Why Is The MCU's Multiverse Saga Failing?

 

The Multiverse Saga, which began with Spider-Man: No Way Home, is currently the poorest link in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Within a three-hour time limit, Tom Holland's film managed to neatly weave the past and present together. However, even that picture had issues because there were simply too many characters, resulting in characters like The Lizard and Sandman being underdeveloped. Unfortunately, since Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Multiverse Saga hasn't grown any better.

There is an obvious disconnect in storytelling, as most of the films in Marvel's Phase four lack the same clarity that was present in the MCU's first three phases. One of the primary reasons for this is a lack of personal stories that enable audiences to connect with the main characters in these films. It doesn't help that there are simply too many characters in these multiverse tales, making them appear disjointed. With the Multiverse Saga still in its infancy, there may be space for improvement, but it's still worth looking into why the MCU's Multiverse Saga isn't working right now.

The emphasis on personal stories has vanished in the MCU's Multiverse Saga.

The Multiverse Saga is not a novel concept, as alternate dimensions have been explored in both DC and Marvel comics. Old Man Logan and Superman: Red Son were lauded for their daring storytelling choices, but the key component behind them was that they explored personal narratives with their characters, giving them new depths. Even when the Green Goblin steals the spotlight from the masked vigilante, Spider-Man: No Way Home does an excellent job of keeping the emphasis on Peter Parker. Parker's journey accelerates after Aunt May's death, and that powerful scene remains the best to come out of the Multiverse Saga due to the connection viewers have formed for these characters.

However, no alternate storylines are being explored by Marvel in this film. The multiverse's goal is to explore a "what if" scenario, but there isn't a distinct take in the adventures of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man. It's mostly about these characters being thrown into a chaotic scenario, with a slew of supporting characters who don't get much screen time to establish themselves.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quatumania both had intriguing layers, but the protagonists lacked a personal story that carried the picture forward. In reality, because the focus is primarily on Janet, Cassie, and Kang, Ant-Man feels like a supporting character in his own film. The MCU's Multiverse Saga sacrificed the chance to tell personal stories that lend dimension to these Marvel heroes because there were simply too many characters to focus on.

There are too many characters and not enough time.

There are numerous interesting side characters in the multiverse stories who could have given a unique take on the world of superheroes. The Illuminati, Defender Strange, and Dark Strange are all intriguing alternates in The Multiverse of Madness, but the film never delves into their personalities. The same is true for Quatumania and No Way Home, where characters are compelled to be short-changed due to a lack of time to devote to everyone.

Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro profited greatly from their returns in No Way Home; however, The Lizard and Sandman almost felt pointless because their characters never developed. The growth of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire also feels clunky because the film spent more time focusing on the villains, leaving the two Peter Parkers to rely on verbal exposition about their lives. However, Garfield rescuing MJ was a powerful callback that provided closure for his character.

The purpose of the MCU's Multiverse Saga should be to explore alternate versions of characters we know and love; however, the focus is oriented towards throwing the title names into different worlds and not much else; even these new worlds don't get much exploration. With an emphasis on the multiverse, many of these stories would take the form of a mini-series that explored the alternate world and the inner workings of how each dimension works. Marvel needs to either simplify these stories so that the main character is the center or stop distracting the narrative with side characters who get very little screen time.

The Films' Stakes Have Dropped Dramatically

The main problem with the MCU's Multiverse Saga is that the consequences have vanished. Death doesn't matter for alternate versions of Spider-Man or Doctor Strange because there's an alternate version living and well who could take their place. Multiverse of Madness has some fun with this by putting two of the Strange characters against each other, but there's not much else to it.

The rules of the multiverse are unclear because we don't know much about the alternate worlds. It's wonderful for storytelling to keep the mysteries of a strange new place hidden, but Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange aren't interested in making the world anything more than a cool visual spectacle. Because death has little significance in the stakes and the danger in the multiverse is ambiguous, it's difficult to connect with the journey when it lacks any significant substance.