There are those who believe (or are hoping) that the end is nigh for Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A handful of critical flops and some underwhelming box office hauls aren't going to kill this franchise, but the Multiverse Saga might.
That might sound like hyperbole, but we're barely over a third of the way into this Saga and it feels like interest is already waning. There's something about these stories - revolving around alternate realities and "Variants" - which isn't working and the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes give Marvel Studios the chance to make things right.
It's time to go back to the drawing board to reevaluate this Saga, a process which may have already begun if rumours Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars have lost their respective writers are correct.
To read our thoughts on how best to fix the Multiverse Saga in Phase 5 and beyond, simply click the "Next" button below.
5. Stop Introducing New Characters
Heading into Phase 4, the fact Marvel Studios had plans to introduce characters such as Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel left us all incredibly excited.
We're pleased all these new additions have made their presence felt in the MCU in recent years, but it's time to slow down because the franchise is beginning to feel like a mess. When Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier's post-credits scene, for example, we knew their stories would continue a year later in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Hercules? Starfox? Namor? Shang-Chi? Hawkeye? No one seems to know - Marvel Studios included - what's in store for the characters who have appeared in various stingers, while we know even less about the plan for those who have headlined movies or TV shows.
Meeting this lot and then seeing 90% of them end up on the shelf is frustrating and doing the Saga no favours, especially when we also have Variants to contend with!
4. Shift The Focus Away From Kang The Conqueror
Jonathan Majors is an immense talent and was fantastic as both He Who Remains and Kang the Conqueror. Unfortunately, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania's post-credits scene has left us worried about how goofy things are about to get with Kang's other Variants.
The decision to kill the Conqueror Variant remains perplexing, especially when he was the logical big bad for this Saga.
There could be a twist in store (many fans remain convinced that the Ant-Man threequel's Kang will return as The Beyonder) but we're not entirely convinced Kang is working. He's a great villain but a few cameos from Thanos prior to Avengers: Infinity War were more convincing than what we've seen from him thus far.
Of course, we'd be remiss not to mention what's happening with Majors. His legal issues are far from over and, even if he clears his name, it's hard to say whether a return as Kang is on the cards based on other allegations made. Perhaps the strike is a good excuse to change course?
3. Help Fans Understand Where This Saga Is Heading
We neither want nor need everything spelt out to us, but the Multiverse Saga's lack of answers is becoming increasingly frustrating.
When we learned of Thanos' plans to collect the Infinity Stones, it was pretty clear where the story was heading. To the credit of the Russos, though, they delivered some major surprises and twists that ensured Infinity War and Endgame were anything but predictable.
This slow-burn approach to the current Saga is more tedious than anything else, and nothing really makes sense. Some Variants look identical and others don't, while any definitive rules for time travel in the MCU are non-existent.
It feels like the rules are bent and broken in order to suit whichever story is being told at the time. It's not a smart approach and we need some clarification about where this Saga is leading and, more importantly, why we should care.
2. Bring Back Iron Man
When in doubt, just bring Robert Downey Jr. back as Iron Man! His presence helped Captain America: Civil War break box office records in 2016 and was crucial to increasing interest in Spider-Man: Homecoming after the damage done to the wall-crawler's franchise by The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The way Tony Stark's story ended in Avengers: Endgame was perfect but if the Multiverse is going to be used for anything, it should be to put a new spin on characters people actually care about (which is why Spider-Man: No Way Home was such a success).
Downey returning would be ideal, particularly if it's to play a villainous Variant of the Armoured Avenger.
Alternatively, enlisting another A-List actor would work as we need to start seeing more of the complexities behind these alternate reality heroes. The Spider-Men were from the older movies and Strange's doubles were simply evil, so it's time to shake things up.
1. Just Get It Over With, Already
Marvel Studios is already setting out to return to quality over quantity, so we're not going to waste time here suggesting they scrap certain movies or TV shows that appear superfluous to the Multiverse Saga (ironically, those without any Variants have largely proven to be more enjoyable).
If we're being honest, though, we're ready for this Saga to end.
There's been a lot to love about the likes of Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Even so, the concept feels tired and that obviously hasn't been helped by The Flash's mediocre take on it and how much more effectively it's been utilised in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The plan may be to end this Saga with a full-blown MCU reboot mixing returning heroes played by new actors with some of those legacy characters and the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Can we just skip the preamble and speed up the process of getting there, please?