The picture is just representative of the Marvel Universe as a whole.
Agent of Atlas (Gorilla Man), Fantastic Four (Thing), X-Men (Beast), Avengers (Hawkeye), Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Thor.
Covers most of Marvel's groups.
What I don't get is why they couldnt have just spent ten years telling optimistic swashbuckling stories instead of ruining iconic characters and alienating readers
Light without dark is just... bland. Most of the best writers today (looking at you Geoff Johns) have killed off or ruined their fair share of characters.
Not really, it's just the best stuff that is mainly all optimistic isnt that mainstream
Most of the best writers usually are praised for all the good work they do with long-standing characters, not what they do to destroy them based on editors whims and personal preferences.