I’ve talked about the Multiverse, and its potential problems in other posts and some videos as well. It seems there are mixed feelings about the Multiverse saga, but I’m on the side that supports the craziness of alternate universes, and multiple timelines. That is partially because I wrote my own book that involves alternate timelines, and partially for a few other reasons as well.
No Stakes to the Multiverse?
I’ve been over this before, so I’ll just mention it briefly in this post. On the Youtube show, The John Campea show, the host John Campea recently listed out some things that he thinks Marvel needs to do to change direction and improve their current situation. Among these items was to get rid of the Multiverse Saga (If I understand things correctly).
I’m not sure what his plan would be to get rid of the Multiverse Saga since we are already deep into it, but I do know that he has mentioned that part of his dislike for the Multiverse are that there are no stakes. If one character dies, the other characters can just go to another timeline or “universe” to get that character back. To me, that’s not how it works. The person as the other characters knew them is still gone.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, Gamora never had her Guardians of the Galaxy journey that led her to love the other Guardians, and to love Peter. That’s why, in the end, Peter realizes this, and decides to move on. That’s also why the Scarlet Witch from the original MCU or 616 (as they say in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) can’t just take over the place of her alternate self (although her ultimate plan was to steal America Chavez’ powers and go to a timeline where the kids have no mother, but I don’t know why she can’t just work with America to find that timeline instead of killing her, and taking her powers which brings me to my next point…)
Find a Better Way
While Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had its issues, there was still a lot of good things about the movie. Among them are the concept of dream walking, as well as the introduction of the alternate universe known as 838. Titling the main universe as 616 is an issue because in the comics, the main timeline is known as 616, and while the MCU has kept a lot of things from the main timeline of the comics, it has also changed quite a bit, so titling it 616 is confusing to say the least. The point is though, that Marvel Studios needs to do a better job of utilizing the Multiverse, and a better job of connecting the events of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Things in the main MCU timeline seem so disjointed that one Youtuber* had the theory that every movie, and show since Endgame has taken place in a different universe. I don’t think this is true, but I can see the validity in this theory. However, there has been some connection like Shang Chi meeting Wong, Captain Marvel, and Bruce Banner. They don’t need to shove it in our faces, but some more hints that these movies, and shows are connected would be great.
Spiderman: No Way Home was an amazing utilization of the Multiverse, and in my opinion, it reveals why this is the right saga to follow the Infinity Saga. Spiderman: No Way Home brought back two well loved Spiderman characters/actors, and it reveals that now is the perfect time to take all versions of these heroes, and have them interact with each other before an inevitable reboot occurs.
Worlds Collide
This is why I think that the new X-men won’t be introduced until after or during Secret Wars. I think that the version of Fantastic Four that we get in the upcoming movie will essentially crossover into the new universe. If we look at the superhero movies from the year 2000 to present day, there are so many X-men characters that have already been introduced. This is the perfect time to build up to a Secret Wars event where all of these different X-men, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, and Avengers variants can interact with each other. Yes, a lot of it is fan service, but if it’s done right, in can also be very compelling.
While I didn’t always like the direction that the Fox Universe X-men were being taken, and how the timelines were getting skewed, I did enjoy most if not all of the characters involved. So many people are excited to see Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, and we will be excited to see him in Avengers: Secret Wars which is undoubtedly the unconfirmed plan. It would be great to see other actors back to portray their former roles as well.
The Real Problem
The problem with the Multiverse Saga isn’t the Multiverse. Many of the movies, and shows haven’t been developed properly. These projects have big plot holes, and have a lack of connection to each other. The Multiverse itself is a fun, and exciting concept. It’s a chance to see characters from new movies that we enjoy so much interact with those from old movies that we enjoy so much. It’s also a chance to see several different versions of all of these characters. Making the overall stories work can be tricky, but if Marvel Studios takes their time, and gets the right people to work on these projects, the remainder of the Multiverse Saga could end up being just as great as the Infinity Saga.
*this is my understanding of the theory of Robert Meyer Burnett that he stated on the John Campea Show.
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