanwhile, other supporters are dissecting what exactly derailed the Ralph Fiennes-led prequel, despite Fiennes’ familiarity with spy roles from the James Bond saga.

Another fan critiqued: “I think the biggest issue was the tone shift. K1 and K2 were gritty when they needed to, but it was mostly very tongue-in-cheek and cheek with it being an overly exaggerated fun spy-thriller. The prequel went too serious with the realism of WW1 and mostly forgot the fun factor.”

One fan commented: “I liked 2 but it was wild how they just literally blew it all up lol. I thought they were going to spin off with Statemen then the prequal which I thought would reboot the franchise as a period piece and nothing lol.”

Another expressed disappointment, saying: “That third film was so subpar vs the other two. And it didn’t really give a lot of new insight either to the Kingsmen.”

Despite mixed reviews, some are still hopeful for more Kingsman films, though prospects seem dim at the moment. A fan said: “RIGHT?!?!?! Matthew Vaughn had a good sauce and he decided to pour it down the drain with that a** prequel. WE WANT HARRY HART BACK.”

Another suggested: “They jumped the gun too early, Kingsman 3 would have been sick then do The King’s Man as a spinoff after you’re done with the main set.”

One person shared an unpopular opinion: “Unpopular opinion but I would have watched a Fast and Furious amount of movies about WWI Ralph Fiennes beating up bad guys throughout history.”

While there was some appreciation for the prequel, The King’s Man, others felt the series had significantly declined, despite its “potential.” Another added: “Easily. It would have been up there with John Wick.”

A different take came from a fan who mused: “I unironically do think The Kings Man was the moment mid/post-credit scenes lost their prestige. Some of the most fun moments I’ve ever had in a cinema though, it was completely bizarre from start to finish.”