In a saga titled after the multiverse, one would think that the creatives overseeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe would reduce the number of limitations they are held to in the confines of their storytelling. Unfortunately that was not the case for the last several years of titles, and as a result the once-highly regarded superfranchise has now left much to be desired and a bad taste in the mouth of the average moviegoer, with even some one-time super-fans denouncing what used to be one of their greatest joys.
Sure, we got some decent adventures by reintroducing the Sony and Fox universes in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool and Wolverine respectively, but imagine if the success of those films had been a continuous cohesive result by properly using the gimmick of this Saga in the plots of many of the franchise's recent flops.
5. Black Widow
Black Widow is a shining example of a missed opportunity for this phase of Marvel's big screen adventures. It is understandable that the studio wanted to follow through on a franchise that had been in the works since before even Iron Man was released, but to pull the trigger after Natasha met her end in one of the biggest event films of the entire MCU, Avengers: Endgame, seems like too little too late.
It's worth noting that this could have been an interesting tale were the opportunities presented by the Multiverse Saga actually taken advantage of. Why limit themselves to the period of time before Natasha's death with a boring period flick when an alternate universe Black Widow could have been explored instead?
It would have been the perfect opportunity to show a darker version of the character more in line with the comic counterpart, whether they chose to keep Johannsen or not, and it might have been a perfect chance to re-cast with someone from another universe portrayed by an actress who would be able to reprise her role in the next team-up movies without a completed contract under their belt.
We won't argue that Red Guardian and Yelena Belova were welcome additions to the MCU, but there's no reason they couldn't have come from another universe and joined the fray during Secret Wars with the new Natasha. Still, putting that abomination of a Taskmaster on another Earth would certainly leave an opportunity for Tony Masters to be done justice in the future.
4. The Marvels
Its understandable that not every feature has the budget of a major team-up film. While The Marvels may have had some fun moments, they were drowned in mediocrity with a film that would arguably have been better suited as a Disney+ Special Presentation.
Instead of suggesting that this film had been the recipient of the same Multiverse makeover we mentioned for Black Widow, our suggestion would have been to use the budget on a solo outing that never made it through the pipeline - Blade. With a 1920's setting, talent locked in, and at least a concept all in plaxe, its hard to imagine the comic book fan who justified shelving the Daywalker's debut for a follow-up to characters only known from the series on the streaming service.
3. Eternals
If we already weren't going to see any crossover between these characters and the ones that have predated them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its a real head-scratcher as to why this story wasn't utilized elsewhere in the multiverse, such as, say, Universe 828. Wouldn't it make more sense for these century-old heroes to have been shown on another Earth, and perhaps that could go some way towards explaining why the Fantastic Four's Earth is so different to the one we grew to love in Phases One through Three.
Additionally, this would have allowed for the inclusion of Thanos, considering the studio has continued to suggest that they have plans to revisit the character. The Mandarin could have been involved over the years, and even an introduction of an alternate Wakanda. It also could have gone some way in explaining to the audience how Latveria was initially formed, providing Doom with some more backtory and lead-up heading into Avengers: Doomsday.
2. Thunderbolts
Let me begin by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed Thunderbolts. Still, this seems like it could have been a Disney+ series, especially considering most of the characters wuthin originated on the streaming service. However, it's hard not to imagine another universe where this film could have taken place in another universe - particularly one where the audience could be introduced to an alternate roster of Avengers, ones with darker sides to themselves.
This could have included a number of actors who have the chops to take on darker versions of characters the audience is already familiar with, replacing the New Avengers with Dark Avengers, especially as Willem Dafoe had already proven he was willing to return. Utilizing a separate universe would also give a chance to take a proper approach to the Iron Patriot armor, with Osborn at the helm, which could have gone some way towards filling the gap left after Tony Stark's passing without having to use to undermine RDJ's send-off. To think of a world where Norman Osborn could fully embrace his darkness, joined by a Tom Hardy's Venom under the false mantle of Spider-Man leaves us wishing we could have gone that route.
This also would have been a better placed for Red Hulk to appear, or even Abomination, since both of these characters were included in the saga in other places anyways. Adding Harrison Ford to a cast alongside Tom Hardy and Willem Dafoe could have had a much better turn-out than what we were actually left with.
1. Captain America: Brave New World
Cap's fourth outing was arguably the biggest missed opportunity of Phases 4 and 5. Anthony Mackie was a perfectly fine replacement, but he was given his time to shine in Falcon and the Winter Soldier over on Disney+. On the movie side of things, the fourth film could have bridged the gap between the end of Avengers: Endgame and where we pick up with Steve Rogers in the beginning of this year's Avengers: Doomsday.
Since it has been revealed that Steve ultimately landed in Universe 828 for his happy ending in the world of the Fantastic Four, this is another missed opportunity to help flesh out that universe a bit that could have gone some way towards assisting ticket sales and interest in the first family's MCU makeover. Imagine a world where Universe 828 was given depth through Captain America 4, Eternals, Thunderbolts/Dark Avengers, and even an alternate Wakanda through a different take on Black Panther 2. It would definitely have raised the stakes to include this universe in Doomsday alongside the fully fleshed-out worlds from the Avengers films, X-Men movies, and the Raimi-verse.
Throughout the movie, we could have followed Steve as he returned the infinity stones to all of the universes they were taken from in Endgame. This would have been a unique chance to see the miultiverse through the lens of a character we had already grown alongside in the mainline MCU, and the cast could have included everyone from Tilda Switon's Ancient One to Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. There also could have been the option to include Loki and the TVA for a subplot that would have helped bridge the space they occupied on the streaming side of things with the big screen ahead of their return in Avengers: Doomsday.
What do you guys think of our take on these missteps from Marvel Studios? Be sure to share your take in the comments section!