From A RICK AND MORTY Overload To Robert Downey Jr.'s Return - Charting The Multiverse Saga's Wild Evolution

From A RICK AND MORTY Overload To Robert Downey Jr.'s Return - Charting The Multiverse Saga's Wild Evolution

The Multiverse Saga has been unlike anything we expected when it began, and we're looking at how it's evolved from potential disaster to...Doom?! Here's a reminder of what's happened these past few years.

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Nov 22, 2024 12:11 PM EST
Filed Under: Avengers: Secret Wars

2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was first to show the potential of the Multiverse in a superhero movie. 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.

The past few years have been plagued by ups and downs, not to mention the small matters of a global pandemic and Hollywood strikes. For Marvel Studios, it's been a period of great upheaval as the studio that could once do no wrong suddenly faced the wrath of critics and fans. 

The Multiverse Saga has evolved drastically, with both Avengers movies no longer close to what they were once meant to be. 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 still somehow drawn a mixed response. 

To look back at an undeniably chaotic few years, simply click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below. 
 

The MCU's New Big Bad

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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 proved largely meaningless to this new Saga. 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

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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 fans did not respond well to. 

Still, Feige persisted and hired Waldron to write Avengers: Secret Wars and even his mysterious 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 in. It was not well-received and plans for Loveness to write Avengers: The Kang Dynasty were soon scrapped. 

Feige didn't give up on Waldron, though, ultimately choosing him to write both Avengers movies...
 

The Cracks Begin To Show

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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 but the threequel was a mess. If that goofy post-credits scene was a sign of things to come, then The Kang Dynasty being scrapped 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

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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. 
 

Enter Doctor Doom

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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 this 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 to the X-Men, the better. 
 

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BruceWayng
BruceWayng - 11/22/2024, 12:52 PM
Feige coming up with the plan for the Multiverse Saga…

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DrSmoonk
DrSmoonk - 11/22/2024, 12:56 PM
Yet again, josh forgets that spider-man is referenced in MOM, just this time he says "in a meaningful way".

What would have been a meaningful way, oh great writer of articles full of spelling mistakes and nonsensical sentences?

Imbecile.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/22/2024, 1:02 PM
@DrSmoonk - dont insult Josh
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/22/2024, 12:56 PM
This is what happens when news is slow lol.

Anyway , I personally have enjoyed the Multiverse Saga overall but I do think it’s a concept with limited storytelling potential which might be crazy to say…

However besides fan service & cameos , the concept of the Multiverse imo works best when it is used to examine your lead character (which Loki and MoM did) or show how they could have turned out if different decisions were made but beyond that there is nothing else to it.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/22/2024, 1:01 PM
Just glad Jonathan Majirs is back
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 11/22/2024, 1:25 PM
@Malatrova15 - Damn rught!!! You've been a loyal fan through the entire fiasco. I petition two Kwik Trip strawberry pies for your continued dedication to his innocence.



[Pricesandtimesmayvary.cbmisnotresponsibleforanypurchasemovingfowardatanykwiktriporanyotherlocation.wappreciateyourcontinuedcommenthilarityatcbm.com.thatisall.]
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/22/2024, 1:27 PM
@KennKathleen - if you are for real please just donate 14usd to Iarael
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 11/22/2024, 1:30 PM
@Malatrova15 - 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣 😂 😆


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Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/22/2024, 1:36 PM
@KennKathleen - ok fair enpugh...just sign my petition on change.org to make Sabra the main avenger on Kang Dynasty
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 11/22/2024, 2:43 PM
@Malatrova15 -

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MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 11/22/2024, 1:12 PM
It's clear that these were just tv writers who were not qualified to write blockbusters.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/22/2024, 1:29 PM
@MCUKnight11 - but they gave us Pickle Rick...no wonder why Feige want them .
Batmangina
Batmangina - 11/22/2024, 1:15 PM
The Multiverse has been a basic comic book sales gimmick since The Flash of Two Worlds.

What a bunch of retarded jagoffs who have lost the plot completely.

We need Jonathan Majors could punch them in the face.

ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/22/2024, 2:10 PM
@Batmangina - So like the Multiverse is a bunch of "Retarded jagoffs" now? And you think Zegler was bad for what she said about half of the current voting population of one country on one planet in a single universe.
Batmangina
Batmangina - 11/22/2024, 2:20 PM
@ObserverIO - The collective unimind of current Hollywood and the CBM/Sci-Fi genre folks in particular are indeed, a bunch of retarded jagoffs.

They've made BILLIONS off of the collective backs of Lee/Kirby/Siegel/Shuster and 1000 other work for hire guys who cranked out creative [frick]ing masterpieces ON A MONTHLY DEADLINE.

The retarded jagoffs in Hollywood were given a literal goldmine of storytelling engines and they can't stop [frick]ing with it and forcing it to reflect 'modern sensibilities' and whatever else they disguise their lack of creativity with and the diminishing returns are self evident.

Zegler is a retard of a different variety - self important/entitled cute chick who thinks she's way more talented and valuable than she is - she's also guilty of thinking that getting attention because you're cute makes your stupid opinions valuable. You're cute. Not smart. If you were fat and ugly, you would be completely unknown.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/22/2024, 2:32 PM
@Batmangina - she is pretty cute. I could justify that 'Snow White' title, just give me a couple of hours with her.
Batmangina
Batmangina - 11/22/2024, 3:41 PM
@ObserverIO - Agreed. I'm right there with you but she has to talk about the Patriarchy the whole time. 🤣
SATW42
SATW42 - 11/22/2024, 1:17 PM
@joshWilding - "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."

People were not infuriated with how she was handled. They are infuriated that she still didn't face reprucussions for the events of Wanda Vision, and then while being completely evil still got a redemptive/sympathetic ending.

Literally no one is mad she became full blown villain, in fact I think the frustration is that she went full blown villain but wasn't treated that way by any of the main characters.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/22/2024, 1:21 PM
@SATW42 - I have seen people be like they shouldn’t have made her a villain so I think there’s no real generalization to it.

Personally while I did have some issues with the regression , I did enjoy her as the baddie and thought her “ending” was appropriate
marvel72
marvel72 - 11/22/2024, 1:29 PM
Loki Season 1 had the odd episode and Season 2 had one good episode.

Liked Spider-Man:No Way Home and Doctor Strange And The MultiVerse Of Madness.

Deadpool And Wolverine was good as well.
Itwasme
Itwasme - 11/22/2024, 1:37 PM
@marvel72 - yep. I think Marvel's issues have been in their non-multiverse properties.
Itwasme
Itwasme - 11/22/2024, 1:35 PM
I don't think people have really taken a step back to look at the MCU multiverse speficic properties. It's actually been some of their best movies and TV lately.

End Game
No Way Home
Multiverse of Madness
Loki 1&2
Deadpool and Wolverine

There's a lot of other things released around them, but these are the properties whose plot revolved around the mutliverse (I might be forgetting something). On DC you had The Flash which honestly i felt suffered from its own hype and some weird decisions outside of the multiverse. I dug the multiverse stuff. Rick and Morty is another example of solid storytelling.

I think people are overstating how difficult or bad it is as a vehicle.

TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/22/2024, 1:40 PM
@Itwasme - that’s a good point

Also I feel like the noise around them have made it feel like the Multiverse stuff has been more prevalent then it actually has been in the MCU thus far.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/22/2024, 2:15 PM
@Itwasme - The Flash was to those movies what Justice League was to the Avengers movies.

(and yet I will often watch everything from Keaton's entrance onward so they must have done something right)
Itwasme
Itwasme - 11/22/2024, 2:57 PM
@ObserverIO - haha... I agree. Like the baby saving scene was just kinda odd. But there is some good stuff in there and I liked the 2 Barry's arc. To me I just don't see that films issues being multiverse related at all.
YonnyLayna
YonnyLayna - 11/22/2024, 2:30 PM
I felt mistake was adapting Wandass desescent on madness trought Wandavision istead of of Post Endgame Avergers Movie that adapted Avengers:Dissasebled/New Avengers in a more straightfoward way

Something like Avengers: And the Masters of Evil, puting the spotlight on Antman, Wasp Visión, Carol, Falcón, Bucky, and Black Pather, before jumping on the Young Avengers, Ethernals, Witches and stuff.

McMurdo
McMurdo - 11/22/2024, 4:35 PM
The MCU is a mess
MadThanos
MadThanos - 11/22/2024, 8:04 PM
Josh, you forgot to mention the social justice extravaganza.

To a point where Kevin and Bob Iger admitted the problem.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/27/2024, 9:28 AM
don't mind the overload of the multiverse m(adn)ess, I just wish it stuck to rules established by Endgame. It became a mumbo jumbo of terms and underdeveloped rules.

And also, each phase should've ended with an Avengers movie. Combined with clear rules, they could've made Doctor Strange 2 and Ant-Man 3 into Avengers movies.

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