2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the first superhero movies to showcase the potential of the Multiverse. So, in the wake of Avengers: Endgame's time-travel hijinks, the majority of us were fully on board with Marvel Studios' "Multiverse Saga" plans.
Since its launch in 2020, this Saga has delivered more than its fair share of ups and downs. The MCU has also had to contend with a global pandemic and Hollywood strikes, and it's been a period of great upheaval for a studio that could once do no wrong (which has since faced the wrath of critics and fans).
From a shift to storytelling on streaming to a change in big bad, the Multiverse Saga has evolved drastically, with both Avengers movies no longer resembling what they were originally announced as.
Along the way, we've seen an apparent Rick and Morty fandom come close to derailing the Saga, some questionable decisions, and a righting of the ship, which has shown signs of improvement, even as the jury remains out in the eyes of many sceptical fans.
So, reflect on an undeniably chaotic few years with us by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
The MCU's New Big Bad
Avengers: Endgame introduced the notion of the Multiverse when Earth's Mightiest Heroes travelled back in time to acquire the Infinity Stones. Despite his death in the opening few minutes of the movie, a 2014 version of Thanos later became the movie's lead villain long before we heard the word "Variant" used in an MCU project.
Despite being a Multiversal tale on the surface, Spider-Man: Far From Home was more concerned with the fallout of Tony Stark's death. However, Loki continued exploring time travel through the introduction of the TVA and the final episode revealed that a Kang the Conqueror Variant, "He Who Remains," had created the MCU's "Sacred Timeline."
With it established that Kang would be the Multiverse Saga's new big bad, the stage was set to further explore the concepts of time travel and alternate realities ahead of a seemingly inevitable Multiversal War between Kang and his Variants, with the Avengers caught in the middle.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars were soon confirmed as this Saga's endgame (no pun intended).
Kevin Feige's Love Of Rick And Morty
Rick and Morty is a fantastic series and has always done a terrific job with the "Multiverse" concept. For Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, that made writers like Michael Waldron, Eric Martin, and Jeff Loveness the perfect picks to help shape this follow-up to the Infinity Saga.
Waldron served as Loki's Head Writer, though we've since heard that Martin might have done the lion's share of work for the critically acclaimed first season. Either way, he was tapped to write a crucial chapter in the Saga with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a movie that fans did not respond well to.
Still, Feige persisted and hired Waldron to write Avengers: Secret Wars and even his mysterious—and now scrapped–Star Wars movie. As for Loveness, he was tasked with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, a movie Marvel Studios decided to introduce Kang the Conqueror. It was not well-received, and plans for Loveness to write Avengers: The Kang Dynasty fell apart, despite him starting work on the project.
Feige didn't give up on Waldron, though, ultimately choosing him to write both Avengers movies...
The Cracks Begin To Show
At first, it was hard to fault Feige's decision to rely so heavily on those Rick and Morty writers. He'd lost the Russo Brothers and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to AGBO and needed to entrust someone with the epic two-part finale to a jam-packed Multiverse Saga.
However, as good as Loki was, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness didn't deliver on the title's promise. The handling of the Scarlet Witch's story in the sequel infuriated fans, particularly as it undid so much of what we'd seen in WandaVision. Yes, a dark turn was inevitable, but turning her into a full-blown villain was a bizarre decision.
As for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, we may never know who thought it was a good idea to introduce and beat Kang the Conqueror there, and the threequel was a mess. If that goofy post-credits scene was a sign of things to come, then moving on from The Kang Dynasty is far from the end of the world.
Of course, the biggest crack was a full-blown implosion. Jonathan Majors was arrested and eventually found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, leaving Marvel Studios with no other choice but to fire the actor. The Multiverse Saga no longer had a big bad.
A Lack Of Connectivity
With Bob Chapek calling the shots at Disney, a mandate went out to make as much streaming content as quickly as possible. For Marvel Studios, that meant a massive increase in its output, all while attempting to figure out how to tell stories in an episodic format.
With Kevin Feige stretched thin and countless movies and TV shows in the works at the same time, the first wave of stories in the Multiverse Saga felt massively disconnected. The crossovers fans had come to expect were often no longer there, resulting in some glaring issues as this Kang-centric story took shape.
What If...? has yet to have any sort of impact on live-action projects, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness failed to reference Spider-Man: No Way Home (in a meaningful way) and was written before Waldron had even seen WandaVision. Moon Knight didn't mention Rama-Tut, and the TVA only became a factor outside of Loki this year.
Those are but a few examples. Ultimately, this lack of connectivity has hindered the enjoyment of the MCU for many fans in the Multiverse Saga. It's fortunate then that Bob Iger's return has led to a greater focus on quality over quantity, the results of which we're now starting to see.
Enter Doctor Doom
It started to feel like the Multiverse Saga was falling apart. Despite some acting as if Phase 4 and 5 have delivered nothing but bad movies and TV shows, the reality is we've only seen Marvel Studios release a few "Rotten" projects.
That was enough to feed into the "superhero fatigue" narrative, though, and you could see certain outlets and critics rubbing their hands together with joy as it started to look like this genre might be on its last legs. Deadpool & Wolverine helped the studio—and the Multiverse concept—rebound, and Kevin Feige turned to some old friends to save Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
At last year's San Diego Comic-Con, the Russos made their shock MCU return alongside McFeely to take charge of the newly named Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. AGBO's struggles likely helped, but Feige clearly wanted a safe pair of hands to get this Saga to the finish line.
However, rather than recast Majors as Kang, Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. was brought back as...Doctor Doom?! It's a ballsy move and one which drew a mixed response, suggesting the sooner we move past the Multiverse and on to the X-Men, the better.
What's Next?
Marvel Studios has announced a stacked cast for Avengers: Doomsday, though the studio's struggles are far from over. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* both flopped this year, even with the latter receiving some of this Saga's best reviews.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a moderate hit, but Doomsday's leads have mostly starred in movies that haven't exactly been huge successes. We are expecting some unannounced returns, such as Chris Evans as Captain America and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and it's those (along with Downey's Doom) that Feige will surely be relying on to shift tickets.
The renewed focus on quality that we mentioned above benefited Daredevil: Born Again, while excitement for Wonder Man, VisionQuest, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day is high. In fact, the latter is shaping up to be one of the MCU's most anticipated movies ever.
Beyond Avengers: Secret Wars, we have Black Panther 3 and Jake Schreier's X-Men reboot. Blade may or may not happen, and even with so much riding on Doomsday and Secret Wars, it feels like Marvel Studios is in a better place as this hit-and-miss Saga nears its end...