The Mind-Bending Marvel of Multiverse: Revolutionizing Comic Book Movies

In the initial explanation of the multiverse concept in Doctor Strange, it appeared to be a straightforward idea. With its notion of limitless parallel universes, this storytelling format opened up endless possibilities. By bringing together various versions of superheroes within a single timeline, comic book movies had the chance to delve into the dynamics of each character, highlighting their unique qualities while coexisting across the multiverse.

However, the multiverse has now become a tool for corporate overlords to conveniently introduce or revive characters from different franchises solely for the purpose of hosting reunion events. They use these characters as crutches to maintain stability within their own universe. The outcome has been a chaotic calamity, where the lack of coherence and consequences in the narrative are justified under the notion that "anything goes" in the multiverse.

Multiverses Are Just Confusing General Audiences

Content: The multiverse concept has proven its success, particularly in Sony's Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In this film, Miles Morales teams up with Spider-people from various universes to save his own universe from Kingpin. While the origin story remains familiar, the movie stays true to Miles' coming-of-age narrative. Its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, continues to depict Miles as a unique character in the Spider-Society, without feeling forced in its references to other versions of the superhero.

The undeniable triumph of these films has led Marvel Studios and DC Studios to incorporate multiverse storylines into their own content. In fact, the MCU's phases 4 through 6 are officially known as 'the Multiverse Saga', and the DCEU introduced its multiverse era in The Flash. However, they have misunderstood the true lesson: instead of enhancing the storyline, the multiverse formula has resulted in confusing plotlines that lead nowhere in particular with their countless divergent paths.

The MCU was not the first to implement the crossover strategy, but it was the first to do so on a grand scale. The journey to Avengers: Endgame lasted a decade, but the audience was always given a clear sense of where they were headed. The standalone films were cleverly interconnected to set the stage for the battle against Thanos. However, this natural progression is lacking in the Multiverse Saga. According to Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, in order to keep up with the new twists and turns, viewers must be familiar with both the TV shows and films. This means that those who were not acquainted with WandaVision were likely confused by the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Similarly, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which aimed to delve deeper into the multiverse, heavily relied on the story of Loki. So far, Spider-Man: No Way Home has executed the idea much more clearly and has been the only successful one in doing so.

Despite the knowledge that the Multiverse Saga will conclude with Avengers: Secret Wars in Phase 6, very little is being provided to guide the audience in that direction. As characters abandon one reality for another and the connections between them become more shallow, their stories seem to be reduced to nothing more than a dizzying and infinite head-trip.

While DC shows like Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow have already experimented with the multiverse, it still remains a relatively new concept in the world of films. The Flash, unfortunately, did not provide a strong foundation in this aspect as it attempted to intertwine numerous plot lines, resulting in a confusing and tangled narrative. Although the DCEU's decision to distinguish its multiverse, where timelines intersect with a certain inevitability, from Marvel's is commendable, it remains challenging and perplexing to follow. Considering DC's ongoing struggle to achieve better execution and the general ambiguity surrounding which movies exist within a single cinematic universe, delving into multiverse-hopping will only lead to further complications. In contrast, the Arrowverse took a different approach by simplifying its story and tying up loose ends through the destruction of its expansive multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths. If the idea of the multiverse couldn't be effectively conveyed in long-form storytelling, it's highly likely that DC will face difficulties navigating its complexities on the big screen.

Recasting a Role Has to Be Canon Now

The emergence of the multiverse trend has paved the way for characters from past adaptations to seamlessly transition into new storylines, affirming their place in the official canon. This narrative element offers the franchise a convenient avenue to replace its main actors whenever necessary. Depending on contractual agreements, the practice of recasting not only enables Marvel and DC to alter the storyline or resolve any inconsistencies but also allows them to distance themselves from individuals who have faced public condemnation. This ingenious solution enables the franchise to progress with the narrative while preserving the growth and development of each character.

Multiverse Movies Aren’t Built for Rewatching

However, regardless of the circumstances and whether it is part of canon, the presence of multiple versions of the same character in a single storyline remains jarring. The existence of a multiverse allows for such occurrences to happen more frequently, inadvertently distancing fans from the character that has been replaced, as well as the overall brand. Ultimately, if their identities can be easily discarded at any moment, it raises the question of why anyone would develop an emotional connection.

While nostalgia baiting is nothing new in cinema, the use of the multiverse in superhero films has become a way to flood the audience with cameos from beloved characters of the past, creating a spectacle for the box office. The return of both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as Batman in The Flash, as well as the merging of the MCU and X-Men in the upcoming Doctor Strange installment, has resulted in audience fatigue. The act of opening portals no longer adds to the plot; it simply allows disconnected adaptations to share the spotlight without any clear explanation of how they arrived. For instance, Ezra Miller's Barry Allen was added last-minute to Crisis on Infinite Earths purely for entertainment purposes, rather than for any meaningful story development.

Not only is this a cheap gimmick, but it also hinders character growth. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, when Doctor Strange explained the concept of the multiverse, his character was portrayed so negatively that speculation arose on the internet suggesting he might be Mephisto.

If a deceased character can be brought from an alternate reality solely for a cameo appearance in another, it diminishes their heroic sacrifice and diminishes the overall sense of credibility or permanence. There is no logical reason for fans to form an emotional connection with a character if another version is bound to emerge in a different dimension shortly after.

Content: The possibility of a crossover in Across the Spider-Verse hints that anything can happen in the multiverse, including the potential return of George Clooney's Batman, no matter how unlikely it may seem.